Anachlysictis fossil map
Where fossils of Anachlysictis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 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 15 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 | 13.8–10 million years ago (Serravallian to Tortonian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Thylacosmilidae |
| Named by | Goin 1997 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Colombia |
| Rock formations | La Victoria, Villavieja |
About Anachlysictis
Anachlysictis gracilis is an extinct carnivorous mammal belonging to the group Sparassodonta, which were metatherians (a group including marsupials and their close relatives) that inhabited South America during the Cenozoic. Anachlysictis is the first record of such borhyaenoids in northern South America, and also the most primitive known member of the family Thylacosmilidae, a group of predators equipped with "saber teeth". It was also the only confirmed record of a thylacosmilid that did not belong to the genus Thylacosmilus until the official publication of Patagosmilus in 2010.
This species was found in the Villavieja Formation in the area of La Venta in Colombia, a famous fossil deposit in the Middle Miocene (Laventan; 13.8–11.8 million years ago), based on fragments that include a front portion of the lower jaw, with an incipient molar tooth and a piece of carnassial from the front of the maxilla.
The most complete fossil of Anachlysictis is VPPLT-1612, a nearly complete skull and skeleton stored at Museo de Historia Natural de La Tatacoa (the La Tatacoa Natural History Museum) in Victoria, Colombia. The skull of this specimen was described in 2023.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Anachlysictis (revision 1364434473), 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: Q4750667.
