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Birket Qarun Formation

{{Short description|Geological formation in Egypt}}

{{Infobox rockunit

| name = Birket Qarun Formation

| image = File:Wadi Al-Hitan.jpg

| imagesize = 250px

| type = Sedimentary

| age = Eocene
~{{fossil range|41.2|33.9}}{{Citation |last1=Seiffert |first1=Erik R. |title=Geology, Paleoenvironment, and Age of Birket Qarun Locality 2 (BQ-2), Fayum Depression, Egypt |date=2008 |work=Elwyn Simons: A Search for Origins |pages=71–86 |editor-last=Fleagle |editor-first=John G. |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-0-387-73896-3_8 |access-date=2024-09-16 |place=New York, NY |publisher=Springer New York |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-0-387-73896-3_8 |isbn=978-0-387-73895-6 |last2=Bown |first2=Thomas M. |last3=Clyde |first3=William C. |last4=Simons |first4=Elwyn |editor2-last=Gilbert |editor2-first=Christopher C.|url-access=subscription }}

| period = Eocene

| prilithology = Sandstone, claystone, shale,limestone

| otherlithology =

| namedby =

| region = Faiyum Governorate

| country = Egypt

| coordinates =

| unitof =

| subunits =

| underlies =Qasr el Sagha Formation

| overlies = Gehannam Formation

| thickness = up to {{convert|50 |m|ft|-1}}

| extent =

| area =

| map =

| map_caption =

}}

The Birket Qarun Formation is an Eocene aged formation in Egypt. It is part of the famous Wadi al Hitan.{{cite web |title=Birket Qarun Formation |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displaySearchStrataResults?group_formation_member=Birket%20Qarun |website=PBDB.org}} 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.{{Cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=Alison M. |last2=Cook |first2=Todd D. |last3=Attia |first3=Yousry S. |last4=Chatrath |first4=Prithijit |last5=Simons |first5=Elwyn L. |date=2010-05-18 |title=A freshwater ichthyofauna from the late Eocene Birket Qarun Formation, Fayum, Egypt |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724631003758060 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |language=en |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=665–680 |doi=10.1080/02724631003758060 |bibcode=2010JVPal..30..665M |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }} 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.{{Cite journal |last=M. Fahlke |first=Julia |date=2012-11-15 |title=Bite marks revisited – evidence for middle-to-late Eocene Basilosaurus isis predation on Dorudon atrox (both Cetacea, Basilosauridae) |url=https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2012-issue-3-articles/339-archaeocete-predation |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=Palaeontologia Electronica |doi=10.26879/1441 |language=en|doi-access=free }}

Paleobiota

= Molluscs =

Several supposed rizholiths and rizhomes have been re-interpreted as burrows made by burrowing bivalves.{{Cite journal |last1=Gee |first1=Carole T. |last2=Sander |first2=P. Martin |last3=Peters |first3=Shanan E. |last4=El-Hennawy |first4=Mohamed Talaat |last5=Antar |first5=Mohammed Sameh M. |last6=Zalmout |first6=Iyad S. |last7=Gingerich |first7=Philip D. |date=2019-06-01 |title=Fossil burrow assemblage, not mangrove roots: reinterpretation of the main whale-bearing layer in the late Eocene of Wadi Al-Hitan, Egypt |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12549-018-0337-0 |journal=Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments |language=en |volume=99 |issue=2 |pages=143–158 |doi=10.1007/s12549-018-0337-0 |bibcode=2019PdPe...99..143G |issn=1867-1608|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Abdel-Fattah |first1=Zaki A. |last2=Gingras |first2=Murray K. |date=2020-12-15 |title=Origin of compound biogenic sedimentary structures in Eocene strata of Wadi El-Hitan universal heritage area, Fayum, Egypt: Mangrove roots or not? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003101822030496X |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume=560 |pages=110048 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.110048 |bibcode=2020PPP...56010048A |issn=0031-0182|url-access=subscription }}

