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Sansan paleontological site

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Sansan paleontological site
Stratigraphic range: Langhian
↓
TypeFossil site
Location
Coordinates43°31′28″N 0°37′20″E / 43.524315°N 0.622332°E / 43.524315; 0.622332
Region Occitanie
Country France
Type section
Named byLartet, 1834
Sansan paleontological site is located in France
Sansan paleontological site
Sansan paleontological site (France)

The Sansan paleontological site (locally au Campané) is a Miocene fossil deposit in Sansan, in the French department of Gers.

Searched by Edouard Lartet until 1847, it was considered useful for Science and is registered by the Inventaire national du Patrimoine Géologique (InPG) as an international-level site. It constitutes one of the most important Middle Cenozoic deposits and is well known in palaeontological circles.[1] The National Museum of Natural History bought 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of terrain in 1848[2] and oversee any research on the site since then. The research stopped in 1999. The site has been open to the public since 2018.[3]

Location

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The paleontological site is located inside the commune of Sansan, on the Campané hill at 238 m (781 ft) above sea level, in the Gers department, 16 km (9.9 mi) south of Auch. The hill and its surroundings were historically called "Camp de las hossos".[4]

Recent history

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The deposits were excavated regularly from 1834 to 1999. Francis Duranthon from the Toulouse Museum and Pascal Tassy from the Paris Museum were the last researchers to have worked on Sansan, specifically on the southern flank.

Outcrops were backfilled, vegetation grew back and a paleontological trail[5] was created in 2018 by the Communauté de communes du Val de Gers. Today, research have stopped but the site is open for public access.[6] A 2.5 km (1.6 mi) trail, marked by interpretive panels, helps to teach how Edouard Lartet discovered the site and how his discovery revolutionized the scientific theories of the time and exposed the richness of its Miocene fauna and flora.

  • The paleontological trail
  • Panel of Édouard Lartet at the beginning of the trail
    Panel of Édouard Lartet at the beginning of the trail
  • The trail
    The trail
  • Interpretive panel on the trail
    Interpretive panel on the trail
  • Archaeobelodon skeleton near the Ferme du Campané
    Archaeobelodon skeleton near the Ferme du Campané
  • Amphycion skeleton
    Amphycion skeleton

Species list

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The site of Sansan gave 85 mammal species from 9 orders, 30 families and 75 genera, being one of the richest Miocene sites in Europe. One of the most important discoveries on the site was the description by Edouard Lartet in 1837 of Pliopithecus, a catarrhini monkey, which was a keystone in the reject of creationism by scientists and the advance towards the evolution theory.

The first fossil was discovered in 1834 by the shepherd Joseph Débats, who lived on the hilltop. It was a proboscidean molar. He told the Gers lawyer Edouard Lartet, who explored the site. The Sansan mastodont, Archaeobelodon, was entirely reconstructed in 1851 by Laurillard, a first in Europe.

Edouard Lartet describes in 1834 a large carnivore, which he named Amphicyon major.

The first fossils of the chalicothere species Anisodon grande were also recovered in Sansan.

The following table shows all 85 species of mammals found in Sansan.

Chiroptera

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Genus Species Order Images
Pteropodidae gen. indet. sp. indet Pteropodidae
Kerivoula K. murinoides Vespertilionidae
Paleptesicus P. noctuloides Vespertilionidae
Eptesicus E. campanensis Vespertilionidae
Myotis M. ziegleri Vespertilionidae
Mormopterus M. helveticus Molossidae

Proboscidea

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Genus Species Family Images
Gomphotherium G. angustidens Gomphotheriidae
Archaeobelodon A. filholi Gomphotheriidae
Deinotherium D. giganteum Deinotheriidae
Prodeinotherium P. bavaricum Deinotheriidae
Zygolophodon Z. turicensis Mammutidae

Perissodactyla

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Genus Species Family Images
Anchitherium A. aurelianense hippoides Equidae
Anisodon A. grande Chalicotheriidae
Aceratherium A. (Alicornops) simorrense Rhinocerotidae
Brachypotherium B. brachypus Rhinocerotidae
Lartetotherium L. sansaniense Rhinocerotidae

