By James Pero For Dailymail.com
Published: 17:42 BST, 11 April 2019 | Updated: 17:45 BST, 11 April 2019
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A trove of fossils kept in storage since the Great Depression are leading researchers to dub an ancient region near the Gulf Coast the 'Texas Serengeti.'
Among the array of surprising fauna uncovered by a recent study of the remains were a new genus of large elephant-like animals, rhinos, the oldest American alligator fossil, antelopes, camels, a dozen types of horses and several species of carnivores.
Scientists say, in all, the massive collection of fossils contains 4,000 different specimens and 50 different species, all of which were present around 11 to 12 millions years ago.
The Gulf area of Texas may have looked more like Africa 11 to 12 million, say researchers. An artist's impression of the ancient North American fauna is shown
'[The fossils] are the most representative collection of life from this time period of Earth history along the Texas Coastal Plain,' said Steven May, the research associate at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences who studied the fossils and authored the paper.
Some particularly eye-catching specimens came in the form of a newly discovered genus of what is known as gomphothere-- an ancestor to modern day elephants with a shovel-like jaw-- as well as an extinct ancestor to modern canines.
While excavation of the site lasted for only a period of three years from 1939 and 1941 -- many jobless people took to digging up fossils during the Great Depression for money -- the mission uncovered thousands of fossils, say scientists.
The fossils represented in the collection are also mostly large mammals, say researchers, because of the collection practices of fossil hunters who pored over the site decades ago -- the flashier, bigger specimens took priority.
'They collected the big, obvious stuff,' May said.
'But that doesn't fully represent the incredible diversity of the Miocene environment along the Texas Coastal Plain.'
