The Messel Pit is a rock quarry near the namesake village Messel in Germany, in which several new species have been discovered, predominantly from the Eocene.
Species Discovered[]
Mammals[]
- Darwinius masillae, identified in 2009 as an adapiform primate
- Kopidodon, an extinct arboreal mammal
- Leptictidium, an extinct omnivorous hopping mammal
- Propalaeotherium, an early relative of horses
- Ailuravus, a rodent
- Peradectes, a metatherian
- Palaeochiropteryx, a bat
- Lesmesodon, a small hyaenodontid
- Eomanis, an early pangolin
- Eurotamandua, a scaleless, anteater-like pangolin
- Europolemur, a primate
- Paroodectes, an early carnivorous mammal
- Pholidocercus, an early hedgehog
- Macrocranion, an early long-tailed hedgehog
- Masillamys, an early rodent
- Messelobunodon, an early artiodactyl
- Godinotia, an early primate
- Buxolestes, a semiaquatic, otter-like cimolestan
Birds[]
- Palaeotis, an early struthionid
- Strigogyps sapea (formerly Aenigmavis) a cariamiform
- Messelornis, nicknamed the "Messel-bird"
- Masillastega, a freshwater sulid
- Lapillavis, a possible trogonid relative
- Cypseloramphus, a basal apodiform
- Two members of Messelasturidae (Messelastur and Tynskya)
- Palaeoglaux, an early owl
- Paraprefica, an early potoo
- Paraortygoides, a galliform
- Masillaraptor, an early falconiform
- Parargornis, an early apodiform
- Messelirrisor, a tiny bucerotiform
- Selmes (an anagram of "Messel"), a mousebird
- Gastornis (formerly Diatryma), a large, flightless anseriform
- Hassiavis, a member of Cypselomorphae
- Quasisyndactylus, a member of Alcediniformes
- Valonimicola, a possible charadriiform
- A currently unnamed lithornithid, a sandpiper-like paleognath,
Reptiles[]
- Asiatosuchus, a large crocodile
- Diplocynodon, an alligator
- Hassiacosuchus, a crocodile
- Palaeopython, a snake
- Cryptolacerta, a lizard
- Geiseltaliellus, a lizard
- Allaeochelys crassesculpta, turtles
Fish[]
- A bowfin, variously described as Amia (the modern genus) or Cyclurus
- Amphiperca, an early perch
- Palaeoperca, another early perch
- Atractosteus, a gar
Insects[]
- Both species Titanomyrma gigantea and simillima