Tag: Oligocene
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Fossil Friday #311: Dung Beetle Balls from the Oligocene
Today’s contribution comes from our old friend Ralph Jewell. Back in the 1990s, Ralph was interested in the Oligocene fossils of the Brule Formation, which dates to 34-40 million years ago. This region is sometimes referred to as the White River as the Brule Formation is a member of the White River Group.
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2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #10: Merycoidodon (Oreodon) Jaw
For today’s preview, we have a nice Merycoidodon (Oreodon) Jaw from the Brule Formation near Chadron, Nebraska. The Brule Formation dates to the Oligocene about 34 and 30 million years ago. This jaw is in nice shape with six complete teeth. Show details can be found here
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Alabama family’s fishing trip leads to 32-million-year fossil find
Yellow Hammer News has a story about an unexpected catch on a family fishing trip in Alabama. They found a 32 million year old (Oligocene) turtle in the bank of the river. It turns out the animal was not known to science and has now been named for their family, Coleman… Ueloca colemanorum. The animal’s…
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2025 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #19: Oligocene Fossils From South Dakota
This is the preview post #19 for the 2025 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2025 will be held on March 15th and 16th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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New analysis of tooth minerals confirms megalodon shark was warm-blooded
Phys.org has an article about Megalodon. Otodus megalodon, which means “big tooth”, was a very large shark that lived from the Oligocene 28 million years ago up to the Pliocene, just 3.6 million years ago. O. megalodon is classified as a mackerel shark, which is not closely related to the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias. …
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Fossil Friday #18: Oligocene Mammals
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #18. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world! These fossil pictures here were contributed by…
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Paleontologists Unearth Another Giant Penguin in New Zealand
Sci-News has a story about a new giant penguin from New Zealand. The animal, which lived around 27 million years ago during the Oligocene Period, joins a growing list of giant penguins from New Zealand. This list include the genera Kairuku, Pachydyptes, Palaeeudyptes, and Kumimanu. This new one belongs to the genus Kauruku. The details…