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Amaea (Acrila){{Cite journal |last1=Moneer |first1=El Sayed M. |last2=Hewaidy |first2=Abdel Galil A. |last3=Ayyad |first3=Haitham M. |last4=Samir |first4=Ahmed |last5=Antar |first5=Mohammed S. |last6=El-Balkiemy |first6=Arafa F. |last7=Bazeen |first7=Youssef S. |date=2024 |title=Taxonomy, paleoecology, and paleobiogeographical significance of the middle-late Eocene molluscs from the Garet Gehannem section in the Fayoum depression, Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2024.105231 |journal=Journal of African Earth Sciences |volume=214 |pages=105231 |doi=10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2024.105231 |bibcode=2024JAfES.21405231M |issn=1464-343X|url-access=subscription }}

|niloatica

|Temple Member

|Gebel Gehannam

|Shells

|A Wentletrap

|200x200px

Acanthocardia (Schedocardia)

|gehannamensis

|Temple Member

|Gebel Gehannam

|Shells

|A Carditid

|

Carolia

|placunoides

|Temple Member

|Gebel Gehannam

|Shells

|A Scallop

|

Claibornicardia

|pharaonum

|Temple Member

|Garet Gehannam

|Shells

|A Carditid

|

Cubitostrea

|multicostata

|Temple Member

|Gebel Gehannam

|Shells

|An Oyster

|

Ostrea

|reili, fraasi, roncana

|Temple Member

|Gebel Gehannam

|Shells

|An Oyster

|200x200px

Turritella (Torquesia)

|pharaonica

|Temple Member

|Gebel Gehannam

|Shells

|A Turritellidae

|221x221px

= Actinopterygians =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Gymnarchus{{Cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=Alison M. |last2=Cook |first2=Todd D. |last3=Attia |first3=Yousry S. |last4=Chatrath |first4=Prithijit |last5=Simons |first5=Elwyn L. |date=2010-05-18 |title=A freshwater ichthyofauna from the late Eocene Birket Qarun Formation, Fayum, Egypt |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724631003758060 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=665–680 |doi=10.1080/02724631003758060 |bibcode=2010JVPal..30..665M |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}

|sp.

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Isolated remains

|A Mormyridae elephantfish

|199x199px

Hydrocynus

|sp.

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Isolated remains

|An Alestid

|199x199px

Qarmoutus

|hitanensis

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Isolated remains

|A sea catfish

|200px

Mochokidae

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Isolated remains

|Catfish

|

Perciformes

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Isolated remains

|Perch

|

Polypterus

|sp.

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Isolated remains

|A Bichir

|199x199px

= Dipnomorphs =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Protopterus

|elongus

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Isolated tooth plates

|A Protopterid

|200x200px

= Chondrichthyes =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Abdounia{{Cite journal |last1=Underwood |first1=Charlie J. |last2=Ward |first2=David J. |last3=King |first3=Christopher |last4=Antar |first4=Sameh M. |last5=Zalmout |first5=Iyad S. |last6=Gingerich |first6=Philip D. |date=2011 |title=Shark and ray faunas in the Middle and Late Eocene of the Fayum Area, Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2010.09.004 |journal=Proceedings of the Geologists' Association |volume=122 |issue=1 |pages=47–66 |doi=10.1016/j.pgeola.2010.09.004 |bibcode=2011PrGA..122...47U |issn=0016-7878|url-access=subscription }}

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Requiem shark

|200x200px

Aetobatus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Stingray

|200x200px

Alopias

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Thresher shark

|200x200px

Anoxypristis

|mucrodens, sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Sawfish

|

Brachycarcharias

|cf. twiggsensis

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Sand tiger shark

|

Burnhamia

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Mobulid

|

Carcharias

|aff. twiggsensis, sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Sand shark

|200x200px

Carcharhinus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Requiem shark

|200x200px

Chiloscyllium

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Carpet shark

|200x200px

Coupatezia

|wousteri, attiai, sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Stingray

|

Crassescyliorhinus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Scyliorhinid

|

Dasyatidae

|Indeterminate

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Whiptail stingray

|

Eoplinthicus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|An Eagle ray

|

Galeocerdo

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Tiger shark

|200x200px

Gymnura

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Stingray

|200x200px

Hemipristis

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Hemigaleid

|200x200px

Hexanchus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Sixgill shark

|200x200px

Himantura

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Stingray

|200x200px

Leptocharias

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Hemigaleid

|

Lophobatis

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|An Eagle ray

|

Macrorhizodus

|praecursor

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Lamnid

|200px

Megascyliorhinus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Scyliorhinid

|

Moerigaleus{{Cite journal |last1=Underwood |first1=Charlie J. |last2=Ward |first2=David J. |date=2011 |title=New hemigaleid shark from the late Eocene of Wadi Al-Hitan, Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2011.563763 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=707–711 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2011.563763 |bibcode=2011JVPal..31..707U |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}

