Panoramic of paleohabitats of pliocene Sahabi formation and recent As-Sahabi area, Northern Libya

Abstract

As-Sahabi area is located to the south of Ajdabiyah city in Sirt Basin, Libya. This area considered as a spectacular open Museum of vertebrate remains (i.e. teeth, bones, skulls and skeletons) of mammals, reptiles, aves and fish. This paper presents the methods used during the excavation and lists most of the documented taxa and finally compare these paleo-habitats with the corresponding present-day habitat of As-Sahabi. The As-Sahabi fossils played important role in delineating the paleohabitats and in understanding the migration routes as well as in tracing their evolutionary trends. These remains are preserved in continental deposits (mainly sands and clays) since 5 million years ago. Six paleo-habitats have been suggested “Salt neritic water, Eo-Sahabi River, Riverine forest and river edge, Water's edge and Eo-Sahabi estuary habitats, Savana habitat, and Arid Desert-like habitat. As-Sahabi vertebrates (e.g. crocodiles, hippos, hyena, etc..) are considered to be the ancestral taxa of the descendant vertebrates exist today in other parts of the world. However, some are found to be indigenous taxa due to migration failure such as the gigantic size, Mastodon (Stegotetrabeledon lybicus) and shovel-tusker Proposcidean (Amebelodon cyrenaicus) or medium-sized with short-legged Anthracothere (Libycosaurus petrocchii).