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Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Geosciences
Date of Award
5-2017
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Joshua Samuels
Committee Members
Blaine W. Schubert, Steven C. Wallace
Abstract
Sciurids are one of the most diverse mammalian groups today, but the fossil record does not reflect that diversity. The purpose of this project was to identify sciurids from two late Miocene sites—the Gray Fossil Site (GFS) of Tennessee, and Tyner Farm of Florida—and use those identifications to infer the ecology of the two. From the GFS four sciurids were identified: Eutamias or Neotamias, Glaucomys, and two tree squirrels (Sciurini). Two sciurids were identified from Tyner Farm: a chipmunk attributed to Tamiina, and a ground squirrel attributed to Marmotina. Paleoenvironmental inferences based on the sciurids present at both sites are consistent with previous work. The GFS Eutamias or Neotamias is the first record of a western chipmunk population in eastern North America; the GFS tree squirrels are the earliest record of a tree squirrel in eastern North America. The GFS Glaucomys is the earliest record of the genus.
Document Type
Thesis - restricted
Recommended Citation
Crowe, Cheyenne J., "Sciurids (Rodentia: Sciuridae) of the Late Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site and the Late Miocene Tyner Farm: Implications on Ecology and Expansion of the Sciurid Record" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3246. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3246
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.