Laetoli - Loc. 4 (Pliocene of Tanzania)

Also known as ETE Locality 620, Laetoli - Loc. 4,

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 (3.76+-.03ma), Min = Tuff 8 (3.46+-.12ma) radiometric intage_min

Environment/lithology:

• ETE sed env 1: volcanic, ETE sed env 2: paleosol ETE event: airfall, ETE env comment: stream channel oriented W-NW, alluvial plain
• ETE rock type adj: aeolian, ETE lithology comments: 11720% airfall tuff, limestone, xenoliths, 5% water-worked tuff, pelletoid - similar to Olduvai, calcite, Footprint Tuff

Collection methods: quarrying, surface (in situ)

• ETE Size: both; ETE reference list: 475, 418, 417, 416, 415, 414, 409, 123, 104, 81, ; 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 21802: 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
  -
Trochonanina "B-Laetoli", Streptostele cf. urguessensis
Trochonanina "B-Laetoli"
ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: mak - replaced genus name sp. with family name
Streptostele cf. urguessensis
ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: mak - genus name shifted from family name
Aves
 Galliformes - Numididae
Numida sp.
Numida sp. Linnaeus 1766 helmeted guineafowl
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Muridae
Saccostomus major
Saccostomus major pouched mouse
ETE occurrence; species: sp.nov.-Laetoli
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
"Notochoerus euilus" = Hylochoerus euilus
"Notochoerus euilus" = Hylochoerus euilus Hopwood 1926 giant forest hog
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
Giraffa stillei, Giraffa cf. jumae
Giraffa stillei Arambourg 1947 giraffe
Giraffa cf. jumae Leakey 1967 giraffe
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Simatherium kohllarseni, Tragelaphus sp., Gazella janenschi, Parmularius pandatus
Tragelaphus sp. de Blainville 1816 antelope
Parmularius pandatus Gentry 1987 antelope
ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: sp.nov.-Laetoli
 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 simum Burchell 1821 white rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Ancylotherium hennigi
Ancylotherium hennigi chalicothere
LAET 156, fused prox & int phalanges
 Theriamorpha - Sivatheridae
"Sivatherium cf. maurusium" = Libytherium maurusium
"Sivatherium cf. maurusium" = Libytherium maurusium Pomel 1893 placental
 Carnivora - Canidae
cf. Canis brevirostris
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Crocuta sp.
Crocuta sp. Erxleben 1777 spotted hyaena
 Carnivora - Felidae
"Leo cf. gombaszoegensis" = Panthera gombaszoegensis, Felis sp.
"Leo cf. gombaszoegensis" = Panthera gombaszoegensis Kretzoi 1938 cat
Felis sp. Linnaeus 1758 cat
ETE occurrence; species: medium
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Loxodonta exoptata
Loxodonta exoptata Dietrich 1941 African elephant