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Ancient 'Texas Serengeti' Had Elephant-like Animals, Rhinos, Alligators and More

Accepted submission by Phoenix666 at 2019-04-11 15:15:07
Science

Phys.org [phys.org]:

a UT researcher has studied and identified an extensive collection of fossils from dig sites near Beeville, Texas, and found that the fauna make up a veritable "Texas Serengeti—with specimens including elephant-like animals, rhinos, alligators, antelopes, camels, 12 types of horses and several species of carnivores. In total, the fossil trove contains nearly 4,000 specimens representing 50 animal species, all of which roamed the Texas Gulf Coast 11 million to 12 million years ago.
...
In addition to shedding light on the inhabitants of an ancient Texas ecosystem, the collection is also valuable because of its fossil firsts. They include a new genus of gomphothere, an extinct relative of elephants with a shovel-like lower jaw, and the oldest fossils of the American alligator and an extinct relative of modern dogs.

Texas's abundant land and similar ecosystems have also made it a refuge for extremely endangered animals like the Oryx [outdoorlife.com] in modern times.


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