Sucker Creek (Miocene of the United States)

Where: Malheur County, Oregon (43.6° N, 117.5° W: paleocoordinates 44.4° N, 114.4° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Sucker Creek Formation, Barstovian (16.0 - 13.6 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial

Primary reference: D. W. Scharf. 1935. A Miocene Mammalian Fauna From Sucker Creek, Southeastern Oregon. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 453(7):97-118 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]more details

PaleoDB collection 19092: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 27.09.1993, edited by Jonathan Marcot

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• type section dated at 14.77 +/- 0.23 Ma (Ar-Ar) "above the vertebrate localities": Downing and Swisher 1993; fm. dated elsewhere (?) at 16.7 (= 17.14) Ma by Evernden and James 1964 (KA 1285), who report that the original fauna's stratigraphic position is unclear; ash near top of section dated at 14.93 +/- 0.08 Ma (Ar/Ar) by Perkins et al. 1998, and this date seems preferable
see also Downing and Park 1998
unclassified
  -
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Proboscidea
Proboscidea indet.1 proboscidean
 Carnivora - Procyonidae
Procyoninae indet.3 Gray 1825 procyonid carnivore
undescribed LACM specimen
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursavus "new species II"4 Schlosser 1899 bear
CIT 44; said to be new
 Carnivora - Canidae
? Canidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 canid
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"Parahippus avus" = Desmatippus avus, Hypohippus osborni, "Merychippus isonesus" = Acritohippus isonesus, Merychippus brevidontus
"Parahippus avus" = Desmatippus avus Marsh 1874 anchitheriine horse
Hypohippus osborni Gidley 1907 anchitheriine horse
"Merychippus isonesus" = Acritohippus isonesus Cope 1889 horse
assigned to "M. seversus" by Downs 1961, but i.d. confirmed by Tedford et al. 1987; see also Hulbert and MacFadden 1991
Merychippus brevidontus Bode 1935 horse
 Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Moropus sp. Marsh 1877 chalicothere
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Rhinocerotidae indet. Gray 1821 rhinoceros
Teleoceras medicornutum7 Osborn 1904 rhinoceros
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Camelidae indet. Gray 1821 camel
two forms
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
Ticholeptus zygomaticus5 Cope 1878 oreodont
Merychyus sp. Leidy 1858 oreodont
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassuinae indet.1 Palmer 1897 peccary
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
"Merycodus nevadensis" = Paracosoryx nevadensis
"Merycodus nevadensis" = Paracosoryx nevadensis Merriam 1911 pronghorn
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Dromomeryx borealis Cope 1877 ruminant
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Sciuridae indet.1 Gray 1821 squirrel
 Rodentia - Castoridae
Castoridae indet.1 Gray 1821 beaver
 Rodentia - Eomyidae
Pseudotheridomys sp.2 Schlosser 1926 rodent
 Rodentia - Zapodidae
Zapodidae indet.2 Coues 1875 jumping mouse
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Hesperogaulus sp.6 Korth 1999 rodent