PBDB Collection

Laetoli - Loc. 5 (Pliocene of Tanzania)

Also known as ETE Locality 617, Laetoli - Loc. 5,

Where: Tanzania (3.2° S, 35.2° E: paleocoordinates 3.4° S, 34.9° E)

When: Vogel River Series Formation, Piacenzian (3.6 - 2.6 Ma)

• ETE dating method: absolute, ETE age comment: Max = base of upper unit of Laetolil Beds, Min = Tuff 7 radiometric intage_min

Environment/lithology:

• ETE sed env 1: volcanic, ETE sed env 2: paleosol ETE event: airfall, ETE env comment: floodplain

• ETE rock type adj: aeolian, ETE lithology comments: 9420% airfall tuff, 5% water-worked, xenoliths, calcite, marker tuff similar to tuffs at Olduvai

Collection methods: bulk, quarrying, surface (in situ)

• ETE Size: both; ETE reference list: 446, ; ETE museum list: BMNH: British Museum (Natural History), KNM, TDA: Tennessee Division of Archaeology

Primary reference: M. D. Leakey and J. M. Harris. 1987. Laetoli: a Pliocene Site in Northern Tanzania. Clarendon Press, Oxford, Great Britain [A. Behrensmeyer/A. Behrensmeyer/M. Kosnik]more details

PaleoDB collection 21799: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Anna Behrensmeyer on 12.10.1995, edited by John Damuth

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

unclassified
-	Pseudinvoluta sp. n. sp., Urocyclinae indet., Urocyclinae indet. Pseudinvoluta sp. n. sp. ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: mak - original species name "sp.nov.-Laetoli" Urocyclinae indet. ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: mak - species name "Urocyclinae spB-Laet" split into genus and species names Urocyclinae indet. ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: mak - species name "Urocyclinae spC-Laet" split into genus and species names
Aves
Galliformes - Numididae	Numida sp. Numida sp. Linnaeus 1766 helmeted guineafowl
Reptilia
Testudines - Testudinidae	"Geochelone brachygularis" = Stigmochelys brachygularis, Geochelone laetoliensis "Geochelone brachygularis" = Stigmochelys brachygularis Meylan and Auffenberg 1987 turtle Geochelone laetoliensis Meylan and Auffenberg 1987 turtle
Mammalia
Macroscelidea - Rhynchocyonidae	Rhynchocyon pliocaenicus Rhynchocyon pliocaenicus elephant shrew
Tubulidentata - Orycteropodidae	Orycteropus sp. Orycteropus sp. Geoffroy 1791 aardvark
Proboscidea - Elephantidae	Loxodonta exoptata Loxodonta exoptata Dietrich 1941 African elephant
Carnivora - Hyaenidae	Crocuta sp. Crocuta sp. Erxleben 1777 spotted hyaena ETE occurrence; species: new species-Laetoli
Carnivora - Felidae	Dinofelis sp., "Leo cf. pardus" = Panthera Dinofelis sp. Zdansky 1924 cat "Leo cf. pardus" = Panthera cat
Perissodactyla - Equidae	Hipparion sp. Hipparion sp. de Christol 1832 hipparionine horse
Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae	Rhinocerotidae indet., Ceratotherium praecox, Ceratotherium simum Rhinocerotidae indet. Gray 1821 rhinoceros ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: Rhinocerotidae Ceratotherium praecox white rhino Ceratotherium simum Burchell 1821 white rhinoceros
Artiodactyla - Suidae	"Notochoerus euilus" = Hylochoerus euilus "Notochoerus euilus" = Hylochoerus euilus Hopwood 1926 giant forest hog
Artiodactyla - Giraffidae	Giraffa cf. jumae, Giraffa stillei Giraffa cf. jumae Leakey 1967 giraffe Giraffa stillei Arambourg 1947 giraffe
Artiodactyla - Bovidae	Simatherium kohllarseni, Tragelaphus sp. Simatherium kohllarseni antelope Tragelaphus sp. de Blainville 1816 antelope
Theriamorpha - Sivatheridae	"Sivatherium cf. maurusium" = Libytherium maurusium "Sivatherium cf. maurusium" = Libytherium maurusium Pomel 1893 placental
Rodentia - Hystricidae	Hystrix leakeyi Hystrix leakeyi porcupine ETE occurrence; species: sp.nov.-Laetoli
Rodentia - Bathyergidae	Heterocephalus quenstedti Heterocephalus quenstedti naked mole-rat
Rodentia - Cricetidae	Cricetidae indet. Cricetidae indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1817 mouse ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: Gerbillinae
Rodentia - Nesomyidae	Dendromus sp. Dendromus sp. Smith 1829 African climbing mice
Rodentia - Muridae	Muridae indet., Thallomys laetolilensis, Saccostomus major, Mastomys cinereus Muridae indet. Illiger 1811 mouse ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: Muridae Thallomys laetolilensis mouse Saccostomus major pouched mouse ETE occurrence; species: sp.nov.-Laetoli Mastomys cinereus mouse ETE occurrence; species: sp.nov.-Laetoli
Primates - Hominidae	Hominidae indet. Hominidae indet. Gray 1825 ape ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: Hominidae
Primates - Cercopithecidae	cf. Papio sp. cf. Papio sp. Erxleben 1777 baboon