|vitreodon

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Hemigaleid

|

Myliobatis

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|An Eagle ray

|200x200px

Narcine

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Numbfish

|200x200px

Nebrius

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Nurse shark

|200x200px

Neotrygon

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Whiptail stingray

|200x200px

Negaprion

|frequens, amekiensis, sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Lemon shark

|199x199px

Odontorhytis

|aff. pappenheimi

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|Indet. elasmobranch

|

Otodus

|sokolovi

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|An Otodontid

|200px

Ouledia

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Stingray

|

Pastinachus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Whiptail stingray

|199x199px

Physogaleus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Requiem shark

|

Platyrhina

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Guitarfish

|199x199px

Platyrhinoidis

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Guitarfish

|198x198px

Propristis

|schweinfurthi, lathami, sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Sawfish

|200px

Rhinoptera

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Cownose ray

|198x198px

Rhizoprionodon

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Sharpnose shark

|198x198px

Rhynchobatus

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Wedgefish

|198x198px

Squatina

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|An Angelshark

|198x198px

Stegostoma

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Zebra shark

|198x198px

Scyliorhinidae

|Indeterminate

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Scyliorhinid

|

Torpedo

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Torpedinid

|198x198px

Triakidae

|Indeterminate

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Houndshark

|

Triakis

|sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|Teeth

|A Houndshark

|198x198px

= Crocodylomorphs =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Crocodyliformes{{Cite journal |last1=Stefanic |first1=Candice M. |last2=Nestler |first2=Jennifer H. |last3=Seiffert |first3=Erik R. |last4=Turner |first4=Alan H. |date=2019-11-02 |title=New Crocodylomorph Material from the Fayum Depression, Egypt, Including the First Occurrence of a Sebecosuchian in African Late Eocene Deposits |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2019.1729781 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=39 |issue=6 |pages=e1729781 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2019.1729781 |bibcode=2019JVPal..39E9781S |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|DPC 24618 and 21120

|Indeterminate Crocodrile material

|

Gavialoidea

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|DPC 24708 and 24343

|Indeterminate Crocodrile material

|

Sebecosuchia

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|DPC 20814

|Indeterminate Ziphosuchian material

|

Tomistoma{{Cite journal |last=Andrews |first=C. W. |date=1905 |title=I.—Notes on some New Crocodilia from the Eocene of Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756800128456 |journal=Geological Magazine |volume=2 |issue=11 |pages=481–484 |doi=10.1017/s0016756800128456 |bibcode=1905GeoM....2..481A |issn=0016-7568}}

|kerunense

|Temple Member

|Birket-el-Qurun

|CGM 9350 - type (skull)

|A Tomistomine

|200x200px

= Testudines =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Cordichelys{{Cite journal |last1=Cherney |first1=Michael D. |last2=Wilson Mantilla |first2=Jeffrey A. |last3=Gingerich |first3=Philip D. |last4=Zalmout |first4=Iyad |last5=Antar |first5=Mohammed Sameh M. |date=2020-11-02 |title=New Specimens of the Late Eocene Turtle Cordichelys (Pleurodira: Podocnemididae) From Wadi Al Hitan and Qasr El-Sagha in the Fayum Province of Eqypt |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/163364 |journal=Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan |language=en |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=29–64|hdl=2027.42/163364 }}

|antiqua, sp.

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|A partial skull, mostly complete shell, and partial pelves; UMMP 97531, a mostly complete, well-preserved lower jaw

|A Podocnemididae sideneck turtle

|200px

Dacquemys{{Cite journal |last1=GAFFNEY |first1=EUGENE S. |last2=DEBLIEUX |first2=DONALD D. |last3=SIMONS |first3=ELWYN L. |last4=SÁNCHEZ-VILLAGRA |first4=MARCELO R. |last5=MEYLAN |first5=PETER A. |date=2002 |title=Redescription of the Skull of Dacquemys Williams, 1954, a Podocnemidid Side-Necked Turtle from the Late Eocene of Egyp |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/178505 |journal=American Museum Novitates |issue=3372 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1206/0003-0082(2002)372<0001:rotsod>2.0.co;2 |issn=0003-0082}}

|paleomorpha

|Temple Member

|Dimeh

|SMNS 12645

|A Podocnemididae sideneck turtle

|

= Squamates =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Amphisbaenia{{Cite journal |last1=El-Hares |first1=Marwa A. |last2=Zaher |first2=Hussam |last3=El-Mekkawy |first3=Desouki |last4=El-Sayed |first4=Sanaa |last5=Seiffert |first5=Erik R. |last6=Sallam |first6=Hesham M. |date=2021-07-04 |title=New records of legless squamates from the lowest upper Eocene deposits of the Fayum Depression, Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.1992770 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=41 |issue=4 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2021.1992770 |bibcode=2021JVPal..41E2770E |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|MUVP 453, an isolated presacral vertebra

|Indeterminate legless squamate

|

Booid{{Cite journal |last1=Mccartney |first1=Jacob A. |last2=Seiffert |first2=Erik R. |date=2015-11-30 |title=A late Eocene snake fauna from the Fayum Depression, Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2015.1029580 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=e1029580 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2015.1029580 |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}

|"taxon A", "taxon B"

