Baynunah Formation

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Baynunah Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Miocene
~8.0–6.0  Ma
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Type Geological formation
Underlies Shuwaihat Formation
Lithology
Primary Sandstone, conglomerate
Location
Coordinates 24°1′48″N53°2′18″E / 24.03000°N 53.03833°E / 24.03000; 53.03833
Region Al Gharbia
Country United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates relief location map.jpg
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Baynunah Formation (United Arab Emirates)

The Baynunah Formation is a palaeontological formation located in the western region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. It dates to the Upper Miocene epoch of the Neogene period [1] in the Cenozoic Era.

Contents

Geology

Fauna

Fossils of the hippopotamus genus Archaeopotamus have been found in the formation [2] [3] [4] [5]

Birds

TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Diamantornis D. lainiJaw al Dibsa (DBS 2), Hamra (HMR 1, 3, 5), Hadwaniyya (HAD 4, 5, 6), Harmiyyah (HAR 3, 4), Jebel Barakah (JBR 2), Kihal (KIH 3), Ras al

Qal’a (RAQ 1, 2), Gerain al Aysh (GAA 3, 4, 8), Ras Dubay’ah (RDB 4), Ruwais (RUW), Shuwaihat (SHU 2, 3, 4, 8), and Umm Al Khabir (UAK 1)

Multiple collected specimens.An extinct Ratite bird
Struthio S. cf. karatheodorisKihal 2A pelvis, almost complete except for the pubic symphysis region.
Phalacrocorax P. sp.A proximal left carpometacarpus, distal right tarsometatarsus, and a tentatively referred proximal right humerus fragment.

Mammals

Artiodactyls

Bovids
TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Afrotragus A. libycusGAA2 and HAD3.Right frontlet withhorn core and left frontlet with horn core.
Miotragocerus M. cyrenaicusGAA2, JBR2, GAA7, HMR1, HMR5, and SHU4.A partial cranium, horn cores, partial vertebra, partial left lower m1 or m2, and upper molar or premolar fragment.An early bovinae.
Pachyportax P. latidensGAA2, GAA7, HMR5, and SHU4.
Prostrepsiceros P. vinayakiSHU2A basal left horn core.
Giraffids
TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Paleotragus P. aff. germainilocality SHU4A partial skeleton with partial left maxilla.An early Opaki-like giraffid.
Samotherium S. cf. sp.An upper molar fragment.An early giraffid.
Hippotamids
TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Archaeopotamus A. lothagamensis
A. qeshta
Suidae
TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Nyanzachoerus N. syrticus
Propotamochoerus P. hysudricus

Carnivorans

TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Plesiogulo P. praecocidens

Perissodactyls

TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Hipparion H. abudhabiense

Primates

TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages

Proboscideans

TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Stegotetrabelodon [6] S. emiratusA primitive elephantid.
Stegotetrabelodon11.jpg
Tetralophodon [6] IndeterminateA gomphothere.
Gomphotheriidae [6] Indeterminate.A gomphothere.
Deinotherium [6] D. aff. bozasiA deinotheriid

Rodents

TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Abudhabia A. baynunensis
Dendromus D. sp
Jebelus J. rex
Myocricetodon M. sp
Parapelomys P. cf. charkhensis
Protohummus P. dango

Fish

TaxonNotesImage
Bagrus [7]
Clarias [7] At least two species (possibly 3)
Labeobarbus [7] Cyprinid
 ?Capoeta [7] Probably Capoeta
Cichlidae [7] "African chichlid" (at least one species)
Percomorpha [7] Intermediate
Pristidae [7]
Dasyatidae [7]

Stegotetrabelodon footprints

Footprints attributed to Stegotetrabelodon have been found in the formation. [8]

See also

References

  1. "Annual Report 2017" (pdf), Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi , vol. 1: Culture, pp. 28–29, 2017, retrieved 2019-03-09
  2. Boisserie, Jean-Renaud; Schuster, Mathieu; Beech, Mark; Hill, Andrew; Bibi, Faysal. "A New Species of Hippopotamine (Cetartiodactyla, Hippopotamidae) from the Late Miocene Baynunah Formation, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates".
  3. Bibi, F., Hill, A., Beech, M., & Yasin, W. (2013). Late Miocene Fossils from the Baynunah Formation, United Arab Emirates. Fossil Mammals of Asia, 583–594. https://doi.org/10.7312/COLUMBIA/9780231150125.003.0027
  4. Antoine Louchart, Faysal Bibi, John Stewart. Birds from the Baynunah Formation. Sands of Time, Springer International Publishing; Springer International Publishing, pp.125-139, 2022, Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, ⟨10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_9⟩. ⟨hal-04025279⟩
  5. Bibi, Faysal. (2022). Bovidae and Giraffidae from the Baynunah Formation. 10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_14.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Sanders, William J. (2022), Bibi, Faysal; Kraatz, Brian; Beech, Mark J.; Hill, Andrew (eds.), "Proboscidea from the Baynunah Formation" , Sands of Time, Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 141–177, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_10, ISBN   978-3-030-83882-9 , retrieved 2024-01-03
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Otera, Olga. Home Sands of Time Chapter Fishes from the Baynunah Formation. Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_7.
  8. Bibi, Faysal; Kraatz, Brian; Beech, Mark; Hill, Andrew (2022). "Fossil Trackways of the Baynunah Formation". Sands of Time. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. pp. 283–298. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_17. ISBN   978-3-030-83882-9.

Further reading