# Tuscahoma Formation

The Tuscahoma Formation or Tuscahoma Sand is a geologic formation in Mississippi and Alabama, USA. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Paleogene period, from the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene. It was primarily deposited in a marine habitat, but one Wasatchian-aged locality near Meridian, Mississippi was deposited in an estuarine habitat that preserves a significant terrestrial vertebrate fauna, known as the "Red Hot local fauna". It preserves one of the most diverse early Eocene mammalian faunas from eastern North America, roughly contemporaneous with the Willwood Formation of Wyoming.

## Vertebrate paleofauna
### Cartilaginous fishes

Based on the Paleobiology Database:
Cartilaginous fishes of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Stratigraphic position | Notes |
| Abdounia | A. beaugei | | A requiem shark. |
| Abdounia | A. subulidens | | A requiem shark. |
| Aetomylaeus | A. dixoni | | An eagle ray. |
| Anomotodon | A. sp. | | A goblin shark. |
| Brachycarcharias | B. mississippiensis | | A sand shark, type locality of species. |
| Carcharias | C. hoperi | | A sand shark. |
| Carcharias | C. robustus | | A sand shark. |
| Carcharias | C. teretidens | | A sand shark. |
| Chaenogaleus | C. affinis | | A relative of the hooktooth shark. |
| Coupatezia | C. woutersi | | A stingray of uncertain affinities. |
| Cretalamna | C. aschersoni | | A megatooth shark. |
| Cretalamna | C. lerichei | | A megatooth shark. |
| Dasyatis | D. jaekeli | | A whiptail stingray. |
| Dasyatis | D. tricuspidatus | | A whiptail stingray. |
| Eotorpedo | E. jaekeli | | A torpedo ray. |
| Galeorhinus | G. minor | | A relative of the school shark. |
| Galeorhinus | G. ypresiensis | | A relative of the school shark. |
| Ginglymostoma | G. subafricanum | | A nurse shark. |
| Hypotodus | H. verticalis | | A sand shark. |
| ?Jaekelotodus | J. sp. | | A sand shark. |
| Mustelus | M. rogersi | | A smooth-hound. |
| Nebrius | N. thielensis | | A nurse shark. |
| Odontaspis | O. borodini | | A sand shark, type locality of O. borodini and O. hynei. |
| Odontaspis | O. hynei | | A sand shark, type locality of O. borodini and O. hynei. |
| Odontaspis | O. speyeri | | A sand shark, type locality of O. borodini and O. hynei. |
| Odontaspis | O. substriatus | | A sand shark, type locality of O. borodini and O. hynei. |
| Odontaspis | ?O. winkleri | | A sand shark, type locality of O. borodini and O. hynei. |
| Pachygaleus | P. lefevrei | | A houndshark. |
| Physogaleus | P. americanus | | A requiem shark. Type locality of P. americanus. |
| Physogaleus | P. tertius | | A requiem shark. Type locality of P. americanus. |
| Pristis | P. sp. | Late Paleocene | A sawfish. |
| Pseudodontaspis | P. lauderdalensis | | A sand shark, type locality of species. |
| Rhinobatos | R. sp. | | A guitarfish. |
| Striatolamia | S. macrota | | A sand shark. |

### Ray-finned fishes

Based on the Paleobiology Database:
Ray-finned fishes of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Notes |
| Albula | A. eppsi | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A bonefish. |
| Albula | A. oweni | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A bonefish. |
| Brychaetus | B. muelleri | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A bonytongue. |
| Egertonia | E. isodonta | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A phyllodontid. |
| Lepisosteus | L. sp. | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A gar. Assigned to the European species L. suessionensis (itself a junior synonym of L. fimbriatus), but this is unlikely due to their differring ranges. |
| Palaeocybium | P. proosti | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A mackerel. |
| Phyllodus | P. toliapicus | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A phyllodontid. |
| Pycnodus | P. bowerbanki | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A pycnodont. |
| Trichiurides | T. sagittidens | Lauderdale County, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A cutlassfish. |