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|1 left maxilla (DPC 21241), 3 anterior trunk vertebrae (DPC 25605, 25643, and 25655), 17 mid-trunk vertebrae (DPC 25603, 25606, 25613, 25618, 25619, 25628, 25635, 25642, 25644 to 25646, 25649, 25660, 25670, 25671, 25684, and 25690), 4 posterior trunk vertebrae (DPC 25623, 25673, 25685, and 25686); 7 mid-trunk vertebrae (DPC 25610, 25614, 25615, 25629, 25639, 25651, and 25652), 5 posterior trunk vertebrae (DPC 25621, 25622, 25638, 25662, and 25672)

|Indeterminate boa material

|

Caenophidia

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|1 "badly eroded partial vertebra" (DPC 25679)

|Indeterminate snake material

|

Gigantophis{{Cite journal |last1=Andrews |first1=Charles William |last2=Andrews |first2=Charles William |date=1901 |title=Preliminary Note on some recently discovered Extinct Vertebrates from Egypt. Part II |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/118039 |journal=The Geological Magazine, or, Monthly Journal of Geology |volume=8 |issue=10 |pages=436––444 |doi=10.1017/s0016756800179750|bibcode=1901GeoM....8..436A }}

|garstini

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|1 "giant" mid-trunk vertebra (DPC 25616), 1 "large" juvenile mid-trunk vertebra (DPC 25641)

|A giant madtsoiid snake

|200px

Procerophis

|sp.

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|MUVP 454, an isolated mid- trunk vertebra

|Indeterminate legless squamate

|

Pterosphenus

|schweinfurthi

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|5 anterior trunk vertebrae (DPC 21270, 21287, 24291, 25666, and 25667), 4 mid-trunk vertebrae (DPC 25607, 25630, 25668, and 25680)

|A Palaeophiidae sea snake

|200px

Renenutet

|enmerwer, sp.

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|holotype: GCM 83731, a mid-trunk vertebra; paratypes: DPC 25657, a mid-trunk vertebra, and DPC 25627, a posterior trunk vertebra; referred specimens: 7 mid-trunk vertebrae (DPC 25609, 25611, 25633, 25640, 25656, 25657, and 25687), 2 posterior trunk vertebrae (DPC 25602 and 25608); MUVP 455, mid-trunk vertebra (4.1 mm centrum length); MUVP 457, MUVP 458, MUVP 459, anterior caudal vertebrae (5.1 mm centrum length and 4.9 mm height of the neural arch and spine); MUVP 460, posterior caudal vertebra (2 mm centrum length).

|A Colubroidea snake

|

Russellophiid

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|1 single mid-trunk vertebra (DPC 25663)

|Indeterminate snake material

|

Tropidophiid

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|1 anterior trunk vertebra (DPC 25650), 3 mid-trunk vertebrae (DPC 25634, 25654, and 25664), 2 caudal vertebrae (DPC 25674 and 25692)

|Indeterminate dwarf boa material

|

Serpentes

|indeterminate

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|DPC 25620, 25661, 25665 (Pterosphenus or Gigantophis?), 25677, 25678, 25689, 25691, 25693, and 2694, incomplete and/or strongly eroded vertebrae

|Indeterminate snake material

|

Varanus{{Cite journal |last1=HOLMES |first1=ROBERT B. |last2=MURRAY |first2=ALISON M. |last3=ATTIA |first3=YOUSRY S. |last4=SIMONS |first4=ELWYN L. |last5=CHATRATH |first5=PRITHIJIT |date=2010-09-16 |title=Oldest known Varanus (Squamata: Varanidae) from the Upper Eocene and Lower Oligocene of Egypt: support for an African origin of the genus |url=https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00994.x |journal=Palaeontology |volume=53 |issue=5 |pages=1099–1110 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00994.x |bibcode=2010Palgy..53.1099H |issn=0031-0239}}

|sp.

