Deinogalerix fossil map
Where fossils of Deinogalerix have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | 11.63–3.6 million years ago (Tortonian to Zanclean) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Erinaceidae |
| Named by | Freudenthal 1972 |
| Fossil records | 108 occurrences at 5 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Italy |
| Rock formations | txn:40367, Lithothamnion Limestone |
About Deinogalerix
Deinogalerix (from Ancient Greek, Deinos; "terrible/terror", + Galerix) is an extinct genus of gymnure which lived in Italy in the Late Miocene, 7-10 million years ago; gymnures belong to the subfamily Galericinae of the family Erinaceidae which also contain the hedgehogs, though extant gymnures and moonrats are fully hairy, without sharp quills. Deinogalerix is thought to have also lacked quills.
The genus was endemic to what was then the island of Gargano, which is now a peninsula in southeastern Italy bounded by the Adriatic Sea. The first specimens of Deinogalerix were first described in 1972.
Deinogalerix had a long, thin, conical face, small pointed ears, a lengthy, tapering tail and long hairs.
It is believed that the species of Deinogalerix were insectivores, mostly feeding off invertebrates like beetles, dragonflies and crickets, and possibly even snails. But the larger species may also have scavenged on small mammals, reptiles and birds. D. koenigswaldi's skull was 21 centimetres (8.3 in) long and the entire body measured 60 centimetres (24 in). It occupied a similar ecological niche as dogs and cats today, predating animals smaller than itself; Deinogalerix likely shared this niche with the enormous barn owl Tyto gigantea, thought to have been sympatric.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Deinogalerix (revision 1379838425), 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: Q138981.
