Sharktooth Hill (Miocene of the United States)

Also known as LACM 4956, CAS 725, UCMP V74021

Where: Kern County, California (35.3° N, 118.5° W: paleocoordinates 35.2° N, 113.3° W)

When: Round Mountain Member (Temblor Formation), Langhian (16.0 - 13.8 Ma)

• Locality described as being in "Round Mountain Silt", Barstovian

•The Round Mountain Silt has been dated to 16.1–14.5 Ma based on magnetostratigraphy, strontium dating, and diatoms indicative of the Denticulopsis lauta A biozone (16–15 Ma). More specifically, the middle portion of Round Mountain Silt (including the bone bed) has been correlated with Chron C5Br, indicating an age range of 16.0–15.2 Ma [193]. (Marx & Fordyce, 2015)

• member-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: shoreface; siltstone

• The environment is reconstructed on the basis of the fauna as coastal or shoreline marine. Marine taxa dominant (whales and pelagic birds) with some terrestrial mammals.

•deep-sea fan, fed by subaerial uplifts of Franciscan and granitic basement

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the LACM

• collected by S. A. McLeod of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History

Primary reference: S. D. Emslie. 1988. An early condor-like vulture from North America. The Auk 105(3):529-535 [J. Hunter/J. Hunter/J. Hunter]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 13297: authorized by John Hunter, entered by John Hunter on 18.02.2002, edited by Mark Uhen, Catalina Pimiento, Patricia Holroyd and Jonathan Marcot

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Chondrichthyes
 Lamniformes - Lamnidae
Carcharodon morricei2 Jordan 1926 white shark
Carcharodon tembloris n. sp.2 Jordan 1926 white shark
 Lamniformes - Otodontidae
"Carcharocles megalodon" = Otodus megalodon6
"Carcharocles megalodon" = Otodus megalodon6 Agassiz 1835 megalodon
LACM 149518
Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Desmostylidae
Desmostylus japonicus4 Tokunaga and Iwasaki 1914 desmostylian
Desmostylus hesperus4 Marsh 1888 desmostylian
 Cetacea -
Nannolithax gracilis n. gen. n. sp.4, Oedolithax mira n. gen. n. sp.4
Nannolithax gracilis n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 toothed whale
Oedolithax mira n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 toothed whale
 Cetacea - Physeteridae
Aulophyseter morricei n. gen. n. sp.3
Aulophyseter morricei n. gen. n. sp.3 Kellogg 1927 sperm whale
 Cetacea - Kentriodontidae
Lamprolithax simulans n. gen. n. sp.4, Lamprolithax annectens n. gen. n. sp.4, "Grypolithax obscura n. gen. n. sp." = Kentriodon obscurus4, "Grypolithax pavida n. gen. n. sp." = Kentriodon obscurus4
Lamprolithax simulans n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 toothed whale
Lamprolithax annectens n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 toothed whale
"Grypolithax obscura n. gen. n. sp." = Kentriodon obscurus4 Kellogg 1931 toothed whale
"Grypolithax pavida n. gen. n. sp." = Kentriodon obscurus4 Kellogg 1931 toothed whale
 Cetacea -
Platylithax robusta n. gen. n. sp.4
Platylithax robusta n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 toothed whale
 Cetacea - Phocoenidae
Loxolithax sinuosa n. gen. n. sp.4
Loxolithax sinuosa n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 porpoise
 Cetacea -
Liolithax kernensis n. gen. n. sp.4
Liolithax kernensis n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 toothed whale
 Cetacea - Balaenidae
Peripolocetus vexillifer n. gen. n. sp.4
Peripolocetus vexillifer n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 right whale
 Cetacea -
Tiphyocetus temblorensis n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 whale
Parietobalaena securis n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 whale
 Carnivora - Felidae
 Carnivora - Odobenidae
Neotherium mirum n. gen. n. sp.4
Neotherium mirum n. gen. n. sp.4 Kellogg 1931 walrus
 Carnivora - Desmatophocidae
Allodesmus kernensis4 Kellogg 1922 pinniped
Reptilia
 Testudines - Dermochelyidae
? Chelonia californiensis n. sp.1 Gilmore 1937 leatherback
Aves
 Anseriformes - Anatidae
 Procellariiformes - Diomedeidae
Diomedea milleri5 Howard 1966 albatross
 Procellariiformes - Procellariidae
Puffinus ? mitchelli5 Miller 1961 shearwater
Puffinus ? priscus5 Miller 1961 shearwater
 Suliformes - Sulidae
Sulidae indet.5 Reichenbach 1849 booby
Morus ? vagabundus5 Wetmore 1930 gannet
 Cathartiformes - Cathartidae
Hadrogyps aigialeus n. gen. n. sp.
Hadrogyps aigialeus n. gen. n. sp. Emslie 1988 vulture