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Vertebrae: DPC 21355, one cervical, two trunk and two caudal; 21442, one caudal; 23257, two trunk and two caudal; 23258, four caudals; 23778, caudal

|A Monitor lizard

|

= Birds =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Eopelecanus{{Cite journal |last1=El Adli |first1=Joseph J. |last2=Wilson Mantilla |first2=Jeffrey A. |last3=Antar |first3=Mohammed Sameh M. |last4=Gingerich |first4=Philip D. |date=2021-01-02 |title=The earliest recorded fossil pelican, recovered from the late Eocene of Wadi Al-Hitan, Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.1903910 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=41 |issue=1 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2021.1903910 |bibcode=2021JVPal..41E3910E |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}

|aegyptiacus

|Temple Member

|Garet Gehannam

|MUVP 505, a limb element (right tibiotarsus)

|An early species of pelican

|200px

=Afrotheres=

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Barytherium{{Citation |last1=Sanders |first1=William J. |title=Proboscidea |date=2010-07-20 |work=Cenozoic Mammals of Africa |pages=161–251 |url=https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520257214.003.0015 |access-date=2025-02-06 |publisher=University of California Press |last2=Gheerbrant |first2=Emmanuel |last3=Harris |first3=John M. |last4=Saegusa |first4=Haruo |last5=Delmer |first5=Cyrille|doi=10.1525/california/9780520257214.003.0015 |isbn=978-0-520-25721-4 |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Alexander G S C Liu |last2=Seiffert |first2=Erik R |last3=Simons |first3=Elwyn L |date=2008-04-14 |title=Stable isotope evidence for an amphibious phase in early proboscidean evolution |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |language=en |volume=105 |issue=15 |pages=5786–5791 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0800884105 |doi-access=free |pmid=18413605 |pmc=2311368 |bibcode=2008PNAS..105.5786L }}

|grave

|Temple Member

|Birket Qarun

|Partial mandible and isolated teeth

|A member of Barytheriidae

|200px

Dilambdogale{{Cite journal |last=Seiffert |first=Erik R. |date=2010 |title=The Oldest and Youngest Records of Afrosoricid Placentals from the Fayum Depression of Northern Egypt |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=599–616 |doi=10.4202/app.2010.0023 |issn=0567-7920|doi-access=free }}

|gheerbranti

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 66005 - holotype; referred material: DPC 23306E, 23307A, 23007H, 23736A, 23780C, 23784D, 23983C, 24001A, 24081B, 24103A and DPC 24108A

|A Tenrecomorph

|File:Dilambdogale mandible and molars.jpeg

Dimaitherium{{Cite journal |last1=Barrow |first1=Eugenie |last2=Seiffert |first2=Erik R. |last3=Simons |first3=Elwyn L. |date=2010-05-21 |title=A primitive hyracoid (Mammalia, Paenungulata) from the early Priabonian (Late Eocene) of Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/14772010903450407 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=213–244 |doi=10.1080/14772010903450407 |bibcode=2010JSPal...8..213B |issn=1477-2019|url-access=subscription }}

|patnaiki

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Holotype: CGM 42206, partial left mandible

|A Hyracoidean

|

Eosiren

|libyca, stromeri

|Temple Member

|Birket Qarun; Wadi al Hitan

|Multiple articulated & isolated remains

|A member of Dugongidae

|File:Eosiren lybica.JPG

Eotheroides{{Cite journal |last1=Zalmout |first1=Iyad S. |last2=Gingerich |first2=Philip D. |date=2012 |title=Late Eocene sea cows (Mammalia, Sirenia) from Wadi al Hitan in the western desert of Fayum, Egypt |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233932445 |journal=University of Michigan Papers on Paleontology |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=1–158}}

|clavigerum, sandersi

|Temple Member

|Birket Qarun; Wadi al Hitan

|Multiple articulated & isolated remains

|A member of Dugongidae

|File:Eotheroides remains.png

Moeritherium

|lyonsi

|Temple Member

|Birket Qarun

|Partial mandible and isolated teeth

|A member of Moeritheriidae

|200px

= Marsupials =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Ghamidtherium{{Cite journal |last1=Sánchez-Villagra |first1=Marcelo R. |last2=Seiffert |first2=Erik R. |last3=Martin |first3=Thomas |last4=Simons |first4=Elwyn L. |last5=Gunnell |first5=Gregg F. |last6=Attia |first6=Yousry |date=2007 |title=Enigmatic new mammals from the late Eocene of Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02990252 |journal=Paläontologische Zeitschrift |volume=81 |issue=4 |pages=406–415 |doi=10.1007/bf02990252 |bibcode=2007PalZ...81..406S |issn=0031-0220}}

