Florentiamyidae is a family of extinct
rodents
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
from North America. They are part of the Superfamily
Geomyoidea
Geomyoidea is a superfamily of rodent that contains the pocket gophers ( Geomyidae), the kangaroo rats and mice ( Heteromyidae), and their fossil relatives.
Characteristics
Although dissimilar in overall appearance, gophers have been united wit ...
according to R. L. Carroll 1988. They are known to have existed 33.3 to 15.97
mya. They are known from the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
of United States,
Harrisonian of United States,
Arikareean
The Arikareean 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 30,600,000 to 20,800,000 years BP, a period of . It is usuall ...
of United States, and
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
of Canada. Four fossil specimens from the Arikareean were obtained at the
John Day Fossil Beds in
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
.
References
Geomyoid rodents
Eocene rodents
Eocene Perissodactyla
Eocene mammals of North America
Paleogene geology of Oregon
Prehistoric rodent families
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Extinct rodents
Extinct mammals of North America
Eocene first appearances
Eocene extinctions
Rupelian first appearances
Miocene extinctions
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