Artiodactyla

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Genus Species Family Images
Micromeryx M. flourentianus Moschidae
Dicrocerus D. elegans Cervidae
Heteroprox H. larteti Cervidae
Eotragus E. clavatus Bovidae
cf. Ampelomeryx cf. A. magnus Palaeomerycidae
Choeromorus C. mammillatus Palaeomerycidae
Dorcatherium D. crassum Tragulidae
Listriodon L. splendens Suidae
Conohyus C. simorrensis Suidae

Rodentia

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Genus Species Family Images
Euroxenomys E. minutus Castoridae
Steneofiber S. sp. aff. S. eseri Castoridae
Eumyarion E. medius Cricetidae
Cricetodon C. sansaniensis Cricetidae
Democricetodon D. gaillardi Cricetidae
D. sp. aff. D. gracilis Cricetidae
Megacricetodon M. gersii
M. minor Cricetidae
Keramidomys K. carpathicus octaviae
K. mohleri Eomyidae
Albanensia A. sansaniensis Sciuridae
Blackia B. miocaenica Sciuridae
Spermophilinus S. bredai Sciuridae
Heteroxerus H. grivensis Sciuridae
Tamias T. minutus Sciuridae
Palaeosciurus P. sp. cf. P. minutus Sciuridae
Sciuridae gen. indet. Sciuridae

Lagomorpha

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Genus Species Family Images
Prolagus P. oeningensis sansaniensis Ochotonidae
Lagopsis L. sp. aff. L. verus Ochotonidae
Leporidae indet.

Primates

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Genus Species Family Images
Pliopithecus P. antiquus Pliopithecidae
Plesiopliopithecus P. auscitanensis Pliopithecidae

Insectivora

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Genus Species Family Images
Dinosorex D. sansaniensis Soricidae
Lartetium L. prevostianum Soricidae
Miosorex M. desnoyersianus Soricidae
Hemisorex H. robustus Soricidae
Paenelimnoecus P. crouzeli Soricidae
Soricidae indet. L. prevostianum Soricidae
Mygalea M. antiqua Talpidae
Proscapanus P. sansaniensis Talpidae
P. sp. Talpidae
Talpa T. minuta Talpidae
Plesiodimylus P. sp. aff. P. chantrei Dimylidae
Galerix G. exilis Erinaceidae
G. sp. Erinaceidae
Lanthanotherium L. sansaniense Erinaceidae
Atelerix A. depereti Erinaceidae
Postpalerinaceus P. intermedius Erinaceidae

Carnivora

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Genus Species Family Images
Sivanasua D. sp. indet. Lophocyonidae
Amphicyon A. major Amphicyonidae
Pseudocyon P. sansaniensis Amphicyonidae
Alopecocyon A. goeriachensis Ailuridae
Hemicyon H. sansaniensis Ursidae
Ursidae gen. indet. sp. indet. Ursidae
Plithocyon P. armagnacensis Ursidae
Pseudaelurus P. quadridentatus Felidae
Styriofelis S. lorteti Felidae
S. turnauensis Felidae
Sansanosmilus S. palmidens Nimravidae
Ischyrictis I. zibethoides Mustelidae
Martes M. sansaniensis Mustelidae
Proputorius P. sansaniensis Mustelidae
Mustelidae indet. Mustelidae
Taxodon T. sansaniensis Mustelidae
Lartetictis L. dubia Mustelidae
Semigenetta S. sansaniensis Viverridae
Viverrictis V. modica Viverridae
Leptoplesictis L. atarus Herpestidae
Carnivora indet. sp. indet. Carnivora
Carnivora indet. sp. indet. Carnivora

References

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  1. ^ "Sansan - Musées, sites et collections paléontologiques". ocim.revues.org.
  2. ^ "Classement du site de Campané : Fac-similé JO du 03/03/1949, texte 2322". www.legifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Inauguration du palésite de Sansan le jeudi 24 mai 2018" (PDF). www.tourisme-gers.com (pdf). Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Découverte du site paléontologique de Sansan - Regards sur le Gers". Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  5. ^ "J'ai testé pour vous... Le Paléosite de Sansan". Grand Auch Cœur de Gascogne, site officiel de l'Office de Tourisme. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022..
  6. ^ "Remontez le temps sur le sentier paléontologique de Sansan dans le Gers". ladepeche.fr. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
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