Arsinoitherium fossil map
Where fossils of Arsinoitherium 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 | 41.03–23.04 million years ago (Bartonian to Chattian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Arsinoitheriidae |
| Named by | Beadnell 1902 |
| Fossil records | 28 occurrences at 12 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Oman, Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Angola, Tunisia |
| Rock formations | Jebel Qatrani, Ashawq, txn:43310, Idam Unit, Aydim, Shumaysi |
About Arsinoitherium
Arsinoitherium (Arsinoe II's beast) is an extinct genus of paenungulate mammals belonging to the extinct order Embrithopoda. It is related to elephants, sirenians, and hyraxes. Arsinoitheres were superficially rhinoceros-like herbivores that lived during the Late Eocene and the Early Oligocene of North Africa from 36 to 30 million years ago, in areas of tropical rainforest and at the margin of mangrove swamps. A species described in 2004, A. giganteum, lived in Ethiopia about 27 million years ago.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Arsinoitherium (revision 1373575984), 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: Q131720.
