Chriacus fossil map
Where fossils of Chriacus 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 | 66–48.07 million years ago (Danian to Ypresian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Arctocyonidae |
| Named by | Cope 1883 |
| Fossil records | 332 occurrences at 63 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Canada |
| Rock formations | Willwood, Nacimiento, Fort Union, txn:42198, "Fort Union" (= Lebo), Wasatch |
About Chriacus
Chriacus is an extinct genus of placental mammals that lived in what is now North America during the Paleocene and early Eocene epochs (Puercan through Wasatchian faunal ages). In life, members of the genus may have looked and lived in ways similar to coatimundis, though they were not closely related to any living mammal. Like many early Cenozoic mammals, its relationships are uncertain, with possible affinities to ungulates or Ferae (carnivorans and their relatives). Chriacus and similar Paleocene-Eocene mammals are generally known as arctocyonids, though it is unclear whether different arctocyonids are actually related to each other.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Chriacus (revision 1379867245), 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: Q2398857.
