The Tarija Formation is a Pleistocene-age geologic formation found near Tarija, Bolivia.

Background

Fossils of numerous large herbivorous mammals have been discovered, including toxodonts like Toxodon platensis, glyptodonts, ground sloths, and litopterns such as Macrauchenia patachonica.^[1] Numerous carnivorous mammals have been found, including Smilodon populator, Arctotherium tarijense, and Protocyon tarijensis.^[2]

Paleofauna

Tarija
Tarija
Type	Formation
Location
Coordinates	-21.5,-64.75
Approximate paleocoordinates	-21.6,-64.2
Country	Bolivia
Type section
Named for	Tarija

Accipitriformes
Genus	Species	Family	Interval	Notes
Vultur	V. gryphus	Cathartidae	Tarija ^[3]	Andean Condor

Accipitriformes
Genus	Species	Family	Interval	Notes
Lutreolina	L. crassicaudata	Didelphidae	Tarija ^[3]	Big lutrine opossum

Proboscidea
Genus	Species	Family	Interval	Notes	Images
Cuvieronius	C. tropicus	Gomphotheriidae	Tarija ^[3]		Cuvieronius hyodon

Carnivora
Genus	Species	Family	Interval	Notes
Pseudalopex	P. gymnocercus	Canidae	Tarija ^[3]	Pampas Fox
Aenocyon	A.dirus	Canidae	Tarija ^[3]	Dire wolf
Chrysocyon	C. brachyurus	Canidae	Tarija ^[3]	Maned wolf
Protocyon	P.troglodytes	Canidae	Tarija ^[3]
Nasua	N.sp	Procyonidae	Tarija ^[3]		A modern Nasua
Arctotherium	A.wingei	Ursidae	Tarija ^[3]
Arctotherium	A. tarijense	Ursidae	Tarija ^[3]
Conepatus	C.suffocans	Mephitidae	Tarija ^[3]	An extinct hog-nosed skunk
Smilodon	S.populator	Felidae	Tarija ^[3]	Saber-toothed cat	Restoration of the smilodon
Panthera	P. onca	Felidae	Tarija ^[3]	Jaguar	Jaguar (Panthera onca) swimming
Herpailurus	H. yagouaroundi	Felidae	Tarija ^[3]	Jaguarundi

Artiodactyla
Genus	Species	Family	Interval	Notes	Images
Platygonus	P. tarijensis.	Tayassuidae	Tarija ^[3]
Charitoceros	C. tarijensis.	Cervidae	Tarija ^[3]
Hippocamelus	H. incognituss.	Cervidae	Tarija ^[3]		A Huemul, a living member of Hippocampus
Paleolama	P. weddeli.	Camelidae	Tarija ^[3]	Paleolama.
Lama	L. provicugna	Camelidae	Tarija ^[3]	The Vicuña, a modern species of Llama	Group of vicuña in Arequipa Region, Peru

South American native ungulates
Genus	Species	Family	Interval	Notes	Images
Macrauchenia	M. patachonica.	Macraucheniidae	Tarija ^[3]		Reconstruction of Macrauchenia patachonica running.
Toxodon	T cf. platensis.	Toxodontidae	Tarija ^[3]		Toxodon, London Natural History Museum

Perissodactyla
Genus	Species	Family	Interval	Notes	Images
Tapirus	T. tarijensis	Tapiridae	Tarija^[3]
Hippidion	H. principale	Equidae	Tarija ^[3]	A browsing horse	Onohippidium reconstruction
Hippidion	H. devillei	Equidae	Tarija ^[3]
Equus	E. neogeus	Equidae	Tarija ^[3]

^ MacFadden, B.J.; Shockey, B.J. (2016). "Ancient feeding ecology and niche differentiation of Pleistocene mammalian herbivores from Tarija, Bolivia: morphological and isotopic evidence". Paleobiology. 23 (1): 77-100. doi:10.1017/S0094837300016651. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
^ Prevosti, F.J.; Forasiepi, A.M. (2018). "South American Fossil Carnivorans (Order Carnivora)". Evolution of South American Mammalian Predators During the Cenozoic: Paleobiogeographic and Paleoenvironmental Contingencies. Springer Geology: 77-100. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-03701-1_4. ISBN 978-3-319-03700-4. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af [1]

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