Room of the Vanishing Floor

Room of the Vanishing Floor UTEP 26, 27

NM: EDDY CO.: DRY CAVE

General Description.— chamber toward rear of Dry Cave. Name from large, soft cone of bat guano. Fill spilling from chimney on north side of chamber. Material from chimney around on opposite side from large chamber originally designated as Above Room of the Vanishing Floor (UTEP 27). However, time differential seems minimal and is here treated as one site.

Comments.— treated as one site now, some earlier publications distinguished between them. Also, numbering system maintained so that the different portions of the site can be distinguished.

Age.—¹⁴C date of 33,590 ± 1500 (TX-1773) on bone carbonates obtained from both UTEP 26 and 27, combined. RANCHOLABREAN.

Publications.— 1977b, 1985, 1987; (Harris and Crews 1983); Van Devender et al. 1976

Fauna.—

OSTEICHTHYES— catalogued as yet.

REPTILIA

• Gopherus agassizi Van Devender et al. 1976; UTEP
• Crotaphytus collaris UTEP
• Sceloporus sp. UTEP
• Phrynosoma douglasii UTEP
• Crotalus sp. UTEP

AVES

• Anas ? americana UTEP
• Coragyps occidentalis UTEP
• Accipiter cf. striatus UTEP
• Aquila chrysaetos UTEP
• Falco ? peregrinus UTEP
• Cf. Cyrtonyx montezumae UTEP
• Fulica americana UTEP
• Zenaida macroura UTEP
• Geococcyx californianus californianus UTEP [Geococcyx californianus Harris 1985]
• Bubo virginianus UTEP
• Cf. Otus UTEP
• Colaptes cf. auratus UTEP
• Aphelocoma coerulescens UTEP
• ? Cyanocitta stelleri UTEP
• Corvus neomexicanus UTEP
• Corvus corax UTEP
• Cf. Mimus polyglottis UTEP
• Cf. Turdus migratorius UTEP

MAMMALIA

• Myotis velifer Harris 1985; UTEP
• Myotis ? thysanodes UTEP
• Corynorhinus sp. [Plecotus sp. Harris 1985] UTEP
• Cf. Nothrotheriops shastensis UTEP [Edentata Harris 1985]
• Aztlanolagus agilis [Harris 1985— extinct Leporidae] UTEP
• Sylvilagus nuttallii Harris 1985; UTEP
• Sylvilagus audubonii Harris 1985; UTEP
• Lepus californicus Harris 1985; UTEP (cf)
• Marmota or Erethizon Harris 1985;
• Spermophilus (Ictidomys) sp. Harris 1985;
• Spermophilus variegatus Harris 1985;
• Cynomys sp. Harris 1985;
• Cratogeomys ? castanops Harris 1985;
• Perognathus sp. Harris 1985;
• Chaetodipus [as Perognathus (Chaetodipus) sp. Harris 1985] UTEP
• Dipodomys sp. (small sp.) Harris 1985;
• Reithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) sp. Harris 1985;
• Peromuscus cf. maniculatus Harris 1985;
• Peromyscus boylii UTEP
• Neotoma albigula Harris 1985; UTEP
• Neotoma pygmaea [Harris 1985— by name] UTEP
• Neotoma findleyi [Harris 1985— by name] UTEP
• Cf. Erethizon dorsatum UTEP
• Canis cf. latrans Harris 1985; UTEP
• Canis lupus Harris 1985; UTEP
• Urocyon cinereoargenteus Harris 1985; UTEP (doublecheck ID)
• Cf. Ursus Harris 1985;
• Cf. Taxidea Harris 1985;
• Panthera onca Harris 1985;
• Felis cf. concolor UTEP
• Lynx rufus Harris 1985;
• Equus sp. Harris 1985;
• Equus occidentalis Harris 1985; UTEP
• Cf. Platygonus UTEP
• Camelops sp. Harris 1985; UTEP
• Odocoileus sp. UTEP
• Antilocapra americana UTEP
• Capromeryx sp. Harris 1985; UTEP

Last Update: 20 November 1998.