List of species in the Port Kennedy Bone Cave

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A list of prehistoric and extinct species whose fossils have been found in Port Kennedy Bone Cave, located within the limits of Valley Forge National Historical Park, located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, US.

Contents

Most of the fossils excavated from the site are deposited within the collections of the Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia, including those unearthed by both the crews of anthropologist Henry Mercer (1895–96) and paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope. Daggers denote extinct species.

Mammals

Artiodactyla

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
† Long-nosed peccary [1] [2] [3] †Mylohyus nasutusOne of two fossil peccaries known from Irvingtonian North America. Several fossils were referred to a new species named Mylohyus tetragonus by Edward Drinker Cope in 1899. [3] Fossils were also assigned to M. pennsylvanicus as well, [3] but all have been assigned to M. nasutus. [1]
Mylohyus nasutus.jpg
† Teleopternus orientalis [3] Four molars. [4] A species known from only a single specimen originally described by Cope in 1899. [3] The teeth are large, with Cope estimating it to be about the size of an elk. [3] [1] The phylogenetic placement of the species has been stated to be cervid or camelid. [5] [1]
White-tailed deer [5] [1] Odocoileus virginianusSeveral specimens.An extant species of deer, originally described from the site as a new species of mule deer, Cariacus laevicornis, by Cope (1896). [6] C. laevicornis was named based on several teeth and two partial antlers. [4] [6]
Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) 10 (8270245832).jpg

Carnivora

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
American badger [7] Taxidea taxusFossils of badgers are uncommon, making up little of the carnivoran fossils compared to canids and felids. [1] First referred to Taxidea americana, a synonym of T. taxus. [3]
Badger on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (27528082215).jpg
American black bear [1] [2] [8] Ursus americanusPort Kennedy features the earliest known fossils of black bears, with Cope mentioning their presence in 1895. [2] [1] Black bears are medium-sized and omnivorous, though smaller than Arctodus pristinus. [8]
Jasper-Bear-Hunt-2.jpg
† Miracinonyx inexpectata [9] A relative of the cougar which convergently evolved several cheetah-like characteristics built for running. It too was carnivorous and medium-sized, around 70 kg (150 lbs). [10] Fossils are known from much of the United States, including very mountainous regions such as the Grand Canyon, implying they may have had high-altitude adaptations.
Miracinonyx (american cheetah).png
American river otter [7] Lutra canadensisA single partial mandible and teeth. [6] The North American river otter is a medium-sized, semiaquatic carnivore endemic to eastern North America. The oldest fossils of American river otters come from Port Kennedy and Cumberland Cave. [11] [1] Cope considered the Port Kennedy specimen distinct, dubbing it L. rhoadsii, but it has been lumped with L. canadensis. [12] [1]
North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) (6998578777).jpg
† Canis armbrusteri [1] Teeth and postcranial remains. [1] A canid larger than the other Canis species, C. priscolotrans, known from only several large upper carnassials and postcranial remains. [1] The fossils have been assigned to the species C. ambrusteri, though is slightly smaller than respective fossils known from Cumberland Cave, Maryland. [1] [13] Genetic data studied in 2021 found that the Rancholabrean species C. dirus actually belongs to the genus Aenocyon in a different lineage. This study implies that this species may be from the Aenocyon lineage. [14]
Canis ambrusteri skull.png
Bobcat [1] Lynx rufusMentioned by Cope (1895) as Lynx rufus, [2] but was referred to a new species, L. calcaratus, in 1899. [3] This species however is a synonym of L. rufus. [1] [11]
Rys cerveny (Lynx rufus) - ZOO Plzen 01.jpg
† Mustela diluviana [7] [1] A species of weasel unique to Port Kennedy, M. diluviana was named by Cope in 1899. However, Hay (1936) referred it to Martes , [7] though Daeschler, Spamer, & Paris (1993) kept it in Mustela. [1]
† Panthera onca augusta [1] [15] [16] Very few specimens, a rare species from the site. [15] A giant subspecies of the modern jaguar. The material was not mentioned until 1941 by George Gaylord Simpson. [1] [15]
Museo di storia naturale (Florence) - Panthera onca augusta.jpg
Gray fox [3] [2] Urocyon cinereoargenteusPort Kennedy has one of the first records of the gray fox, which were first described by Cope in 1895 as specimens of Vulpes cinereoargenteus. [2] Gray foxes are small and omnivorous, often eating hares and mice. [17] [18]
Gray Fox II - Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.jpg
Jaguarundi [1] Puma yagouaroundiA single specimen.The only fossil of a jaguarundi was initially assigned to Felis eyra, [2] but likely represent an early form of the jaguarundi. [11]
Puma yagouaroundi.jpg
† Arctodus pristinus [8] [1] Many individuals, including several partial skulls and mandibles. [3] Arctodus was one of the largest known carnivorans in history and belonged to the Tremarctinae, a subfamily of bears endemic to the Americas. Studies suggest that much like many modern bears, Arctodus was an omnivore with no direct adaptations for either hypercarnivory or scavenging as previously believed. This species is smaller than the later Arctodus simus, at only 133 kg (293 lbs). [19]
South Florida Museum - Big Carnivore Skeleton.jpg
† Osmotherium spelaeum [7] Many specimens. [7] [1] Osmotherium spelaeum is endemic to Port Kennedy and very common, bearing the most specimens of any mustelid. [7] Cope (1899) described six species based on fragmentary material that are junior synonyms of O. speleaum. [1] [11]
† Gulo schlosseri [1] G. schlosseri is considered to be the ancestor of the extant Gulo gulo, with fossils exclusive to the Irvingtonian. [20] [11] [1]
Gulo gulo 1.jpg
† Brachyprotoma obtusata [7] A partial mandible bearing three teeth.Originally described as Mephitis obtustata by Cope (1899), [3] it was a strange species of skunk that lived as far north as Yukon Territory, Canada. [21] The holotype was lost for many years, until being rediscovered in 1993 and figured. [1]
† Smilodon gracilis [22] [23] Few fragmentary specimens, including a partial skull.Smilodon is among the most well-known mammals from the Ice Age, but S. gracilis is far smaller than later species. S. gracilis was described on the basis of a canine from Port Kennedy by Cope in 1880 and was the ancestor to Rancholabrean species. [24] [25] Unlike the American lion, which is a true cat, Smilodon was a member of the Machairodontinae. Based on the microwear texture of the teeth it has been suggested that Smilodon fed on both harder material and soft flesh, preferring the later following injuries to the jaws and teeth.
Smilodon gracilis skull ANSP 44.1.jpg
† Canis edwardii [26] Cope named a new species of Canis, C. priscolatrans, in his 1899 monograph on the fossils from the site. He named it on the basis of two molars and a premolar, the cotypes. [27] [3] Several paratypes were also assigned, including a partial canine and phalanx, these specimens of considerable size. [27] [3] The validity of C. priscolatrans was in question for decades, but the dimensions and anatomies of the teeth are not distinct from that of C. edwardii. [26] [28] Tedford et al (2009) declared in a nomen dubium, but tentatively considered it a synonym of C. edwardii based on their similarities. [26]
Canis edwardii 2.jpg