|dimaiensis

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|GM 83699, a right dentary fragment including 2-3, and alveoli for M4 and one tooth anterior to M2

|A possible Didelphimorphian

|

= Rodents =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Kabirmys{{Cite journal |last1=SALLAM |first1=HESHAM M. |last2=SEIFFERT |first2=ERIK R. |last3=SIMONS |first3=ELWYN L. |last4=BRINDLEY |first4=CHLÖE |date=2010 |title=A large-bodied anomaluroid rodent from the earliest late Eocene of Egypt: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2010.501439 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=30 |issue=5 |pages=1579–1593 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2010.501439 |bibcode=2010JVPal..30.1579S |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}

|qarunensis

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Isolated teeth, partial mandibles, and an edentulous partial maxilla

|A Nementchamyidae rodent

|

Protophiomys{{Cite journal |last1=Sallam |first1=Hesham M. |last2=Seiffert |first2=Erik R. |last3=Steiper |first3=Michael E. |last4=Simons |first4=Elwyn L. |date=2009-09-29 |title=Fossil and molecular evidence constrain scenarios for the early evolutionary and biogeographic history of hystricognathous rodents |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=106 |issue=39 |pages=16722–16727 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0908702106 |doi-access=free |pmid=19805363 |issn=0027-8424|pmc=2757825 |bibcode=2009PNAS..10616722S }}

|aegyptensis, attiai

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 83695 - holotype; CGM 83690 ; referred material: DPC specimens

|A Hystricognathi rodent

|

Shazurus{{Cite journal |last1=SALLAM |first1=HESHAM M. |last2=SEIFFERT |first2=ERIK R. |last3=SIMONS |first3=ELWYN L. |date=2010-07-19 |title=A highly derived anomalurid rodent (Mammalia) from the earliest Late Eocene of Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00962.x |journal=Palaeontology |volume=53 |issue=4 |pages=803–813 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00962.x |bibcode=2010Palgy..53..803S |issn=0031-0239}}

|minutus

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 83701, a left Molar; referred 15 teeth

|A member of Anomalure

|

= Bats =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Aegyptonycteris{{Cite journal |last1=Simmons |first1=Nancy B. |last2=Seiffert |first2=Erik R. |last3=Gunnell |first3=Gregg F. |date=2016-05-09 |title=A New Family of Large Omnivorous Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) from the Late Eocene of the Fayum Depression, Egypt, with Comments on Use of the Name "Eochiroptera" |url=https://doi.org/10.1206/3857.1 |journal=American Museum Novitates |issue=3857 |pages=1–43 |doi=10.1206/3857.1 |issn=0003-0082}}

|knightae

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 83740, fragment of right maxilla with M2 and M3; only known specimen

|A member of Aegyptonycteridae

|

Qarunycteris

|moerisae

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 83671, a tooth (right [upper] M2)

|A member of Rhinopomatidae

|

Witwatia{{Cite journal |last1=Gunnell |first1=Gregg F. |last2=Simons |first2=Elwyn L. |last3=Seiffert |first3=Erik R. |date=2008-03-12 |title=New bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from the late Eocene and early Oligocene, Fayum Depression, Egypt |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[1:NBMCFT]2.0.CO;2 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |language=en |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[1:NBMCFT]2.0.CO;2 |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}

|schlosseri, eremicus

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|GM 83668, left dentary with c1–m3; CGM 83669, left M1 or M2

|A member of Philisidae

|

= Primates =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Afradapis{{Cite journal |last1=Seiffert |first1=Erik R. |last2=Perry |first2=Jonathan M. G. |last3=Simons |first3=Elwyn L. |last4=Boyer |first4=Doug M. |date=2009 |title=Convergent evolution of anthropoid-like adaptations in Eocene adapiform primates |url=https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08429 |journal=Nature |volume=461 |issue=7267 |pages=1118–1121 |doi=10.1038/nature08429 |pmid=19847263 |bibcode=2009Natur.461.1118S |issn=0028-0836|url-access=subscription }}

|longicristatus

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 83690, partial left mandible preserving P4–M3 and masseteric fossa

