Carpodaptes fossil map
Where fossils of Carpodaptes have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 56 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 56 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 | 66–56 million years ago (Danian to Thanetian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Carpolestidae |
| Named by | Matthew and Granger 1921 |
| Fossil records | 60 occurrences at 24 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Canada, United States |
| Rock formations | Paskapoo, Fort Union, txn:40741, Ravenscrag, Slope, Wasatch |
About Carpodaptes
Carpodaptes ("fruit eater" from Ancient Greek κᾰρπός (karpós), "fruit, grain" + δᾰ́πτης (dáptēs), "eater, consumer") was a genus that encompassed small, insectivorous animals that roamed the Earth during the Late Paleocene. Specifically, Carpodaptes can be found between the Tiffanian and Clarkforkian periods of North America. Although little evidence, this genus may have made it through to the early Eocene. They are known primarily from collections of jaw and teeth fragments in North America, mainly in southwestern Canada and northwestern America. Carpodaptes are estimated to have weighed approximately 53-96 grams which made them a little bigger than a mouse. However small, Carpodaptes was a placental mammal within the order Plesiadapiformes that appeared to have a high fiber diet. This insect-eating mammal may have been one of the first to evolve fingernails in place of claws. This may have helped them pick insects, nuts, and seeds more easily off the ground than with paws or claws. Carpodaptes was thought to only exist in North America but recent discoveries of dentition fragments have been found in China.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Carpodaptes (revision 1322604147), 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: Q95952104.