Edentata

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
†Wheatley's ground sloth [1] †Megalonyx wheatleyiMany specimens, including several partial skulls, mandibles, and associated remains.Megalonyx wheatleyi is one of the most common species from Port Kennedy, with the site featuring one of the largest samples of the taxon. It was first named by Cope in 1871 along with 3 other Megalonyx species in his initial description of the site. The fossils he used were fragmentary, with the syntypes of M. wheatleyi consisting only of teeth. Cope named another species in 1899, M. scalper, but all species from the area have been synonymized with M. wheatleyi.
Megalonyx wheatleyi skeleton & restoration.jpg

Insectivora

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
Short-tailed shrew [1] [3] Blarina brevicaudaA single jaw in matrix.Like with many other Port Kennedy mammals, Cope considered the material from the site to be of Blarina distinct, dubbing B. simplicidens in his 1899 monograph. [3] It has been recognized as a junior synonym of B. brevicauda. [29] [1]
Blarina brevicauda (portrait).jpg

Lagomorpha

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
Eastern cottontail [1] Sylvilagus floridanus"a large number of individuals" [1] Originally assigned to the hare species Lepus sylvaticus , [30] but it is considered a junior synonym of Sylvilagus floridanus. [1] [11]
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) (8778052014).jpg
†Port Kennedy pika [1] †Ochotona palatinaTeeth.Cope described Praotherium palatinus based on several teeth in 1871, [30] but it was reassigned to the pika genus Ochotona in 1980. [11] However, its status is uncertain and has only fragmentary material. [1] [11]
American pika (ochotona princeps) with a mouthful of flowers.jpg

