With an age of 11.66-11.42 Ma the site dates to the transition between the Middle and Late Miocene epoch, providing an important window into the faunal changes taking place during this time.

[3] Nicknamed "Udo", the discovery was described as the oldest known example of an upright ape in Hominidae, with some media even going so far as to call it proof that the cradle of humanity was located in Bavaria.

The circa 0.45 m thick homogeneous silty-clayey marlstone contains a variety of terrestrial gastropods, and is located in the basal part of the northern profile.

This succession may be viewed as a complete calcic paleosol, with the marlstone representing the Bk-horizon, the mottled clay the Bt-horizon, and the lignite the A-horizon.

A 35 cm thick lignite horizon marks the top of the presently exposed sedimentary succession in the Hammerschmiede outcrop.

As a 40 cm thick rooted silt horizon, containing abundant powdery, whitish soft carbonate occurs below it, the topmost succession can be interpreted as an immature calcic paleosol.

Those are characterized by up to 0.60 m thick grey green-yellowish mottled clayey marls, which contain matrix-supported pedogenic carbonate concretions.

Two less developed calcic-paleosols, which are completely lacking A-horizons but clay-rich Btk horizons, make up the basal 4 meters of the succession in the southern profile.

The environment of Hammerschmiede was a seasonally dry floodplain of meandering rivers and streams flowing from south to north.

[10] However, the presence of an autochthonous freshwater mollusc fauna made up out of Pisidium, Margaritifera, Sphaerium and Bithynia suggests well-oxygenated waters, with moderate flow.

[11] The presence of considerable amounts of water are furthermore supported by the abundance of fish and turtle fossils, as well as swamp plants.

[5] The paleoclimate of the locality was subtropical and considerably warmer and drier than that of the region today,⁣[5] with annual average temperatures of perhaps over 20 °C.

The high temperatures and comparatively low precipitations suggest a significant seasonal water stress, which is furthermore supported by the abundant pedogenic carbonate concretions, indications of forest fires and an as of yet unpublished stable isotope analysis, which showcases the enriched δ13C values of a C3 vegetation under very strong water stress.

exilis, thought to have gone extinct in Central Europe during earlier in the Middle Miocene, which likely reemmigrated from the Iberian peninsula to Germany during this time.

[7] Species such as these suggest that Hammerschmiede, and contemporary sites, may represent the last European faunas with Middle Miocene character.

[8] However, more typical Late Miocene taxa such as the large bovid Miotragocerus and the cricetid Microtocricetus molassicus are also present.

[16] The comparison with six other fossil assemblages (Sansan, Steinheim, La Grive-Saint Alban, Rudabánya, Can Ponsic and Can Llobateres 1) shows some marked differences between the carnivoran guild of those sites and Hammerschmiede.

Amphicyonids, extremely common at the other localities, and barbourofelids, which are a regular presence, are only known from infrequent and fragmentary material at Hammerschmiede.