A remarkable Eocene-age fossil was discovered by HELIX on a City of Oceanside infrastructure project – the fossilized remains of a large, hoofed mammal that walked the ancient floodplains of Oceanside some 40 to 45 million years ago.

HELIX Principal Paleontologist, Joe El Adli, Ph.D., made the initial discovery, which prompted our paleontology team to begin exposing the remaining fossil bones from beneath several tons of hardened mudstone and sandstone.

Dr. El Adli believes that these fossils likely belonged to one of two extinct mammal groups that once roamed North America: the brontotheres or the amynodonts. These large herbivores thrived in the warm tropical environments of Eocene San Diego and were some of the largest animals living in the area during that time period.

An exciting discovery for HELIX’s paleontology team!