Haile Quarry site facts for kids
The Haile Quarry or Haile sites are super important places in Alachua County, northern Florida. They are like giant treasure chests filled with ancient animal bones! Scientists have found tons of vertebrate fossils here. These are bones from animals with backbones, like fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
The fossils found at Haile Quarry come from two main time periods. The first is the Early Miocene epoch, which was about 23 to 16 million years ago. The second is the Pleistocene epoch, which was from about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. These periods were long before humans lived in Florida!
People first discovered these amazing fossils during phosphate mining. This mining started in the late 1940s. The Haile sites are found in a special rock layer called the Alachua Formation. Some older sites, found in the Ocala Limestone, even had fossils of Valvatida (sea stars) and mollusks from the Upper Eocene epoch. That was about 38 to 34 million years ago!
Scientists from the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History work together at these sites. They give each fossil location a special number or letter. This helps them keep track of exactly where each fossil was found. For example, some sites are called Haile 5A or 19A.
Contents
Ancient Animals of Haile Quarry
The Haile Quarry is famous for its incredible variety of animal fossils. Scientists have found bones from many different types of creatures. These fossils help us understand what Florida was like millions of years ago.
Fish Fossils
Imagine giant sharks swimming in ancient Florida!
- Carcharodon auriculatus (a type of ancient shark)
Amphibians and Reptiles
Many cool amphibians and reptiles lived here long ago.
- Bufo (an ancient toad)
- Coluber constrictor (Eastern Racer snake)
- Emydidae (various turtles)
- Gavialosuchus (a type of ancient crocodile)
- Hesperotestudo crassiscutata (a large ancient turtle)
- Deirochelys (Chicken Turtle)
- Micrurus fulvius (Coral snake)
- Ranidae (True Frog)
- Sphenodontia (an ancient lizard-like reptile)
- Terrapene carolina (Eastern Box Turtle)
Bird Fossils
Birds of all shapes and sizes flew over ancient Florida.
- Anatidae indet (an ancient duck)
- Aizenogyps toomeyae (a type of ancient condor, a large scavenger bird)
- Anhinga grande (a large snakebird)
- Ceryle torquata (Ringed Kingfisher)
- Motmotidae (a type of motmot, a colorful bird)
- Phalacrocorax (an ancient cormorant, a diving bird)
Mammal Fossils
The Haile Quarry is especially rich in mammal fossils. From tiny mice to giant sloths, many different mammals once roamed this area.
Carnivores: Meat Eaters
These are the hunters and scavengers of ancient Florida.
- Procyon (an ancient raccoon)
Ancient Dogs and Wolves
- Borophagus (an ancestor of modern dogs)
- Canidae (the dog family)
- Canis armbrusteri (Armbruster's wolf)
- Canis edwardii (Edward's wolf)
- Canis dirus (the famous Dire wolf)
- Canis rufus (Red wolf)
- Epicyon haydeni (another ancestor of dogs)
- Urocyon cinereoargenteus (an ancient fox)
Ancient Bears
- Arctodus pristinus (a type of short-faced bear)
- Tremarctos floridanus (the Florida Cave Bear)
Ancient Cats
- Homotherium (a type of saber-toothed cat)
- Lynx rufus (a bobcat)
- Panthera onca (an ancient jaguar)
- Smilodon gracilis (another type of saber-toothed cat)
Mustelids: Weasels and Otters
- Conepatus leuconotus (Hog-nosed skunk)
- Mephitis mephitis (Striped Skunk)
- Mustela frenata (Long-tailed Weasel)
- Satherium piscinarium (the North American Giant Otter)
- Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk)
- Trigonictis cookii (a type of galictis, related to weasels)
Herbivores: Plant Eaters
These animals munched on plants and trees.
Even-Toed Ungulates
These animals have hooves with an even number of toes.
- Aepycamelus (a type of ancient camel with long legs)
- Bison latifrons (a giant ancient bison)
- Camelidae (the camel family)
- Gelocidae (an early horse-type animal)
- Hemiauchenia macrocephala (a type of ancient llama)
- Mylohyus floridanus (a type of peccary, like a wild pig)
- Odocoileus virginianus (an ancient deer)
- Palaeolama mirifica (another type of ancient llama)
- Platygonus, P. compressus, P. vetus (different types of peccaries)
- Yumaceras hamiltoni (another early horse-type animal)
Odd-Toed Ungulates
These animals have hooves with an odd number of toes.