|A member of Caenopithecinae

|

Biretia{{Cite journal |last1=Seiffert |first1=Erik R. |last2=Simons |first2=Elwyn L. |last3=Clyde |first3=William C. |last4=Rossie |first4=James B. |last5=Attia |first5=Yousry |last6=Bown |first6=Thomas M. |last7=Chatrath |first7=Prithijit |last8=Mathison |first8=Mark E. |date=2005-10-14 |title=Basal Anthropoids from Egypt and the Antiquity of Africa's Higher Primate Radiation |url=https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1116569 |journal=Science |volume=310 |issue=5746 |pages=300–304 |doi=10.1126/science.1116569 |pmid=16224019 |bibcode=2005Sci...310..300S |issn=0036-8075|url-access=subscription }}

|fayumensis, megalopsis

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 83658, mandible with m2 and m3; CGM 83661, partial mandible with m2 and m3

|A Parapithecidae monkey

|

Karanisia{{Cite journal |last1=Seiffert |first1=Erik R. |last2=Simons |first2=Elwyn L. |last3=Attia |first3=Yousry |date=2003 |title=Fossil evidence for an ancient divergence of lorises and galagos |url=https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01489 |journal=Nature |volume=422 |issue=6930 |pages=421–424 |doi=10.1038/nature01489 |pmid=12660781 |bibcode=2003Natur.422..421S |issn=0028-0836|url-access=subscription }}

|clarki

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 40265, left mandible preserving M1 to M3

|A possible member of Lorisidae

|

Masradapis{{Cite journal |last1=Seiffert |first1=Erik R. |last2=Boyer |first2=Doug M. |last3=Fleagle |first3=John G. |last4=Gunnell |first4=Gregg F. |last5=Heesy |first5=Christopher P. |last6=Perry |first6=Jonathan M. G. |last7=Sallam |first7=Hesham M. |date=2017-04-10 |title=New adapiform primate fossils from the late Eocene of Egypt |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2017.1306522 |journal=Historical Biology |volume=30 |issue=1–2 |pages=204–226 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2017.1306522 |issn=0891-2963}}

|tahai

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|Mandibular, maxillary fragments and isolated teeth

|A member of Caenopithecinae

|

Nosmips{{Cite journal |last1=Seiffert |first1=Erik R. |last2=Simons |first2=Elwyn L. |last3=Boyer |first3=Doug M. |last4=Perry |first4=Jonathan M. G. |last5=Ryan |first5=Timothy M. |last6=Sallam |first6=Hesham M. |date=2010-05-10 |title=A fossil primate of uncertain affinities from the earliest late Eocene of Egypt |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=107 |issue=21 |pages=9712–9717 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1001393107 |doi-access=free |pmid=20457923 |issn=0027-8424|pmc=2906843 |bibcode=2010PNAS..107.9712S }}

|aenigmaticus

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 66002 - holotype

|A primate of uncertain affinites

|

Saharagalago

|misrensis

|Umm Rigl Member

|Birket Qarun

|CGM 40266, a left M1

|A member of Galagidae

|

= Cetaceans =

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

Ancalecetus{{Cite journal |last1=Gingerich |first1=Philip D. |last2=Uhen |first2=Mark D. |date=1996 |title=Ancalecetus simonsi, A New Dorudontine Archaeocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Early Late Eocene of Wadi Hitan, Egypt |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/48634 |journal=Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan |language=en-US |volume=29 |issue=13 |pages=359–401|hdl=2027.42/48634 }}

|simonsi

|Temple Member

|Wadi Hitan

|CGM 42290, a partial skeleton

|A Basilosauridae cetacean

|200px

Basilosaurus{{Cite book |last1=Beadnell |first1=H. J. L |url=https://doi.org/10.5479/sla.887629.39088015762578 |title=The topography and geology of the Fayum province of Egypt |last2=Freer |first2=Charles Lang |date=1905 |publisher=National Print. Dept |location=Cairo|doi=10.5479/sla.887629.39088015762578 }}{{Citation |last=Gingerich |first=Philip D. |title=Cetacea |date=2010-07-20 |work=Cenozoic Mammals of Africa |pages=0 |editor-last=Werdelin |editor-first=Lars |url=https://academic.oup.com/california-scholarship-online/book/15282/chapter-abstract/169842510 |access-date=2025-02-06 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-25721-4}}

|isis, cetoides

|All Members

|Dimeh SW; Birket Qarun; Garet el Naqb; Birket-el-Qurun; Garet Gehannam; Wadi Hitan

