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. The National Museum of Natural History bought of terrain in 1848 and oversee any research on the site since then. The research stopped in 1999. The site has been open to the public since 2018.
Location The paleontological site is located inside the commune of Sansan, on the Campané hill at above sea level, in the Gers department, south of Auch. The hill and its surroundings were historically called "Camp de las hossos".
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. 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. A 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.
Fossil Species
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.
Mammals
Chiroptera Genus Species Order Images 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 Images Gomphotherium G. angustidens Gomphotheriidae Archaeobelodon A. filholi Gomphotheriidae Deinotherium D. giganteum Deinotheriidae Prodeinotherium P. bavaricum Deinotheriidae Zygolophodon Z. turicensis Mammutidae
Perissodactyla Genus Species Family Images 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 Images 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 Images Euroxenomys E. minutus Castoridae Steneofiber S. sp. aff. S. eseri Castoridae Eumyarion E. medius Cricetidae Cricetodon C. sansaniensis Cricetidae Democricetodon D. gaillardi Cricetidae D. sp. aff. D. gracilis Cricetidae Megacricetodon M. gersii M. minor Cricetidae Keramidomys K. carpathicus octaviae 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 Images 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 Images 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 P. sp. Talpidae Talpa T. minuta Talpidae Plesiodimylus P. sp. aff. P. chantrei Dimylidae Galerix G. exilis Erinaceidae G. sp. Erinaceidae Lanthanotherium L. sansaniense Erinaceidae Atelerix A. depereti Erinaceidae Postpalerinaceus P. intermedius Erinaceidae
Carnivora Genus Species Family Images 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 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
Reptiles Squamata Genus Species Family ImagesPseudopus P. laurillardiAnguidae
Testudines Genus Species Family ImagesPaleotestudo P. canetotianaTestudinidae
Accipitriformes Genus Species Family ImagesHaliaeetus piscatorH. piscatorAccipitridae
Anseriformes Genus Species Family ImagesChenoanasC. sansaniensisAnatidae
References
External links
" Le paléosite de Sansan", Communauté de Communes Val de Gers