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Physical Sciences and Mathematics
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
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Full-Text Articles in Biodiversity
Fossil Crocodilians From The High Guajira Peninsula Of Colombia, And The History Of Neogene Crocodilian Diversity In Tropical South America, Jorge W. Moreno-Bernal
Fossil Crocodilians From The High Guajira Peninsula Of Colombia, And The History Of Neogene Crocodilian Diversity In Tropical South America, Jorge W. Moreno-Bernal
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
The greatest diversity of Cenozoic crocodilians occurred during the Miocene in equatorial South America. However, the origin of this high diversity and its relationship to environmental factors are poorly understood. Most described species come from localities assigned to Laventan (13.8-11.8 Ma) and Huayquerian (9.0-6.8 Ma) South American land mammal ages (SALMAS), whereas the record is sparse in the early to middle Miocene and after the latest Miocene and Pliocene. Field research in the Castilletes (early Miocene-Pliocene) Formation in the High Guajira Peninsula of Colombia provides new fossil data on the origin of Neotropical crocodylian diversity. The Castilletes Formation crops out …