Cifelliodon fossil map
Where fossils of Cifelliodon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 130 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 130 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 | 137.05–132.6 million years ago (Valanginian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Hahnodontidae |
| Named by | Huttenlocker et al. 2018 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Cedar Mountain |
About Cifelliodon
Cifelliodon is an extinct genus of mammaliaform known from the Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation in Utah, United States, dated to the Early Cretaceous. It contains the species Cifelliodon wahkarmoosuch, described in 2018 based on an isolated skull. This specimen is well preserved and large for a mammaliaform of its time period. Its teeth have been compared to those of the hammer-headed bat, a fruit-eater, while CT scans of the inner skull indicate a highly developed sense of smell. Some of its features resemble those of earlier mammaliamorphs of the Triassic, while others are seen in crown members of Mammalia.
The classification of Cifelliodon has been disputed, with the genus variously placed as a haramiyidan, an allotherian, or neither. The researchers who described it labelled it as evidence that mammaliamorphs with large bodies and diverse ecological roles lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous. The Yellow Cat Member, believed to represent a long span of geologic time, has also yielded remains of a range of dinosaurs and other animals.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Cifelliodon (revision 1371060814), 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: Q55391290.
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