PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Sansan paleontological site
Sansan paleontological site
Stratigraphic range: Langhian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Fossil site
Location
Coordinates	43°31′28″N 0°37′20″E / 43.524315°N 0.622332°E
Region	Occitanie
Country	France
Type section
Named by	Lartet, 1834
	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

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

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
The trail
Interpretive panel on the trail
Archaeobelodon skeleton near the Ferme du Campané
Amphycion skeleton

Species list

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

Genus	Species	Order
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

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

Perissodactyla

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

Artiodactyla

Genus	Species	Family
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

Genus	Species	Family
Euroxenomys	E. minutus	Castoridae
Steneofiber	S. sp. aff. S. eseri	Castoridae
Eumyarion	E. medius	Cricetidae
Cricetodon	C. sansaniensis	Cricetidae
Democricetodon	D. gaillardi	Cricetidae
Democricetodon	D. sp. aff. D. gracilis	Cricetidae
Megacricetodon	M. gersii
Megacricetodon	M. minor	Cricetidae
Keramidomys	K. carpathicus octaviae
Keramidomys	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

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

Primates

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

Insectivora

Genus	Species	Family
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
Proscapanus	P. sp.	Talpidae
Talpa	T. minuta	Talpidae
Plesiodimylus	P. sp. aff. P. chantrei	Dimylidae
Galerix	G. exilis	Erinaceidae
Galerix	G. sp.	Erinaceidae
Lanthanotherium	L. sansaniense	Erinaceidae
Atelerix	A. depereti	Erinaceidae
Postpalerinaceus	P. intermedius	Erinaceidae

Carnivora

Genus	Species	Family
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
Styriofelis	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