Cephalogale fossil map
Where fossils of Cephalogale have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 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 15 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 | 33.9–16.3 million years ago (Rupelian to Burdigalian) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene |
| Family | Ursidae |
| Named by | Jourdan 1862 |
| Fossil records | 32 occurrences at 14 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic, China, Georgia, France |
| Rock formations | txn:41301, Runningwater, Marsland, Zia Sand, Wildcat Hills Beds, Wulanbulage |
About Cephalogale
Cephalogale is an extinct genus of hemicyonine bear which lived in the Oligocene and Early Miocene epochs in North America and Europe. It lived from around 28.4—20.0 Mya. Before it was reconsidered to be close to the ancestry of hemicyonines, Cephalogale was once considered to be an ancestor of all bears.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Cephalogale (revision 1186473608), 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: Q18609695.