Perissodactyla

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
† Giant horse [1] † Equus pectinatusA large species of fossil horse, though the material has also been referred to the species E. giganteus, E. major , and E. fraternus . [3] [1] However, the most recent assessment placed all specimens within E. pectinatus. [1]
Equus conversidens skeleton 4.jpg
† Hays' tapir [1] † Tapirus haysiiA large species of tapir known from the Irvingtonian sediments of eastern North America. Tapirs are typically semiaquatic herbivores with long proboscis at the front of their skull. T. haysii was named previously by Joseph Leidy in 1860 [31] before a host of new fossils were described by Cope. [2] [3] Later in 1945, George Gaylord Simpson referred all of the Port Kennedy fossils to a new species he dubbed T. copeii, [32] a junior synonym of T. haysii due to lack of sufficient distinguishing traits. [33] [1]

Proboscidea

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotes
† American mastodon [34] † Mammut americanumMany fragmentary specimens, including juveniles.The American mastodon is the only known proboscidean from Port Kennedy and the largest animal from the site. [30] It consumed a variety of wooded plants, being a mixed browser in forests. [35]
Mammut americanum.jpg

Rodentia

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
†Cope's muskrat [30] [36] †Ondatra hiatidensFive specimens.A fossil species of muskrat, a semiaquatic type of herbivorous rodent endemic to Port Kennedy. It was originally named by Cope (1871), [30] though he later named the junior synonyms of Arvicola hiatidens and Anaptogonia cloacina in 1871 and 1899 respectively. [37] Though it has been noted that species determination with fossils from the site is difficult due to the small pool of samples. [38] [1]
Ondatra zibethicus FWS.jpg
†Diluvian water rat [1] [36] †Neofiber diluvianusCope named two species of microtines, Microtus diluvianus and Schistodelta sulcata, but only the former is valid. [6] [3] M. diluvianus was moved to Neofiber by Hibbard (1955). [37] It was endemic to Port Kennedy, extant water rats being semiaquatic and nocturnal omnivores.
Round-tailed Muskrat Neofiber alleni.png
Groundhog [1] Marmota cf. monaxA partial humerus.Not reported until it was described by Daeschler, Spamer, & Parris (1993). [1]
Marmota monax UL 19.jpg
Meadow jumping mouse [3] Zapus hudsonicusA single partial mandible bearing one cheek tooth. [3] Cope (1899) mentioned a specimen of Zapus hudsonicus, but it has been lost. [1] [3]
Zapus hudsonius (cropped).jpg
North American porcupine [39] [1] [3] Erethizon dorsatum [40]
Porcupine-BioDome.jpg
North American beaver [1] [3] [2] Castor canadensisA single mandible and three isolated teeth. [3]
American Beaver.jpg
†Squirrel [1] [30] †Sciurus calycinusTwo partial lower jaws.Sciurus calycinus was dubbed by Cope in 1871, [30] but has been considered a synonym of the red squirrel, flying squirrel, or gray squirrel. There has not been an assessment, however. [1]
Sciurus colliaei 4164028.jpg
Voles [38] Arvicolinae indet.Vole fossils too fragmentary to be assigned on the specific level are known have been unearthed. [1]
Bank vole.jpg

Insects

Only members of the family Coleopteridae have been reported from Port Kennedy, with chunks of clay containing fragments of beetles. [1] [41] Several novel species of beetles from the site were described by George H. Horn in 1874 on the basis of eltyra and thoraxes, though they have all been lost. [41]

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
"Ground beetles" [41] [1] †Cychrus wheatleyi, Cychrus sp.C. wheatleyi is endemic to Port Kennedy.
Cychrus caraboides 02.JPG
"Woodland ground beetles" [1] [41] Pterostichus sp.
Pterostichus madidus01.jpg
†"Colorful foliage ground beetles" [41] [1] †Cymindis auroraC. aurora is endemic to Port Kennedy.
Cymindis cincta Brulle, 1839 (15812338954).png
†"Vivid metallic ground beetles" [1] [41] †Chlaenius punctulatusC. punctulatus is endemic to Port Kennedy.
Chlaenius bimaculatus (11080569635).jpg
"Notch-mouthed ground beetles" [1] [41] †Dicaelus alutaceus, Dicaelus sp.D. alutaceus is endemic to Port Kennedy.
Dicaelus dilatatus - inat 37317962.jpg
"Dung beetles" [1] [41] †Choeridium. (=Ateuchus) ebeninum, †Phaenaeus antiquum, †Aphodius precursorAll "dung beetles" described by Horn are endemic to Port Kennedy. [41]
Coleoptera-Scarabaeidae-Aphodius-contaminatus-201210200093.JPG

