Catodontherium fossil map
Where fossils of Catodontherium have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 45 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 45 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 | 48.07–33.9 million years ago (Lutetian to Priabonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Anoplotheriidae |
| Named by | Deperet 1908 |
| Fossil records | 36 occurrences at 10 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | France, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Spain |
| Rock formations | txn:57550, Upper Headon Beds, Bellmunt |
About Catodontherium
Catodontherium is an extinct genus of artiodactyl belonging to the family Anoplotheriidae. It was endemic to Western Europe during the Palaeogene era and had a temporal range exclusive to the middle Eocene, although its earliest appearance depends on whether C. argentonicum is truly a species of Catodontherium. It was first named Catodus by the French palaeontologist Charles Depéret in 1906, who created two species for the genus and later changed the genus name to Catodontherium in 1908. The Swiss palaeontologist Hans Georg Stehlin renamed one species and classified two other newly erected species to Catodontherium in 1910. Today, there are four known species, although two remain questionable in genus placement.
Similar to the other dacrytheriine Dacrytherium and unlike anoplotheriines such as Anoplotherium, Catodontherium had a preorbital fossa. It also had cranial and dental morphologies typical of the Dacrytheriinae but had specific differences from Dacrytherium such as the position of the infraorbital foramen and forms of the premolars and molars. The anoplotheriid is known by very few facial and limb remains, most of which are fragmentary.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Catodontherium (revision 1379787162), 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: Q60977537.
