The McKay Formation is a

geologic formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. It preserves fossils dating back to the

Tortonian The Tortonian is in the geologic time scale an age or stage of the late Miocene that spans the time between 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma and 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Serravallian and is followed by the Messinian. The Torto ...

Zanclean The Zanclean is the lowest stage or earliest age on the geologic time scale of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 5.332 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago) and 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma. It is preceded by the Messinian Age of the Miocene Epoch, and ...

stages (

Hemphillian The Hemphillian North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from 10,300,000 to 4,900,000 years BP. It is usually considered t ...

) of the Neogene

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

.McKay Formation
at Fossilworks.orgMcKay Formation publications
at

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

Fossil content

The following fossils have been reported from the formation:Shotwell, 1956

Mammals

;Rodents *

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At almost 608 species, it is the second-largest family of mammals, and h ...

** '' Antecalomys cf. valensis'' ** '' Basirepomys pliocenicus'' ** '' Copemys esmeraldensis'' ** '' Peromyscus antiquus'' ** '' Prosomys mimus'' * Aplodontidae ** '' Liodontia sp.'' *

Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

** '' Parapaenemarmota oregonensis'' ** '' Spermophilus mckayensis'' ** '' S. wilsoni'' ** '' Neotamias sp.'' *

Eomyidae Eomyidae is a family of extinct rodents from North America and Eurasia related to modern day pocket gophers and kangaroo rats. They are known from the Middle Eocene to the Late Miocene in North America and from the Late Eocene to the Pleis ...

** '' Leptodontomys oregonensis'' * Geomyidae ** '' Parapliosaccomys oregonensis'' * Perognathinae indet. * Dipodomyinae indet. *

Heteromyidae Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within th ...

** '' Oregonomys sargenti'' *

Castoridae The family Castoridae contains the two living species of beavers and their fossil relatives. A highly diverse group of rodents within this family once roamed the earth, but only a single genus is extant today, '' Castor''. Characteristics Ca ...

** '' Castor sp.'' ** '' Dipoides smithi'' *

Mylagaulidae The Mylagaulidae or mylagaulids are an extinct clade of sciuromorph rodents nested within the family Aplodontiidae. They are known from the Neogene of North America and China. The oldest member is the Late Oligocene '' Trilaccogaulus montan ...

** '' Hesperogaulus wilsoni'' *

Zapodidae Zapodidae, the jumping mice, is a family of mouse-like rodents in North America and China. Although mouse-like in general appearance, these rodents are distinguished by their elongated hind limbs, and, typically, by the presence of four pairs o ...

** '' Pliozapus solus'' *

Leporidae Leporidae is the family of rabbits and hares, containing over 60 species of extant mammals in all. The Latin word ''Leporidae'' means "those that resemble ''lepus''" (hare). Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order ...

** '' Hypolagus oregonensis'' * Ochotonidae ** '' Ochotona spanglei'' ;Lipotyphla *

Talpidae The family Talpidae () includes the moles (some of whom are called shrew moles and desmans) who are small insectivorous mammals of the order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all digging animals to various degrees: moles are completely subterranean ...

** '' Gaillardia thomsoni'' ** '' ?Neurotrichus columbianus'' ** '' Scapanus cf. proceridens'' ** '' Scapanus sp.'' ** '' ?Scalopoides sp.'' ;Perissodactyla *

Rhinocerotidae A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

** '' Teleoceras hicksi'' *

Equidae Equidae (sometimes known as the horse family) is the taxonomic family of horses and related animals, including the extant horses, asses, and zebras, and many other species known only from fossils. All extant species are in the genus '' Equus'', ...

** Hipparionini indet. * Chiroptera indet. ;Carnivora *

Mustelidae The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family in th ...

** ''

Plesiogulo marshalli ''Plesiogulo'' is a genus of prehistoric carnivore that lived from Miocene to Pliocene of Africa, Eurasia and North America. An ancestral relationship to the wolverine (''Gulo gulo'') was once suggested, but it is no longer considered likely. How ...

'' ** '' Pliotaxidea nevadensis'' ** '' Mustela sp.'' * Canidae ** '' Epicyon saevus'' ** ''

Eucyon davisi ''Eucyon'' (Greek: : good, true; : dog) is an extinct genus of medium omnivorous coyote-like canid that first appeared in the Western United States during the late Middle Miocene 10 million years ago. It was the size of a jackal and weighed ar ...

'' * Felidae ** '' Lynx longignathus'' ** '' Machairodus sp.'' ;Proboscidea *

Mammutidae Mammutidae is an extinct family of proboscideans that appeared during the Oligocene epoch and survived until the start of the Holocene. The family was first described in 1922, classifying fossil specimens of the type genus ''Mammut'' ( masto ...

** ?Mammutidae indet. ;Artiodactyls * Tayassuidae ** '' Platygonus brachirostris'' *

Camelidae Camelids are members of the biological family Camelidae, the only currently living family in the suborder Tylopoda. The seven extant members of this group are: dromedary camels, Bactrian camels, wild Bactrian camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, ...

** Camelidae indet.

Birds

Scolopacidae Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...

** '' Bartramia umatilla'' *

Odontophoridae The New World quail are small birds only distantly related to the Old World quail, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family, the Odontophoridae, whereas Old World quail are in the pheasant ...

** '' Callipepla shotwelli'' *

Anatidae The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating ...

** '' Nettion bunkeri''

References

Bibliography

* {{cite journal , last=Shotwell , first=J. A , year=1956 , title=Hemphillian mammalian assemblage from northeastern Oregon , journal=

Geological Society of America Bulletin The ''Geological Society of America Bulletin'' (until 1960 called ''The Bulletin of the Geological Society of America'' and also commonly referred to as ''GSA Bulletin'') is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that has been published by the Geolo ...

, volume=67 , issue=6 , page=717 , doi=10.1130/0016-7606(1956)67 17:HMAFNO.0.CO;2, bibcode=1956GSAB...67..717S Neogene geology of Oregon Miocene Series of North America Messinian Tortonian Pliocene Series of North America Hemphillian Zanclean Sandstone formations of the United States Tuff formations Lacustrine deposits Paleontology in Oregon Formations

Fossil content

Mammals

Birds

See also

References

Bibliography