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 Idah ...

. It preserves

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

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 Tort ...

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 ...

) of the

Neogene The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. ...

period.McKay Formation
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Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world. History Fossilworks was cre ...

.orgMcKay Formation publications
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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, ...

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, a ...

** '' Antecalomys cf. valensis'' ** '' Basirepomys pliocenicus'' ** '' Copemys esmeraldensis'' ** ''

Peromyscus antiquus ''Peromyscus'' is a genus of rodents. They are commonly referred to as deer mice or deermice, not to be confused with the chevrotain or "mouse deer". They are New World mice only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse, ''Mu ...

'' ** '' Prosomys mimus'' *

Aplodontidae The family Aplodontiidae also known as Aplodontidae, Haplodontiidae or Haploodontini is traditionally classified as the sole extant family of the suborder Protrogomorpha. It may be the sister family of the Sciuridae. There are fossils from the ...

** '' 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. ...

** '' Parapaenemarmota oregonensis'' ** ''

Spermophilus mckayensis ''Spermophilus'' is a genus of ground squirrels in the squirrel family. As traditionally defined the genus was very species-rich, ranging through Europe, Asia and North America, but this arrangement was found to be paraphyletic to the certai ...

'' ** '' S. wilsoni'' ** '' Neotamias sp.'' * Eomyidae ** '' 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 the ...

** '' Oregonomys sargenti'' * Castoridae ** '' Castor sp.'' ** '' Dipoides smithi'' * Mylagaulidae ** '' Hesperogaulus wilsoni'' * Zapodidae ** '' 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 ord ...

** '' Hypolagus oregonensis'' * Ochotonidae ** ''

Ochotona spanglei ''Ochotona spanglei'' is an extinction, extinct species of pika (mammal in the family Ochotonidae), known from Late Miocene - Early Pliocene fossil from Oregon (United States, USA). Fossils were also found in Nebraska referred to as ''Ochotona'' ...

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

** '' Plesiogulo marshalli'' ** '' Pliotaxidea nevadensis'' ** '' Mustela sp.'' *

Canidae Canidae (; from Latin, ''canis'', "dog") is a family (biology), biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamily, ...

** '' Epicyon saevus'' ** '' Eucyon davisi'' *

Felidae Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the ...

** '' 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'' (mastodons) ...

** ?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, vicu� ...

** 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 Bartramia may refer to either of two genera: * ''Bartramia'' (bird) is a genus of bird of the family Scolopacidae, including the upland sandpiper * ''Bartramia'' (plant) is a genus of mosses in the class Bryopsida, including Haller's apple ...

'' * Odontophoridae ** ''

Callipepla shotwelli ''Callipepla'' is a genus of birds in the New World quail 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, th ...

'' *

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 , 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