What we know and what we don’t about the fossil marine mammals assemblages of Bahia Inglesa Formation: A review of taphonomic biases, turnovers and paleobiogeographic relevance

Abstract

The Bahia Inglesa Formation (BIF, Northern Chile) is a marine Neogene sequence that includes a variety of environments preserved from deep to shallow water and transitional environments. BIF is known for hosting a great diversity of marine vertebrate fossil elements, with more than 70 taxa already recognized. The marine mammals are an important component of this fauna, with a sirenian, a few marine sloths, abundant and diverse phocids, and several cetacean taxa. In this manner, the BIF registers a variety of environments associated with this fauna as well as an array of phylogenetic and paleobiogeographic stories put together in the same geographic area.