- Aphelops (an ancient rhinoceros)
- Calippus, C. elachistus, C. hondurensis (different types of ancient horses)
- Dolichohippus (a type of ancient horse)
- Equus sp., E. fraternus, E. leidyi (various ancient horses, related to modern horses)
- Tapirus, T. haysii (ancient tapirs)
- Hippotherium, H. ingenuum, H. plicatile (types of ancient horses)
- Nannippus, N. peninsulatus, N. westoni (small ancient horses)
- Neohipparion trampasense (an ancient horse)
- Protohippus gidleyi (an ancient horse)
- Pseudhipparion skinneri (an ancient horse)
- Teleoceras, T. proterum (another type of ancient rhinoceros)
Proboscidea: Ancient Elephants
These are the ancestors of modern elephants.
- Cuvieronius tropicus (an early elephant-like animal)
- Gomphotheriidae (the family of ancient elephants)
Xenarthra: Armadillos and Sloths
This group includes unique animals like armadillos and giant sloths.
- Dasypus bellus (an ancient armadillo)
- Eremotherium, E. eomigrans (a giant ground sloth)
- Glossotherium chapadmalense (another giant ground sloth)
- Glyptotherium arizonae (an armadillo-like animal with a large shell)
- Holmesina floridanus, H. olmesina, H. septentrionalis (different types of ancient armadillos)
- Pachyarmatherium leiseyi (another armadillo-like animal)
- Megalonyx, M. leptostomus, M. wheatlyi (giant ground sloths)
- Paramylodon harlani (a giant ground sloth)
- Pliometanastes (a giant ground sloth)
Bats
Even ancient bats have left their tiny bones behind!
- Myotis austroriparius (Southeastern Bat)
- Desmodus, D. archaeodaptes, D. stocki (ancient Common Vampire Bats)
- Lasiurus intermedius (Northern Yellow Bat)
- Pipistrellus subflavus (Eastern Pipistrelle)
Rodents
Many types of rodents, big and small, lived in ancient Florida.
- Atopomys texensis
- Castor canadensis (an ancient beaver)
- Cryptopterus webbi (an ancient squirrel)
- Didelphis virginiana (Virginia Opossum)
- Erethizon, E. dorsatum, E. poyeri (ancient porcupines)
- Geomys pinetis (a pocket gopher)
- Microtus australis (a vole)
- Microtus pinetorum (Woodland Vole)
- Mylagaulus kinseyi (a horned gopher, a unique ancient rodent)
- Neochoerus, N. aesopi (a capybara, the largest living rodent)
- Neofiber alleni (Round-Tailed Muskrat)
- Neotoma (a packrat)
- Neotoma floridana (Florida Woodrat)
- Ochrotomys nuttalli (Golden Mouse)
- Orthogeomys propinetis (a gopher)
- Oryzomys palustris (Marsh Rice Rat)
- Peromyscus (a deer mouse)
- Peromyscus gossypinus (Cotton Mouse)
- Peromyscus polionotus (Oldfield mouse)
- Podomys floridana, P. gossypinus (Florida mouse)
- Pronotolagus (an ancient rabbit)
- Reithrodontomys H. humulis (a harvest mouse)
- Sciurus carolinensis (Eastern Grey Squirrel)
- Sigmodon, S. bakeri, S. hispidus, S. libitinus, S. minor (different types of rats)
- Spermophilus (a ground squirrel)
- Sylvilagus (a cottontail rabbit), S. webbi
- Sylvilagus floridanus (Eastern Cottontail)
- Synaptomys, S. australis, S. morgani (ancient lemmings)
- Zapodidae (jumping mice)
Moles and Shrews
These small, burrowing mammals also left their mark.
- Blarina (American Short-Tailed Shrew)
- Blarina carolinensis (Southern Short-Tailed Shrew)
- Cryptotis parva (North American Least Shrew)
- Scalopus aquaticus (Eastern Mole)
- Sorex longirostris (Southeastern Shrew)
Sea Mammals
Some sea creatures also lived in the waters near Haile Quarry.
- Cynthiacetus maxwelli (an ancient whale)
- Zygorhiza (another ancient whale)