### Reptiles

Based on the Paleobiology Database:
Reptiles of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Notes |
| Palaeophis | P. casei | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A marine palaeophiid snake. |
| Palaeophis | P. littoralis | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A marine palaeophiid snake. |
| Palaeophis | P. virginianus | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A marine palaeophiid snake. |
| Tuscahomaophis | T. leggetti | Meridian, Mississippi | Late Paleocene | An alethinophidian snake. |

### Mammals

The Tuscahoma Formation preserves a diversity of earliest Eocene-aged mammals. Almost all mammals are known only from isolated teeth. There appear to be significant differences in the faunal composition between the Tuscahoma Formation and the contemporaneous Bighorn Basin of the western US, indicating some level of provincialism in North American mammal species assemblages of the time. The formation appears to have been biased against the preservation of large-sized mammals, meaning that the majority of mammal remains from the formation are of smaller taxa.
Based on the Paleobiology Database and Dawson & Beard (2009):

#### Metatheria

Metatherians of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Mimoperadectes | M. sowasheensis | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | | A peradectid. | |
| Peratherium | P. mcgrewi | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | | A herpetotheriid. | |

#### Cimolesta

Cimolestans of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Notes |
| Coryphodon | C. sp. | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A pantodont. |
| Naranius | N. americanus | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A cimolestid. Type locality of species. |
| Palaeosinopa | P. aestuarium | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A pantolestid. Type locality of species. |

#### Macroscelidea

Macroscelideans of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Haplomylus | H. meridionalis | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | | An apheliscid. | |

#### Ungulates

Ungulates of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Notes |
| Diacodexis | D. sp. | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | An even-toed ungulate. |
| Ectocion | E. nanabeensis | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A phenacodont. Type locality of species. |
| Hyracotherium | H. sp. | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | An odd-toed ungulate. |

#### Pan-Carnivorans

Ungulates of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Notes |
| Eogale | E. parydros | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A miacid carnivoramorph. Type locality of genus and species. |
| Gracilocyon | G. igniculus | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A carnivoraform. |
| "Miacis" | "M." sp. | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A carnivoramorph. |
| Prototomus | P. sp. | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A sinopid hyaenodont. |
| Uintacyon | U. sp. | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A carnivoraform. |
| Vassacyon | V. sp. | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A carnivoraform. |
| Viverravus | V. laytoni | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A viverravid carnivoramorph. |
| Viverriscus | V. omnivorus | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A viverravid carnivoramorph. Type locality of genus and species. |

#### Eulipotyphlans

Eulipotyphlans of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Notes |
| Colpocherus | C. mississippiensis | A sespedectid. Type locality of genus and species. |
| Diacocherus | D. dockeryi | An erinaceoid. Type localiy of species. |
| Plagioctenodon | P. dormaalensis | A nyctitheriid. |
| Talpavoides | T. dartoni | A stem-erinaceid. |
| Wyonycteris | W. primitivus | A nyctitheriid. Type locality of species. |

#### Apatotherians

Apatotherians of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Apatemys | A. pygmaeus | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | | An apatemyid. Type locality of species. | |

#### Rodents

Rodents of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Notes |
| Corbarimys | C. nomadus | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | An ischyromyoid. |
| Franimys | F. actites | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | An ischyromyid. |
| Paramys | P. dispar | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | An ischyromyid. |
| Tuscahomys | T. major | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A cylindrodontid. Type locality of genus and species. |
| Tuscahomys | T. medius | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A cylindrodontid. Type locality of genus and species. |
| Tuscahomys | T. minor | Meridian, Mississippi | Early Eocene | A cylindrodontid. Type locality of genus and species. |

#### Primates

Primates of the Tuscahoma Formation :
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Choctawius | C. foxi | | Meridian, Mississippi | | An omomyid. Type locality of genus and species. | |
| Teilhardina | T. magnoliana | | Meridian, Mississippi | | An omomyid. | |