Remains of Small Vertebrates from Bir Tarfawi and Their Paleoecological Significance

Abstract

The fossil remains of amphibians and reptiles (excluding turtles) described below were collected at Bir Tarfawi by Professor K. Kowalski in 1986; they come from a peaty soil (Area N) on the northwestern side of the lake of Grey Phase 2 near the archaeological site of BT-14 (Fig. 3.5). The collection is very small, containing about 85 crocodilian teeth and 19 isolated bones or bone fragments of at least eight other amphibian and reptilian taxa. Most of the fossils have been identified to the familial level only, mainly because of the limited comparative materials available; however, the size of the collection and the lack of important diagnostic elements would make more precise identification impossible anyway.