| Moghara Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Aquitanian-Burdigalian ~ 1 |
The Moghara Formation is a geologic formation located in Egypt. It preserves numerous fossils of extinct vertebrates. It is dated to the Miocene epoch.
Description
The Moghara Formation is composed of siliclastic sediments.2 Its age has been estimated 21 to 17 mya.2 Its thickness has been estimated at 400 meters in thickness.2 It was defined by Said et al in 1962 and the palaeonvironment of Moghra has been suggested to be a series of estuarine units stacked in a net transgressive stratigraphy.2
Paleobiota of the Moghara Formation
Mammalia
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megistotherium | M.osteothlates | Skull | A gigantic hyaenodont.3 |
| Amphicyon | A.giganteus | Cranial material | A gigantic amphicyonid.4 |
| Mogharacyon | M.anubsi | Cranial material | An amphicyonid.4 |
| Prolibytherium | P.magnieri | Cranial material | A prolibytheriid.5 |
| Brachyodus | B.africanus | Cranial material | An anthracothere.6 |
| Aceratherium | A.sp | Teeth | A rhinoceratid.6 |
| Zygolophodon | Z.aegytipicus | Skull | A mammutid.7 |
| Archaeobelodon | A.sp. | Skull | An amebelodontid.7 |
Reptilia
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rimasuchus | R.lloydi | Skull | A large crocodylian.6 |
| Varanus | V.sp | Vertebrae | A monitor lizard.2 |
| Python (genus) | P.sp | Vertebrae | A python.2 |
References
References
- Georgalis, G. L.; Abdel Gawad, M. K.; Hassan, S. M.; El-Barkooky, A. N.; Hamdan, M. A. (2020). "Oldest co-occurrence of Varanus and Python from Africa-first record of squamates from the early Miocene of Moghra Formation, Western Desert, Egypt". PeerJ. 8 e9092. doi:10.7717/peerj.9092. PMC 7255343. PMID 32509449.
- Georgalis, Georgios L.; Abdel Gawad, Mohamed K.; Hassan, Safiya M.; El-Barkooky, Ahmed N.; Hamdan, Mohamed A. (2020). "Oldest co-occurrence of Varanus and Python from Africa-first record of squamates from the early Miocene of Moghra Formation, Western Desert, Egypt". PeerJ. 8 e9092. doi:10.7717/peerj.9092. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 7255343. PMID 32509449.
- Morlo, Michael; Miller, Ellen R.; El-Barkooky, Ahmed N. (2007-03-12). "Creodonta and Carnivora from Wadi Moghra, Egypt". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (1): 145–159. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[145:CACFWM]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0272-4634.
- Morlo, Michael; Miller, Ellen R.; Bastl, Katharina; Abdelgawad, Mohamed K.; Hamdan, Mohammed; El-Barkooky, Ahmed N.; Nagel, Doris (2019). "New Amphicyonids (Mammalia, Carnivora) from Moghra, Early Miocene, Egypt". Geodiversitas. 41 (21): 731–745. Bibcode:2019Geodv..41..731M. doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2019v41a21.
- Pickford, Martin (2001). "Discovery of Prolibytherium magnieri Arambourg, 1961 (Artiodactyla, Climacoceratidae) in Egypt" (PDF).
- "Wadi Moghara site".
- Sanders, William J.; Miller, Ellen R. (2002). "New proboscideans from the early Miocene of Wadi Moghara, Egypt". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (2): 388. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0388:NPFTEM]2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 2026-04-25.