Cerro de los Batallones (Hill of the Battalions) is a hill at Torrejón de Velasco, Madrid, Spain where a number of fossil sites from the Upper Miocene ( MN10) have been found. [1] [2] [3] Nine sites have been discovered with predominantly vertebrate fossils, invertebrates and plants being less represented. The first deposits were discovered accidentally in July 1991.
Batallones-10 (B-10) is considered to contain the oldest representative of fossils. [3]
Nearly the entire proportion of fossils of Batallones-1 were of Carnivorans. [4] The species of sabre-tooth cat known as Promegantereon ogygia and Machairodus aphanistus (the first complete skull) [5] were found at B-1, [6] as was Simocyon a type of red panda. [7] In regards to the saber-tooth cats, Batallones-1 represents an ideal site for recording the percentage of specimens for which breakage of the upper canines occurred. Promegantereon, Machairodus and Paramachaerodus are perfect examples of this at Batallones; fossils indicate a high number of canine breaks from where the teeth hit the bones of a struggling victim, indicating these early machairodonts would use their elongated teeth to subdue prey as modern big cats do. [8]
A new species of Hispanomys ( Rodentia) was found at various sites. [3] A new species of Micromeryx (deer) was found at B-1 and B-10. [9]
Below is a list of notable fossil genera from Cerro de los Batallones. [10]
40°10′19.78″N 3°42′51.42″W / 40.1721611°N 3.7142833°W
Cerro de los Batallones (Hill of the Battalions) is a hill at Torrejón de Velasco, Madrid, Spain where a number of fossil sites from the Upper Miocene ( MN10) have been found. [1] [2] [3] Nine sites have been discovered with predominantly vertebrate fossils, invertebrates and plants being less represented. The first deposits were discovered accidentally in July 1991.
Batallones-10 (B-10) is considered to contain the oldest representative of fossils. [3]
Nearly the entire proportion of fossils of Batallones-1 were of Carnivorans. [4] The species of sabre-tooth cat known as Promegantereon ogygia and Machairodus aphanistus (the first complete skull) [5] were found at B-1, [6] as was Simocyon a type of red panda. [7] In regards to the saber-tooth cats, Batallones-1 represents an ideal site for recording the percentage of specimens for which breakage of the upper canines occurred. Promegantereon, Machairodus and Paramachaerodus are perfect examples of this at Batallones; fossils indicate a high number of canine breaks from where the teeth hit the bones of a struggling victim, indicating these early machairodonts would use their elongated teeth to subdue prey as modern big cats do. [8]
A new species of Hispanomys ( Rodentia) was found at various sites. [3] A new species of Micromeryx (deer) was found at B-1 and B-10. [9]
Below is a list of notable fossil genera from Cerro de los Batallones. [10]
40°10′19.78″N 3°42′51.42″W / 40.1721611°N 3.7142833°W