Amphimeryx fossil map
Where fossils of Amphimeryx have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 30 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 37.71–27.3 million years ago (Priabonian to Rupelian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Amphimerycidae |
| Named by | Pictet 1853 |
| Fossil records | 36 occurrences at 14 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | France, Switzerland |
| Rock formations | txn:42569 |
About Amphimeryx
Amphimeryx is an extinct genus of small mammals with slightly deer-like forms belonging to the Amphimerycidae, classified within the order Artiodactyla. It was endemic to western Europe and lived from the Late Eocene to the Early Oligocene, about 37 to 32.5 million years ago. The taxonomic history of the artiodactyl genus extends back to 1804 when dental fossils of the type species A. murinus were first recognized by the French palaeontologist Georges Cuvier, who gave the species its current scientific name in 1822. It was first assigned by early naturalists to two other artiodactyl genera, Anoplotherium and Dichobune. In 1848, the French palaeontologist Auguste Pomel recognized that the dentition of A. murinus was roughly similar to those of ruminants and therefore designated to its own genus Amphimeryx, the name meaning "near ruminant". Two other species named in later studies, A. collotarsus and A. riparius, are purported, although their validities are uncertain.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Amphimeryx (revision 1369635848), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q123049377.
