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Birket Qarun Formation

The Birket Qarun Formation is an Eocene aged formation in Egypt. It is part of the famous Wadi al Hitan.[2] Notable fossils include the ancient whales Basilosaurus and Dorudon as well as sirenians Eotheroides and Eosiren. It also contains the teeth of various sharks and reptiles. The area was likely a mix of both marine and freshwater area with many freshwater deposits being found alongside a marine influence from the Tethys Sea.[3] Fossils here also preserve a shallow marine nursery for the whale Dorudon and it seems that this area would have also been the site of active predation from Basilosaurus as it attacked the newly born Dorudon calves. [4]

Birket Qarun Formation
Stratigraphic range: Eocene
~41.2–33.9 Ma [1]
TypeSedimentary
OverliesGehannam Formation
Thicknessup to 50 metres (160 ft)
Lithology
PrimarySandstone, claystone, shale,limestone
Location
RegionFaiyum Governorate
CountryEgypt

Paleobiota

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Mammals

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Afrotheres

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Afrotheres
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Eotheroides[5] clavigerum  
Dilambdogale gheerbranti  
Eosiren libyca  
Dimaitherium patnaiki
Barytherium sp.  
Moeritherium[1] lyonsi  

Bats

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Bats
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Witwatia[6] schlosseri, eremicus
Qarunycteris moerisae
Aegyptonycteris knightae

Primates

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Primates
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Karanisia clarki
Afradapis longicristatus
Nosmips aenigmaticus
Masradapis tahai
Saharagalago misrensis
Biretia fayumensis, megalopsis

Cetaceans

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Cetaceans
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Dorudon atrox  
Basilosaurus isis, cetoides  
Masracetus markgrafi  

Reptiles

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Birds

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Birds
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Eopelecanus aegyptiacus  

Crocodylomorphs

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Crocodylomorphs
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Tomistoma kerunense

Testudines

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Testudines
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Dacquemys paleomorpha
Cordichelys antiqua  

Squamates

Squamates
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Gigantophis garstini  
Pterosphenus schweinfurthi  
Tropidophiid indeterminate
Russellophiid indeterminate
Procerophis sp.
Varanus sp.
Booid indeterminate
Caenophidia indeterminate
Serpentes indeterminate
Amphisbaenia indeterminate

Fish

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Actinopterygians

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Actinopterygians
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Qarmoutus hitanensis  
Hydrocynus sp.
Polypterus sp.
Perciformes indeterminate
Gymnarchus sp.
Mochokidae indeterminate

Dipnomorphs

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Dipnomorpha
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Protopterus elongus

Chondrichthyes

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Selachimorpha
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Rhizoprionodon sp.
Macrorhizodus praecursor  
Negaprion frequens, amekiensis
Nebrius sp.
Alopias sp.
Hemipristis sp.
Triakidae
Otodus[7] sokolowi
Hexanchus sp.
Squatina sp.
Leptocharias sp.
Carcharias sp.
Physogaleus sp.
Abdounia sp.
Crassescyliorhinus sp.
Galeocerdo sp.
Brachycarcharias cf.twiggsensis
Batoidea
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Torpedo sp.
Narcine sp.
Coupatezia wousteri, attiai
Propristis schweinfurthi  
Anoxypristis mucrodens

Molluscs

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Molluscs
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Carolia placunoides
Ostrea reili
Cubitostrea multicostata
Claibornicardia pharaonum
Acanthocardia (Schedocardia) gehannamensis
Turritella pharaonica
Amaea niloatica

Plants

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Plants
Genus Species Member Locality Material Notes Images
Thalassodendron [5] sp.

References

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  1. ^ a b Seiffert, Erik R.; Bown, Thomas M.; Clyde, William C.; Simons, Elwyn (2008), Fleagle, John G.; Gilbert, Christopher C. (eds.), "Geology, Paleoenvironment, and Age of Birket Qarun Locality 2 (BQ-2), Fayum Depression, Egypt", Elwyn Simons: A Search for Origins, New York, NY: Springer New York, pp. 71–86, doi:10.1007/978-0-387-73896-3_8, ISBN 978-0-387-73895-6, retrieved 2024-09-16
  2. ^ "Birket Qarun Formation". PBDB.org.
  3. ^ Murray, Alison M.; Cook, Todd D.; Attia, Yousry S.; Chatrath, Prithijit; Simons, Elwyn L. (2010-05-18). "A freshwater ichthyofauna from the late Eocene Birket Qarun Formation, Fayum, Egypt". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (3): 665–680. doi:10.1080/02724631003758060. ISSN 0272-4634.
  4. ^ [email protected], Julia M. Fahlke~Museum für (2012-11-15). "Bite marks revisited – evidence for middle-to-late Eocene Basilosaurus isis predation on Dorudon atrox (both Cetacea, Basilosauridae)". Palaeontologia Electronica. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  5. ^ a b Zalmout, Iyad S.; Gingerich, Philip D. "LATE EOCENE SEA COWS (MAMMALIA, SIRENIA) FROM WADI AL HITAN IN THE WESTERN DESERT OF FAYUM, EGYPT". Univeristy of Michigan PAPERS ON PALEONTOLOGY. 37.
  6. ^ Gunnell, Gregg F.; Simons, Elwyn L.; Seiffert, Erik R. (2008-03-12). "New bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from the late Eocene and early Oligocene, Fayum Depression, Egypt". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[1:NBMCFT]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0272-4634.
  7. ^ Underwood, Charlie J.; Ward, David J.; King, Christopher; Antar, Sameh M.; Zalmout, Iyad S.; Gingerich, Philip D. (2011-01-01). "Shark and ray faunas in the Middle and Late Eocene of the Fayum Area, Egypt". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. Environmental Change in sub-Saharan Africa. 122 (1): 47–66. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2010.09.004. ISSN 0016-7878.
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