Climacoceras fossil map
Where fossils of Climacoceras 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 | 15.98–13.82 million years ago (Langhian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Climacoceratidae |
| Named by | MacInnes 1936 |
| Fossil records | 12 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Kenya |
| Rock formations | Maboko |
About Climacoceras
Climacoceras (from Greek for "ladder horns") is a genus of extinct artiodactyl ungulates that lived in Africa and Europe during the Miocene. The members of Climacoceras were related to giraffes, and the genus was formerly placed within the Giraffidae, but is now placed in the Climacoceratidae, a sister group within the superfamily Giraffoidea. Fossils of the two best known species of Climacoceras, C. africanus and C. gentryi, have both been found in Kenya. The animals measured about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall and had large ossicones resembling antlers. C. africanus had ossicones resembling tall, thorn-covered plant stems, while the ossicones of C. gentryi resembled thorny crescents.
The genus was once placed within Palaeomerycidae, then Giraffidae. It is now considered a giraffoid in the family Climacoceratidae, erected by Hamilton.
Other Climacoceratidae genera include Prolibytherium from Egypt and Libya and Orangemeryx from Namibia and South Africa.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Climacoceras (revision 1354832240), 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: Q516023.
