Blancotherium and a treasure trove of Texas fossils from the Lapara Creek fauna

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Several fossils excavated near Beeville, Texas, by unemployed workers from 1939 to 1941 during the Great Depression have begun to be described after being stored in the collections of the University of Texas for 80 years. The paper describing these specimens claims that the fauna make up a "Texas Serengeti," with 4,000 specimens representing 50 animal species from 11 to 12 million years ago. Five of these species are fish, seven are reptiles, two are birds, and 36 are mammals, with these mammals representing 31 genera. Of these 31 genera, four are rodents, five are carnivores, two are proboscideans, ten are artiodactyls, and ten are perissodactyls. These fossils represent the earliest known occurrence of the slider turtles (genus Trachemys), the softshell turtles (genus Apalone), the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), and Eucyon. They also extend the geographic range of Ceratogaulus rhinoceros and represent the oldest occurrence of a mylagaulid in Texas. In addition a new genus of gomphothere has been described from these fossils and has been given the name Blancotherium buckneri ("Buckner Ranch Blanco Creek beast"). The genus name originates from the Blanco Creek where the new genus was found and the Latin word "Therium," meaning "beast," while the species name originates from the Buckner Ranch, the land on which the fossils of the new genus were found. These fossils were originally believed to belong to Gnathabelodon, but are now confirmed to be their own genus. Some of the fossils collected by the workers remain in plaster jackets. These fossils are currently being prepared in an attempt to reveal the contents of the jackets. Here is an image of the fossils used to describe Blancotherium as well as a link to the paper describing both it and the new site.


Paper (open access!): https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2019/2445-lapara-creek