Preliminary Survey of a Paleocene Faunule from the Angels Peak Area, New MexicoWilson, Robert W. (Robert Warren)
Science
Preliminary Survey of a Paleocene Faunule from the Angels Peak Area, New Mexico
Wilson, Robert W. (Robert Warren)
Geology, Stratigraphic -- Paleocene
The high ratio of carnivores to ungulates is a peculiarity shared with,
but far exceeded by, the Lebo fauna if figures obtained from surface
collections of the latter are used. It seems unlikely that this ratio
is the result of selective trapping in the accumulating sediments.
Perhaps, this high ratio reflects the imperfectly carnivorous habits of
the Paleocene creodonts as a group. One obvious explanation, regardless
of probability or merit, is that some of these do not belong to the
Carnivora.
The percentage composition of the Angels Peak faunule based on 148
identifiable mammalian specimens, is as follows:
Percent
Insectivora: 5
Carnivora:
Arctocyonidae: 32
Miacidae: 4
--- 36
Condylarthra:
Hyopsodontidae: 22
Phenacodontidae: 18
Periptychidae:
Anisonchinae: 10
Periptychinae: 5
--- 15
--- 55
Others: 4
----
100
The most common forms in the Angels Peak faunule are: _Tricentes_ cf.
_T. subtrigonus_, _Chriacus truncatus_, _Ellipsodon acolytus_,
_Tetraclaenodon_ nr. _T. puercensis_, and _Anisonchus sectorius_.
Post-cranial skeletal elements are of relatively rare occurrence in the
pocket. The presence of several more or less complete skulls, and the
relatively frequent association of upper and lower dentitions, however,
seem to be points against ascribing the accumulation to the activities
of predators and scavengers, otherwise perhaps indicated by the large
amount of resistant tooth material.
AGE OF THE FAUNULE
The Angels Peak faunule, as Granger stated, is of Torrejonian age. This
fact is clearly evident for the genera are all, with the exception of
the forms referred to the Primates, represented in beds of that age
elsewhere in the Nacimiento. Further, approximately two-thirds of the
known "Torrejon" genera are recorded by specimens from the Angels Peak
pocket. The primate remains present no evidence for suspecting a
difference in age, because the order is otherwise unrecorded in the
Torrejonian of New Mexico. The species are in most instances identical
or closely allied with those hitherto recognized. It is evident from
this that the Angels Peak faunule is more closely correlated in time
with the San Juan Torrejonian fauna as a whole than with either the
Dragon fauna or the Tiffanian. In respect to the San Juan Torrejonian,
closest resemblance is to the _Deltatherium_ zone fauna rather than to
the _Pantolambda_ zone fauna (Osborn, 1929:62). The difference in the
faunas of these two zones is largely, if not entirely, facial in
character.
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