Unveiling the Late Miocene Mammalian Remains From the Outcrops of Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan

ABSTRACT New mammalian fossils have been recovered from the middle‐late Miocene outcrops of Chakwal district, Punjab, Pakistan. In the current study, we describe 18 specimens belonging to nine species of the Artiodactyla, which include Gazella lydekkeri , Eotragus noyei , Pachyportax nagrii, Helicoportax tragelaphoides , Merycopotamus nanus , Listriodon pentapotamiae , Propotamochoerus hysudricus, Giraffokeryx punjabiensis, Bramatherium grande and one species of the order Carnivora, Percrocuta carnifex . The material described here includes isolated teeth and fragments, comprising incisors, canines, premolars and molars. We describe the fossil fragment of Percrocuta carnifex from Dhok Bun Ameer Khatoon (DBAK) outcrops. These specimens add to our knowledge of already described taxa as well as adding stratigraphic, biogeographic and temporal knowledge about Siwalik mammals. The composition of the fauna from our studied sites is principally consistent with the middle‐late Miocene strata, dating approximately 14.2–10.0 Myr. The paleoclimate of this age can be inferred as warm and moist, having dense forest pockets and developed grassy, herbaceous and woody vegetation.