La Puente Pit: Middle Paleocene - Late/Upper Paleocene, Colombia

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Dipnoi
Dipnoi sp. (Müller 1884)
Reptilia - Testudines
Puentemys mushaisaensis Cadena et al. 2012
Cadena et al. 2012
From clay layer underlying coal seam 90. UF/IGM 50-64 were reported from claystone layers under Coal Seams 40, 85, 90, and 115. But specific horizon data was not given for each specimen
Pelomedusoides informal shell taxon A
Cadena et al. 2012
UF/IGM 71 (nearly complete, somewhat crushed, articulated carapace and plastron)
Pelomedusoides informal shell taxon B
Cadena et al. 2012
UF/IGM 72 (carapace and plastron), UF/IGM 73 (partially articulated shell), UF/IGM 74 (partially articulated shell) and UF/IGM 75 (nuchal and left costal 1)
Reptilia - Testudines - Podocnemididae
Carbonemys cofrinii n. gen., n. sp. Cadena et al. 2012
Cadena et al. 2012
UF/IGM 41 - holotype (nearly complete skull)
Cerrejonemys wayuunaiki n. gen., n. sp. Cadena et al. 2010
Cadena et al. 2010 1 specimen
Reptilia - Palaeophiidae
Palaeophiinae indet. Lydekker 1888
Garberoglio et al. 2024
UF/IGM 16-a-c (originally assigned to Titanoboa by Head et al. 2009)
Reptilia - Boidae
Titanoboa cerrejonensis n. gen., n. sp. Head et al. 2009
28 specimens
UF/IGM 1 (holotype), a single precloacal vertebra; UF/IGM 2 (paratype), nearly complete precloacal vertebra; UF/IGM 3–UF/IGM 28, 184 additional precloacal vertebrae and ribs representing 28 individuals
Reptilia
Acherontisuchus guajiraensis Hastings et al. 2011
Hastings et al. 2011 1 specimen
UF ⁄ IGM 35, mandible including left and right dentaries and splenials, the left surangular, angular and articular, and a total of three partial teeth. Associated postcrania include two ribs, one sacral vertebra with partial sacral ribs and one metatarsal. These fossils were recovered from the underclay of Coal Seam 90 within the La Puente Pit
Cerrejonisuchus improcerus n. gen., n. sp. Hastings et al. 2010
Hastings et al. 2010 4 specimens
Actinopteri
Elopomorpha sp. Greenwood et al. 1966
see common names

Geography
Country:Colombia State/province:Guajira
Coordinates: 11.1° North, 72.5° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:8.5° North, 59.4° West
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period:Paleogene Epoch:Paleocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 1
Key time interval:Middle Paleocene - Late/Upper Paleocene
Age range of interval:61.60000 - 56.00000 m.y. ago
Age estimate:60 to 58 Ma (other)
Stratigraphy
Formation:Cerrejón
Stratigraphic resolution:group of beds
Stratigraphy comments: Dates [60 to 58 Ma] based on 13C correlation to Zachos et al. (2001) global isotope curve. Age estimation from Jaramillo et al. (2007), Palynology, 31:153-189.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:planar lamination,gray muddy claystone
Secondary lithology: argillaceous,sandy sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: JA: shown as a being a "sandy mudstone-siltstone" in a figure by Hastings et al. 2011; preservation of specimens indicates that the rocks are not strongly lithified
Environment:delta plain
Geology comments: "a large fluvial depositional setting, pertaining to the ancient Amazonian basin" having a "coastal influence [that] may represent a transition between the marine habitat of most dyrosaurids and a more fully fluvial environment" (Hastings et al. 2011)
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Degree of concentration:-multiple events
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Spatial orientation:random
Preservation of anatomical detail:good
Abundance in sediment:common
Size sorting:poor
Fragmentation:extreme
Temporal resolution:time-averaged
Spatial resolution:parautochthonous
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:all macrofossils
Collection methods:salvage,surface (in situ),mechanical,field collection,observed (not collected)
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Museum repositories:FLMNH
Collection method comments: Specimens on loan to FLMNH, official repository is IGM (Bogota)
Metadata
Also known as:Carbon Cerrejón; Cerrejón Coal Mine
Database number:106271
Authorizer:J. Head, R. Benson, P. Mannion, J. Alroy Enterer:J. Head, J. Alroy, P. Mannion, R. Benson
Modifier:P. Mannion Research group:vertebrate
Created:2011-03-05 03:34:46 Last modified:2021-04-15 12:42:50
Access level:the public Released:2011-03-05 03:34:46
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
35416. J. J. Head, J. I. Bloch, A. K. Hastings, J. R. Bourque, E. A. Cadena, F. A. Herrera, P. D. Polly and C. A. Jaramillo. 2009. Giant boid snake from the Paleocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures. Nature 457:715-717 [J. Head/J. Head]

Secondary references:

35419 E. A. Cadena, J. I. Bloch, and C. A. Jaramillo. 2010. New podocnemidid turtle (Testudines: Pleurodira) from the middle-upper Paleocene of South America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(2):367-382 [J. Head/J. Head/P. Mannion]
42554 E. A. Cadena, J. I. Bloch, and C. A. Jaramillo. 2012. New bothremydid turtle (Testudines, Pleurodira) from the Paleocene of Northeastern Colombia. Journal of Paleontology 86(4):688-698 [R. Benson/R. Benson]
44085 E. A. Cadena, D. T. Ksepka, C. A. Jaramillo and J. I. Bloch. 2012. New pelomedusoid turtles from the late Palaeocene Cerrejon Formation of Colombia and their implications for phylogeny and body size evolution. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 10(2):313-331 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
87468 F. F. Garberoglio, R. O. Gómez, and M. W. Caldwell. 2024. New record of aquatic snakes (Squamata, Palaeophiidae) from the Paleocene of South America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2305892:1-11 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
34888 A. Hastings, J. Bloch, E. Cadena and C. Jaramillo. 2010. A New Small Short-Snouted Dyrosaurid (Crocodylomorpha, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Paleocene of Northeastern Colombia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(1):139-162 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/P. Mannion]
37661 A. K. Hastings, J. I. Bloch, and C. A. Jaramillo. 2011. A new longirostrine dyrosaurid (Crocodylomorpha, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Paleocene of north-eastern Colombia: biogeographic and behavioural implications for New-World Dyrosauridae. Palaeontology 54(5):1095-1116 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]