A TAPHONOMIC STUDY OF CLARENDONIAN (MIOCENE) TELEOCERAS (PERISSODACTYLA, RHINOCEROTOIDEA) FROM THE OGALLALA FORMATION NORTHWESTERN KANSAS

Several quarries from the Ogallala formation in northwestern Kansas have yielded numerous Miocene fossil assemblages. The major constituent of these quarries is Teleoceras, a short-legged, robust-bodied rhinocerotid. A particular site near Oberlin, Kansas has merited scientific interest due to the predominance of juvenile Teleoceras bones and the unusual nature of their orientation. Sediment analysis and osteological examination were conducted as two phases of a taphonomic investigation of this fossil assemblage. Over 100 identifiable and mappable specimens have been recovered from the quarry, with a minimum number of two individuals aged five months and 1.5 years.

Canine impressions, gnawing and crushing visible on several bones suggest the occurrence of predation and scavenging. The bones show no preferred orientation but the degree of inclination shows great variability with many bones plunging steeply into the sediment. Sieve analysis of the sediment indicates that the majority of the sediment is granule-sized (0 φ and larger) and consists almost entirely of clay-sand aggregates (clay balls). This suggests debris flow activity responsible for fossil distribution. Possible explanations for bone accumulation at this quarry include: predation/scavenging, starvation/thirst, interspecific strife, disease, and accidental death. Combined, the results of the osteological examination and sediment analysis will provide great insight into the taphonomic history of this small yet mystifying quarry.