|Multiple articulated & isolated remains

|A Basilosauridae cetacean

|200px

Dorudon{{Cite journal |last=Dames |first=W. |date=1894 |title=Über Zeuglodonten aus Aegypten und die Beziehungen der Archaeoceten zu den Übrigen Cetaceen |url=https://www.zvab.com/Zeuglodonten-Aegypten-Beziehungen-Archaeoceten-%C3%BCbrigen-Cetaceen/30646052827/bd |journal=Palaeontologische Abhandlungen |volume=1 |issue=5 |pages=189–221}}

|atrox

|All Members

|El Kenissa; Geziret el-Qarn; Qasr Qarun; Birket-el-Qurun; Wadi Hitan

|Multiple articulated & isolated remains

|A Basilosauridae cetacean

|200px

Masracetus{{Cite journal |last=Gingerich |first=P. D. |date=2007 |title=Stromerius nidensis, new archaeocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the upper Eocene Qasr el-Sagha Formation, Fayum, Egypt. |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/57499/Vol%2031%20No%2013%20final%2012-19-07.pdf?sequence=1 |journal=Contributions The Museum of Paleontology |volume=31 |issue=13 |pages=1-17}}

|markgrafi

|Temple Member

|Dimeh

|SMNS 11414, a set of vertebrae (lumbar vertebrae); the associated skull is cataloged as SMNS 11413

|A Basilosauridae cetacean

|200px

= Plants =

Isolated Dicotyledon woods are known.{{Citation |last=El-Saadawi |first=Wagieh E. |title=Fossil Flora of Egypt |date=2020 |work=The Geology of Egypt |pages=495–520 |editor-last=Hamimi |editor-first=Zakaria |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-15265-9_13 |access-date=2025-03-12 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-15265-9_13 |isbn=978-3-030-15265-9 |last2=Nour-El-Deen |first2=Samar |last3=El-Noamani |first3=Zainab M. |last4=Darwish |first4=Mona H. |last5=Kamal El-Din |first5=Marwah M. |editor2-last=El-Barkooky |editor2-first=Ahmed |editor3-last=Martínez Frías |editor3-first=Jesús |editor4-last=Fritz |editor4-first=Harald|url-access=subscription }} Unidentified large woody roots are known.

class="wikitable"

!Genus

!Species

!Member

!Locality

!Material

!Notes

!Images

style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Avicennia?

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |marina?

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Middle Member

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |

  • Minqar El-Hut
  • Sandouk El-Borneta
  • Wadi Hitan

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Type-1 rhizoliths

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Mangrove plant (Avicenniaceae)

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |File:Avicennia marina at okinawa.jpg

style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cymodocea

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |sp.

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Temple Member

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Qasr Qarun

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |

  • Foliar remains
  • Type-3 rhizoliths

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |A marine Angiosperm (Cymodoceaceae)

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |File:Cymodocea nodosa 152718741.jpg

style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Detarioxylon{{Cite journal |last=El-Saadawi |first=Wagieh |last2=Nour-El-Deen |first2=Samar |last3=El-Din |first3=Marwah Kamal |last4=El-Noamani |first4=Zainab |date=2025-03-12 |title=Annotated catalog of the Egyptian macrofossil plants: An overview of over 200 years of research—Cryptogamae and Phanerogamae |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0034666725000417 |journal=Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology |pages=105320 |doi=10.1016/j.revpalbo.2025.105320 |issn=0034-6667|url-access=subscription }}

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |aegyptiacum

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Middle Member

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Birket Qarun

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Wood

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Terrestrial Angiosperm (Fabaceae)

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |

style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Nypa?

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |fruticans?,

burtini?

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Middle Member

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Wadi Hitan

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |

  • Rhizome casts
  • Leaf impression

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Mangrove Palm (Arecaceae)

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |File:XP Nepf D4090.JPG

style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Rhizophora

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |sp.

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Middle Member

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |

  • Minqar El-Hut
  • Sandouk El-Borneta
  • Wadi Hitan

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Type-2 rhizoliths

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Mangrove plant (Rhizophoraceae)

|style="background:#D1FFCF;" |File:Akar Tunjang Rhizopora.jpg

style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Thalassodendron

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |sp.

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |

  • Middle Member
  • Temple Member

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |

  • Qasr Qarun
  • Wadi Hitan

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |

  • Foliar remains
  • Type-3 rhizoliths

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |A marine Angiosperm (Cymodoceaceae)

| style="background:#D1FFCF;" |File:Thalassodendron ciliatum.jpg

References

{{reflist}}

Category:Geologic formations of Egypt

Category:Eocene

Category:Basilosauridae

Category:Eocene mammals of Africa