Pinjor Formation

The Pinjor Formation is a Cenozoic geologic formation in India. The fossils of large crocodilians and mammals have been recovered from the formation.^[1]

Pinjor Formation
Stratigraphic range: Pleistocene ~2.28–1.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Pleistocene
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	Tatrot Formation
Location
Coordinates	30.7°N 76.8°E / 30.7; 76.8
Approximate paleocoordinates	29.2°N 77.3°E / 29.2; 77.3
Region	Hariyana, Punjab India, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab Pakistan, Chandigarh
Country	India
Pinjor Formation (India)

Paleobiota

Reptiles

Reptiles from the Pinjor Formation
Genus	Species	Material	Location	Notes	Images
Rhamphosuchus[2]	R. crassidens	piece of rostrum, middle portion of craniurns, hind portion of mandibular symphysis, quadrate and quadratojugal, partial mandibular symphysis, several vertebrae, left ilium, small left ilium, right fibula, and several scute.	Chandigarh	A large gharial
Gavialis	G. browni		Chandigarh	Gharials
	G. gangeticus
	G. sp.
Crocodylus	C. palustris		Chandigarh	Mugger crocodiles
	C. biporcatus
	C. palaeoindicus
Varanus[3]	V. sivalensis	Distal end of right humerus and dorsal vertebrae	Chandigarh	A large monitor lizard similar to the Komodo dragon
Omegachelys	O. sahnii		Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh	An emydid turtle
Geoclemys	G. hamiltonii		Uttar Pradesh	A geoemydid turtle
Hardella	H. thurjii		Uttar Pradesh	A geoemydidae turtle
Megalochelys	sp.		Chandigarh	A tortoise

Mammals

Mammals from the Pinjor Formation
Genus	Species	Material	Location	Notes	Images
Elephas	E. maximus		Chandigarh	Asian elephants
	E. hysudricus
	E. planifrons
	E. platycephalus
Mus	M. linnaeusi		Chandigarh	A rat
	M. flynni
Tatera	T. pinjoricus		Chandigarh	A gerbil
	T. sp.
Punjabitherium	P. platyrhinum		Punjab	A rhinoceros
Sivatherium	S. giganteum		Chandigarh	A giraffoid
Coelodonta	C. platyrhinus		Chandigarh	A woolly rhinoceros
Camelus	C. sivalensis[4]		Chandigarh	A camel
Stegodon	S. bombifrons		Chandigarh	A stegodontid
	S. insignis
Vishnuictis	V. durandi		Chandigarh	A large viverrid
Enhydriodon	E. sivalensis		Himachal Pradesh	A large otter
Crocidura	sp.		Chandigarh	A shrew
Golunda	sp.		Chandigarh	A murine rodent
Bandicota	sp.		Chandigarh	A murid rodent
Cremnomys	C. blanfordi		Chandigarh	A rodent
Crocidura	sp.		Chandigarh	A murid rodent
Dilatomys	sp.		Chandigarh	A murid rodent
Canis	C. pinjorensis		Chandigarh	A wolf
	C. cautleys
Megantereon	M. falconeri		Chandigarh	A smilodont
	M. palaeindicus
Viverra	V. bakeri		Chandigarh	A civet
Amblonyx	A. indicus		Chandigarh	An otter
	sp.
Panthera	P. cristata		Chandigarh	A panther
Agriotherium	A. sivalensis		Chandigarh	A bear
Mellivora	M. sivalensis		Chandigarh	A Honey badger
Crocuta	C. sivalensis		Chandigarh	A Hyena
	C. felina
	C. colvini

Crustaceans

Crustaceans from the Pinjor Formation
Genus	Species	Material	Location	Notes	Images
Potamon	sp.		Chandigarh	A crab

References

1. V. Kumaravel, S. J. Sangode; Rohtash Kumar, N. Siva Siddaiah (2005). "Magnetic polarity stratigraphy of Plio–Pleistocene Pinjor Formation (type locality), Siwalik Group, NW Himalaya, India". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad184.
2. Martin, J. E. (2018). "The taxonomic content of the genus Gavialis from the Siwalik Hills of India and Pakistan" (PDF). Papers in Palaeontology. 5 (3): 483–497. doi:10.1002/spp2.1247.
3. Hocknull, Scott; Piper, Philip; Van den Bergh, Gert; Due, Rokus; Morwood, Michael; Kurniawan, Iwan (2009). "Dragon's Paradise Lost: Palaeobiogeography, Evolution and Extinction of the Largest-Ever Terrestrial Lizards (Varanidae)". PLOS ONE. 4 (9): e7241. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.7241H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0007241. PMC 2748693. PMID 19789642.
4. Falconer, Hugh (1868). Palæontological Memoirs and Notes of the Late Hugh Falconer: Fauna antiqua sivalensis. R. Hardwicke. p. 231.