La Venta (Colombia)

Geology

List of fauna

• Freshwaters fishes, including remains of fishes of the families like Anostomidae, Osteoglossidae, Characidae, Pimelodidae, Callichthyidae, Ariidae, Doradidae, Loricariidae, Cichlidae and the river stingrays Potamotrygonidae.
• A fossil of an anuran amphibian was classified in the current species Rhinella marina.
• Freshwater turtles like Podocnemis pritchardi, Podocnemis medemi and Chelus colombiana, along the terrestrial tortoise Geochelone hesterna.
• Anilid snakes and the primitive anaconda Eunectes stirtoni.
• A lizard, Paradracaena colombiana.
• Several types of crocodylomorphs: perhaps the earliest record of the extant Broad-snouted Caiman, possibly the prehistoric Caiman lutescens. Also a species of the giant caiman Purussaurus, P. neivensis, the bizarre Mourasuchus, the mysterious species Balanerodus logimus, the gharial Gryposuchus colombianus, a false-gharial crocodile Charactosuchus fieldsi and the terrestrial sebecid Langstonia.
• Several types of birds, like the cuculiform Hoazinoides magdalenae, the jacamar Galbula hylochoreutes, the limpkin Aramus paludigrus and a non-named species of Anhinga.
• Prehistoric armadillos, like Anadasypus hondanus, Nanoastegotherium prostatum and Pedrolypeutes praecursor.
• One of the earliest known pampatheres, Scirrotherium.
• Several fossils of glyptodonts, including two species of Boreostemma, B. gigantea and B. acostae, and the genus Neoglyptatelus.
• An anteater, Neotamandua borealis.
• Sloths, like the big Pseudoprepotherium, and small genera like Brievabradys, Neonematherium and Huilabradys.
• A prehistoric manatee, Potamosiren.
• Several kinds of New World monkeys, like the species Cebupithecia sarmientoi, Stirtonia victoriae and S. tatacoensis, Aotus dindensis, Nuciruptor rubricae,Mohanamico, Lagonimico, Patasola and Laventiana.
• Bats, like the living species of fisher bat Noctilio albiventris and Thyroptera lavali along with extinct species like Potamops mascahehenes, Notonycteris magdalenensis, Notonycteris sucharadeus, Palynephyllum antimaster and Molossus colombiensis.
• Rodents like Scleromys shurmanni, Scleromys colombianus, Olenopsis aequatorialis y Neoreomys huilensis.
• Many species of, including the astrapotheres Granastrapotherium snorki, Xenastrapotherium kraglievichi, and Hilarcotherium castanedaii; the notoungulates Huilatherium pluriplicatum, Pericotoxodon platygnathus, and Miocochilius anomopodus; and the litopterns Megadolodus, Prolicaphrium, Villarroelia and an unnamed species of Theosodon.
• Small marsupials like the opossums Thylamys minutus, T. colombianus and Marmosa laventicus, the paucituberculatans Pithiculites chenche and Hondathentes cazador, and the microbiotherian Pachybiotherium minor.
• Several kinds of omnivore and carnivore metatherians that belong to the order Sparassodonta, like the primitive Hondadelphys, the saber-toothed Anachlysictis, Lycopsis longirostris, a medium-sized member of the family Prothylacinidae along with its bigger relative, Dukecynus magnus.