A NEW PLEISTOCENE VERTEBRATE FAUNA FROM CROCKETT COUNTY, TEXAS

In November, 2009, a new fossiliferous deposit was discovered in Crockett County, Texas when a bulldozer broke through into a small cave on a private ranch. At least two paleo-entrances are revealed by talus cones extending to the ceiling of the cave. The talus cones represent a thick sequence of sediments, the base of which was exposed in profile by flowing water from rainfall after the cave was reopened. The exposed profile was examined by cavers in March 2010 and was richly fossiliferous with both large and small mammal bones clearly visible in the sediments. Bones also were present on the surface of the talus cones. A preliminary paleontological evaluation of the site was conducted in May, 2012. At that time, some bones that were visible on the surface were collected, and small samples of surface sediments were collected for screen washing. The recovered specimens represent a fauna including viperid snake, bird, megalonychid ground sloth, horse, extinct antilocaprid, mustelid carnivoran, canid, and rodents of the families Geomyidae, Heteromyidae, and Muridae (including Neotoma and at least one additional taxon). The sloth, horse, and antilocaprid remains indicate a Pleistocene age for the surface. The cave represents a unique opportunity to investigate the Pleistocene biota from the western end of the Edwards Plateau, a region characterized by karst and well known for fossiliferous Pleistocene cave deposits in its central and eastern portions.