American Falls Reservoir (Pleistocene of the United States)

Where: Power County, Idaho (42.8° N, 112.9° W: paleocoordinates 43.2° N, 111.2° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: American Falls Lake Bed E Formation, Late/Upper Pleistocene (0.1 - 0.0 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: M. L. Hopkins, R. Bonnichsen, and D. Fortsch. 1969. The stratigraphic position and faunal associates of Bison (Gigantobison) latifrons in southeastern Idaho, a progress report. Tebiwa 12(1):1-8 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen]more details

PaleoDB collection 20569: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 26.03.1995, edited by Richard Hulbert and Mark Uhen

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Cedar Butte Basalt directly overlies Bed E and was dated at 0.072 +/- 0.014 Ma (whole-rock KA) by Scott et al. 1982; in turn, the underlying basalt of Crystal Springs was dated at 0.210 Ma (KA) by Desborough et al. 1989, as reported by Pinsof 1998
Sangamonian, and overlying B layer is middle Wisconsinan: Pinsof 1991
B layer fauna from Bronco Jim Point and Rainbow Beach is described by McDonald and Anderson 1975 and called the Rainbow Beach fauna by Kurten and Anderson 1980
Carr-Trimble site (Duck Point) is Wisconsinan according to White 1975 and Kurten and Anderson 1980, and therefore records for this site only are excluded
all rodents and lagomorphs reported by Hopkins et al. 1969 were from the Carr-Trimble site
all specimens are ISUM; early collection of Gazin 1935b is not discussed
Bison antiquus is present, but in the B layer only: Pinsof 1991
Pinsof 1998 states that there are "approximately 6,000 specimens" (meaning of vertebrates); of these, he lists 3197 belonging to generically determinate mammals, not including 1771 specifically indeterminate bison specimens
Aves
 Cathartiformes - Cathartidae
Cathartidae indet.2 Lafresnaye 1839 New World vulture
IMNH 65001
 Ciconiiformes - Ciconiidae
? Ciconia maltha2 Miller 1910 asphalt stork
IMNH 35020
 Pelecaniformes - Ardeidae
Ardea herodias2 Linnaeus 1758 great blue heron
IMNH 47701: "Rainbow Beach" specimen of Brodkorb 1963
 Passeriformes - Icteridae
Agelaius phoeniceus3 Linnaeus 1766 red-winged blackbird
 Anseriformes - Anatidae
Branta canadensis2 Linnaeus 1758 Canada goose
IMNH 71003, 65001
Anser caerulescens3 Linnaeus 1758 snow goose
Mergus merganser3 Linnaeus 1758 common merganser
Anas sp.2 Linnaeus 1758 dabbling duck
IMNH 65001
Anas platyrhynchos2 Linnaeus 1758 mallard
IMNH 50001: "Rainbow Beach" specimen of Brodkorb 1963
 Falconiformes - Falconidae
Falco peregrinus3 Tunstall 1771 Peregrine falcon
 Galliformes - Phasianidae
Meleagris gallopavo2 Linnaeus 1758 wild turkey
IMNH 48001, 65001
Bonasa umbellus3 Linnaeus 1766 ruffed grouse
Mammalia
  - Mylodontidae
Paramylodon harlani Owen 1840 Harlan's ground sloth
 Megatherioidea - Megalonychidae
Megalonyx jeffersonii Desmarest 1822 Jefferson's ground sloth
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus columbi7 Falconer 1857 Columbian mammoth
 Proboscidea - Mammutidae
Mammut pacificus4 Dooley et al. 2019 mastodon
 Carnivora - Felidae
"Panthera atrox" = Panthera leo atrox, "Felis rufus" = Lynx rufus, Lynx canadensis7, Puma concolor7, "Homotherium serum" = Homotherium latidens7, Smilodon fatalis1
"Panthera atrox" = Panthera leo atrox Leidy 1853 lion
"Felis rufus" = Lynx rufus Schreber 1777 bobcat
Lynx canadensis7 Kerr 1792 Canadian lynx
Puma concolor7 Linnaeus 1771 puma
"Homotherium serum" = Homotherium latidens7 Owen 1846 scimitar toothed cat
Smilodon fatalis1 Leidy 1868 saber-toothed cat
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Taxidea taxus7 Schreber 1778 American badger
Lontra canadensis7 Schreber 1776 North American river otter
 Carnivora - Procyonidae
Procyon lotor7 Linnaeus 1758 raccoon
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus sp.7 Linnaeus 1758 bear
Arctodus simus Cope 1879 giant short-faced bear
 Carnivora - Canidae
"Canis dirus" = Aenocyon dirus Leidy 1858 dire wolf
confirmed by Nowak 1979, Pinsof 1998
Canis latrans7 Say 1823 coyote
Vulpes vulpes7 Linnaeus 1758 red fox
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"Equus scotti" = Equus mexicanus7
"Equus scotti" = Equus mexicanus7 Hibbard 1955 horse
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Camelops hesternus Leidy 1873 camel
includes "Camelops cf. huerfanensis" according to Pinsof 1998
Hemiauchenia macrocephala7 Cope 1893 camel
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Platygonus sp.7 Leconte 1848 peccary
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Cervus cf. elaphus7 Linnaeus 1758 red deer
Odocoileus sp.7 Rafinesque 1832 New World deer
Rangifer tarandus7 Linnaeus 1758 reindeer
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Antilocapra americana7 Ord 1815 pronghorn
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bootherium bombifrons7 Harlan 1825 antelope
Bison latifrons5 Harlan 1825 bison
confirmed by Pinsof 1991, Pinsof 1998
Bison alaskensis6 Rhoads 1897 bison
Bison priscus6 Bojanus 1827 bison
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Cynomys niobrarius7 Hay 1921 prairie dog
Spermophilus sp.7 Cuvier 1825 ground squirrel
 Rodentia - Castoridae
Castor canadensis7 Kuhl 1820 American beaver
 Rodentia - Geomyidae
Thomomys townsendii7 Bachman 1839 Townsend's pocket gopher
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Ondatra zibethicus7 Linnaeus 1766 muskrat
 Rodentia - Erethizontidae
Erethizon dorsatum7 Linnaeus 1758 North American porcupine
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Brachylagus idahoensis7 Merriam 1891 pygmy rabbit
Lepus sp.7 Linnaeus 1758 hare