Atlantoxerus fossil map
Where fossils of Atlantoxerus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | 20.45–3.55 million years ago (Burdigalian to Piacenzian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Sciuridae |
| Named by | Major 1893 |
| Fossil records | 58 occurrences at 26 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Spain, China, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Thailand, Mongolia, Italy |
| Rock formations | txn:41486, Alfambra, Sahabi, Bou Hanifia, Hofuf, Halamagai |
About Atlantoxerus
The Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus Atlantoxerus. It is endemic to the Atlas mountains in Morocco and some parts in Algeria, and has been introduced into the Canary Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, temperate grassland and rocky areas where it lives colonially in burrows. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Barbary ground squirrel (revision 1315192857), 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: Q757289.
