White River Fauna

The White River Fauna are fossil animals found in the White River Badlands of South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska in the United States including Badlands National Park.

The fossils have been found in the White River Formation, Chadron Formation, Brule Formation, and the Arikaree Formation.

Animals from the White River Badlands date from the Eocene, Oligocene, the Miocene, and the Pliocene Epochs.

List

Genera include:

Birds

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Bathornis	†B. veredus (type) †B. celeripes †B. cursor †B. fricki †B. geographicus †B. grallator †B. fax? †B. minor	†Bathornithidae	Eocene-Miocene		The type genus of the Bathornithidae, large predatory birds related to seriemas.
†Paracrax		†Bathornithidae			Closely related and similar to the conspecific Bathornis; however, it seems to have occupied more arid environments.

Mammals

Artiodactyls

Antracotheres

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Bothriodon	†B. sp.	†Anthracotheriidae
†Elomeryx	†E. brachyrhynchus	†Anthracotheriidae

Camelids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Poebrotherium	†P. wilsoni (type) †P. chadronensis †P. eximium †P. franki †P. labratum	Camelidae

Entelodonts

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Archaeotherium	†A. mortoni (type)	†Entelodontidae	Oligocene
†Daeodon	†D. shoshonensis (type) †D. humerosum?	†Entelodontidae	Miocene

Leptomerycids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Leptomeryx		†Leptomerycidae			The most common fossil found in the area.

Merycoidodontids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Eporeodon	†E. major (type) †E. occidentalis †E. pygmyus	†Merycoidodontidae	Oligocene
†Leptauchenia		†Merycoidodontidae
†Merycoidodon		†Merycoidodontidae
†Miniochoerus		†Merycoidodontidae

Protoceratids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Protoceras		†Protoceratidae

Ruminants

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Hypertragulus		†Hypertragulidae

Carnivorans

Amphiconid

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Daphoneus	†D. vetus (type) †D. hartshorianus †D. lambei †D. ruber †D. socialis †D. transversus	†Amphicyonidae	Eocene-Miocene
†Parictis		†Amphicynodontinae

Borophagin

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Archaeocyon	†A. leptodus (type) †A. pavidus †A. falkenbachi	†Borophaginae	Oligocene

Canids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Osbornodon		Canidae

Creodonts

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Hyaenodon	†H. horridus	†Hyaenodontidae	Eocene - Miocene

Felids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Dinictis	†D. felina (type)	†Nimravidae	Eocene-Miocene
†Hoplophoneus	H. primaevus (type) H. occidentalis H. strigidens H. cerebralis H. dakotensis H. oharrai H. sicarius	†Nimravidae	Eocene-Oligocene
†Nimravus		†Nimravidae

Epoicotheres

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Xenocranium	†X. pileorivale (type)	†Epoicotheriidae	Oligocene

Lagomorphs

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Palaeolagus		Leporidae

Perissodactyls

Brototheres

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Megacerops		†Brontotheriidae	Eocene - Oligocene

Equids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Mesohippus		Equidae
†Miohippus		Equidae

Rhinocerotoids

Amynodonts

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Metamynodon		†Amynodontidae

Hyracodontids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Hyracodon		†Hyracodontidae	Eocene - Oligocene

Rhinocerotids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Subhyracodon		Rhinocerotidae

Tapirids

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Protapirus		Tapiridae

Rodents

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
†Agnotocastor	†A. praeteredens (type) †A. coloradensis †A. galushai †A. readingi	Castoridae	Eocene-Miocene
†Ischyromys		†Ischyromyidae

Reptiles

Genus	Species	Clade	Epoch	Image	Notes
Alligator	†A. prenasalis	Crocodilia	Eocene
†Peltosaurus		Anguidae
†Stylemys	†S. nebrascensis (type) †S. botti †S. calaverensis †S. canetotiana †S. capax †S. conspecta †S. copei †S. emiliae †S. frizaciana †S. karakolensis †S. neglectus †S. oregonensis †S. pygmea †S. uintensis †S. undabuna	Testudinidae

See also

• Category:White River Fauna

Further reading

• Rachel Benton, The White River Badlands: Geology and Paleontology, Indiana University Press 2015
• William Berryman Scott, A history of land mammals in the western hemisphere, MacMillan Publishing Company, 1913