Whisenhunt Quarry
Basic information
Sample name: Whisenhunt Quarry
Reference: W. W. Dalquest, J. A. Baskin, and G. E. Schultz. 1996. Fossil mammals from a late Miocene (Clarendonian) site in Beaver County, Oklahoma. In Contributions in Mammalogy: A Memorial Volume Honoring Dr. J. Knox Jones, Jr (eds. H. H. Genoways, R. J. Baker), pp. 107-137 [ER 4157]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Oklahoma
County: Beaver
Coordinate: 36° 45' 33" N, 100° 2' 15" W
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Scale: quarry
Formation: Laverne
Time interval: Late Miocene
Zone: Clarendonian
Geography comments: "10 km south of Gate and about 15 km northwest of Laverne in the NW 1/4, NW 1/4, Sec. 3, T3N, R28E, at 100º2'15" W/long. and 36º 45'33" N/lat."
Environment
Lithology: siliciclastic (mixed)
Taphonomic context: lake deposit
Habitat comments: "a thick layer of pale gray sand and buff-colored diatomaceous clay... The matrix, especially the diatomaceous clay, proved difficult to process... Concentrate... consisted of bits of cemented sand"
"Some long bones and jaws of horses were found" but most fossils were isolated teeth and jaws
"It is thought that all of the small mammal fossils originated from the coprolites of predaceous fishes and reptiles"
"deposits formed in still water, a shallow pond in an extensive marsh or swamp at some distance from any deep soils or well-drained land"
"Some long bones and jaws of horses were found" but most fossils were isolated teeth and jaws
"It is thought that all of the small mammal fossils originated from the coprolites of predaceous fishes and reptiles"
"deposits formed in still water, a shallow pond in an extensive marsh or swamp at some distance from any deep soils or well-drained land"
Methods
Life forms: bats,carnivores,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals
Sampling methods: screenwash,surface
Sample size: 332 specimens
Years: 1991
Museum: Midwestern State University, West Texas A&M University
Sampling comments: "Mollusk shells were locally abundant, and we discovered several teeth of the small horse, Pseudhipparion. With the cooperation of Leroy E. Whisenhunt, owner of the ranch... and the active assistance of [Albert] Laverty, we excavated, washed, and sorted approximately ten tons of matrix from the site... mostly in the summer and fall of 1991"
there were "great quantities of remains of fishes" in addition to "mollusk shells" and "A few turtle shells had similarly been reduced to powder... Remains of large gars and perciform fishes are abundant, and snakes, alligators, and turtles are not uncommon"
"Specimens are housed in the Midwestern State University Collection of Fossil Vertebrates... or the collections at West Texas A&M University"
there were "great quantities of remains of fishes" in addition to "mollusk shells" and "A few turtle shells had similarly been reduced to powder... Remains of large gars and perciform fishes are abundant, and snakes, alligators, and turtles are not uncommon"
"Specimens are housed in the Midwestern State University Collection of Fossil Vertebrates... or the collections at West Texas A&M University"
Metadata
Sample number: 4616
Contributor: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2024-12-18 12:29:42
Modified: 2024-12-18 12:29:42
Abundance distribution
28 species
10 singletons
total count 332
geometric series index: 54.4
Fisher's α: 7.291
geometric series k: 0.8321
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7744
Shannon's H: 2.1375
Good's u: 0.9699
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| †Tregosorex holmani | 9 | |
| Soricidae indet. | 1 | |
| "medium-sized" | ||
| Sorex sp. | 5 | |
| ? | ||
| †Untermannerix copiosus | 1 | |
| †Domninoides knoxjonesi | 8 | |
| ?: type | ||
| †Domninoides hessei | 9 | |
| type | ||
| Myotis cf. yumanensis | 1 | 4.8 g insectivore |
| Chiroptera indet. | 1 | |
| "seems to be from a vespertilionid" | ||
| †Oklahomalagus whisenhunti | 21 | |
| type | ||
| †Pronotolagus apachensis | 5 | |
| Xerinae indet. | 3 | |
| "? Tamias sp." definitely not striatus | ||
| †Miospermophilus lavertyi | 45 | |
| type | ||
| †Eucastor planus | 143 | |
| plus "Postcranial elements" | ||
| †Macrognathomys gemmacollis | 1 | |
| †Tregomys shotwelli | 4 | |
| Copemys mariae = †Honeymys mariae | 14 | |
| Baskin and Korth (1996): replacement for the homonym "Copemys lindsayi" based on these specimens | ||
| Sthenictis sp. | 3 | |
| two specimens are tentatively referred | ||
| †Aelurodon cf. taxoides | 2 | |
| Paranasua sp. | 1 | |
| Tayassuidae indet. | 1 | |
| "Prothennops sp.": no detailed comparisons; could be any of several tayassuids | ||
| Merychyus sp. | 4 | |
| "Ustatochoerus sp.": one canine and "some thin, unworn fragments of molar teeth" | ||
| Moschidae indet. | 6 | |
| Ruminantia indet. | 3 | |
| "Palaeomerycidae or Antilocapridae" | ||
| †Calippus (Grammohippus) martini | 1 | |
| Pliohippus sp. | 1 | |
| †Pseudhipparion gratum | 36 | |
| "several dozen upper and lower cheek teeth" | ||
| †Hipparion cf. tehonense | 1 | |
| †Cormohipparion occidentale | 2 | |