Birket Qarun Formation
The Birket Qarun Formation is an Eocene aged formation in Egypt. It is part of the famous Wadi al Hitan. Notable fossils include the ancient whales Basilosaurus and Dorudon as well as sirenians Eotheroides and Eosiren. It also contains the teeth of various sharks and reptiles. The area was likely a mix of both marine and freshwater area with many freshwater deposits being found alongside a marine influence from the Tethys Sea. Fossils here also preserve a shallow marine nursery for the whale Dorudon and it seems that this area would have also been the site of active predation from Basilosaurus as it attacked the newly born Dorudon calves.
Paleobiota
Molluscs
Several supposed rizholiths and rizhomes have been re-interpreted as burrows made by burrowing bivalves.| Genus | Species | Member | Locality | Material | Notes | Images |
| Amaea | niloatica | Temple Member | Gebel Gehannam | Shells | A Wentletrap | |
| Acanthocardia | gehannamensis | Temple Member | Gebel Gehannam | Shells | A Carditid | |
| Carolia | placunoides | Temple Member | Gebel Gehannam | Shells | A Scallop | |
| Claibornicardia | pharaonum | Temple Member | Garet Gehannam | Shells | A Carditid | |
| Cubitostrea | multicostata | Temple Member | Gebel Gehannam | Shells | An Oyster | |
| Ostrea | reili, fraasi, roncana | Temple Member | Gebel Gehannam | Shells | An Oyster | |
| Turritella | pharaonica | Temple Member | Gebel Gehannam | Shells | A Turritellidae |
Afrotheres
Plants
Isolated Dicotyledon woods are known. Unidentified large woody roots are known.| Genus | Species | Member | Locality | Material | Notes | Images |
| Avicennia? | marina? | Middle Member |
| Type-1 rhizoliths | Mangrove plant | |
| Cymodocea | sp. | Temple Member | Qasr Qarun | A marine Angiosperm | ||
| Detarioxylon | aegyptiacum | Middle Member | Birket Qarun | Wood | Terrestrial Angiosperm | |
| Nypa? | fruticans?, burtini? | Middle Member | Wadi Hitan |
| Mangrove Palm | |
| Rhizophora | sp. | Middle Member | Type-2 rhizoliths | Mangrove plant | ||
| Thalassodendron | sp. | A marine Angiosperm |