Birds

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
TurkeyMeleagrinae indet.A single specimen.The turkey fossils have been identified previously as Meleagris gallopavo , but differed from Meleagris in some respects. [42] [1]
Wild Turkey.jpg

Reptiles

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
Eastern box turtle [43] [1] Terrepene carolinaSeveral specimens including carapaces and postcranial remains. [43] Fossils had been referred to T. eurypygia by Hay (1908), but were reassigned to T. carolina by Parris & Daeschler (1995). [43] Many remains are assigned to cf. Terrapene sp., but likely belong to the same species. [43]
Eastern Box Turtle Chapel Hill NC.jpg
Blanding's turtle [43] Emydoidea blandingiiA nearly complete plastron. [43]
Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) (17627218630).jpg
Eastern racer [1] Coluber sp.VertebraeThe Coluber fossils from Port Kennedy have morphological similarities to Masticophis , but are more likely to be from the former due to their geography. [1]
Coluber constrictor ssp. paludicola.jpg
†Tortoise [1] [43] †Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) percrassaA carapace and plastron fragments. [43] Geochelone was a large, herbivorous genus of tortoises that lived in the Americas until their extinction, possibly brought upon by human arrival. [43] The only fossils of G. percrassa come from the cave, though they were originally described as the species Clemmys percrassa by Cope in his 1899 monograph. [3]
Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) at IGZoo park Vizag.JPG
Wood turtle [43] Clemmys insculptaA single fragmentary shell. [43]
Endangered Virginia wood turtle from pond on Kisak's Cinnamon Hill.jpg

Plants

Common nameSpeciesMaterialNotesImage
American beech [1] [44] Fagus grandifola
FernhillAmericanBeech.jpg
Pin oak [44] [1] Quercus palustris
Pin oak quercus palustris.jpg
White oak [1] [44] Quercus alba
White Oak 5689.jpg
Bur oak [44] [1] Quercus macrocarpa
Bur-oak-savanna-fall.jpg
American hazel [1] [44] Corylus americana
Corylus americana kz02.jpg
Pitch pine [1] [44] Pinus rigida
Pinus rigida Stone Mountain.jpg
Cocksbur hawthorne or fireberry hawthorne [1] [44] Crataegus crus-galli or

C. chrysocarpa

Hawthorne [44] [1] Crataegus sp.Fossils of a hawthorne that cannot be identified at the specific level.
Thornless Hawthorne Tree III.jpg
Shagbark hickory [44] Carya avata
Carya ovata (Shagbark Hickory) (24374698388).jpg
Pignut hickory [44] Carya glabra
Carya glabra.jpg
Mockernut hickory [44] Carya tamentosa
2020-10-22 12 52 04 A Mockernut Hickory in autumn along a forested walking path in the Franklin Glen section of Chantilly, Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg
Virginia creeper [44] Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Parthenocissus quinquefolia foliage.jpg
Sphagnum moss [44] Sphagnum sp.Common on blocks of matrix. [1]
Unidentified Sphagnum 02.jpg

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  21. ↑ Youngman, Phillip M. (1986-03-01). "The extinct short-faced skunk Brachyprotoma obtusata (Mammalia, Carnivora): first records for Canada and Beringia". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 23 (3): 419–424. doi:10.1139/e86-043. ISSN   0008-4077.
  22. ↑ "About Rancho La Brea Mammals". Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. 2012-08-06. Archived from the original on 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  23. ↑ DeSantis, L.R.G.; Shaw, C.A. (2018). "Sabertooth Cats with Toothaches: Impacts of Dental Injuries on Feeding Behavior in Late Pleistocene Smilodon Fatalis (Mammalia, Felidae) from Rancho la Brea (Los Angeles, California)". Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 50 (6): 322567. doi:10.1130/abs/2018AM-322567.
  24. ↑ Rincón, Ascanio D.; Prevosti, Francisco J.; Parra, Gilberto E. (2011-03-17). "New saber-toothed cat records (Felidae: Machairodontinae) for the Pleistocene of Venezuela, and the Great American Biotic Interchange". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 31 (2): 468–478. doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.550366. hdl: 11336/69016 . ISSN   0272-4634. S2CID   129693331.
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  32. ↑ Simpson, G. G. (1945). Notes on Pleistocene and Recent tapirs. Bulletin of the AMNH; v. 86, article 2.
  33. ↑ Ray, C. E., & Sanders, A. E. (1984). Pleistocene tapirs in the eastern United States. Contributions in Quaternary Vertebrate Paleontology: a Volume in Memorial to John E. Guilday. Carnegie Museum Natural History, Special Publication, 8, 283–315.
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