Bounodus fossil map
Where fossils of Bounodus 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 | 11.63–5.333 million years ago (Tortonian to Messinian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Proterotheriidae |
| Named by | Carlini et al. 2006 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Venezuela |
| Rock formations | Urumaco |
About Bounodus
Bounodus is an extinct genus of ungulates native from South America, belonging to the order Litopterna. Its remains were found in Miocene rocks from the Urumaco Formation of northern Venezuela. The genus is only known from its holotype, AMU-CURS 44, a fragmentary right maxilla preserving teeth from the fourth premolar to the third molar and the alveolus of the third premolar, exhibiting a typical bunodont structure in the animal dentition, a characteristic shared with its close relative Megadolodus. The postcranial skeleton of the genus is unknown. Its dentition indicates that the animal was omnivorous, with teeth adapted to potentially eat shelled fruits, as well as the molluscs and crustaceans that thrived in the wetlands that covered most of North-West South America, including the Urumaco Formation, during the Neogene.
The genus name, Bounodus, is composed of the Greek prefix Bouno-, meaning "hill", and the Greek suffix -odus, meaning tooth, in allusion to the bunodont dentition, characteristic of the genus. The species name, enigmaticus, was given in regard of its stockier morphology than most litopterns.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Bounodus (revision 1380882949), 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: Q42268909.
