Dichodon fossil map
Where fossils of Dichodon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 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 30 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 | 48.07–33.9 million years ago (Lutetian to Priabonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Xiphodontidae |
| Named by | Owen |
| Fossil records | 86 occurrences at 25 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain |
| Rock formations | txn:42564, Creechbarrow Limestone, Headon Beds, Headon Hill, Bembridge Marls, Collegats |
About Dichodon
Dichodon is an extinct genus of Palaeogene artiodactyls belonging to the family Xiphodontidae. It was endemic to Western Europe and lived from the middle Eocene up to the earliest Oligocene. The genus was first erected by the British naturalist Richard Owen in 1848 based on dental remains from the fossil beds in Hordle, England. He noticed similar dentitions to contemporary artiodactyls like those of the Anoplotheriidae and Dichobunidae and references the name of the genus Dichobune. Eventually, it was found to be more closely related to Xiphodon and now includes 11 species, although one of them may be synonymous.
Dichodon had brachyodont (low-crowned) dentition, its premolars being elongated similar to other xiphodonts. However, it differs from them by the generally stronger but varied degrees of elongation of the premolars and "molarization" of the fourth premolars, in which the earliest species had triangular top fourth premolars while later species had quadrangular ones. Its snout is also shorter and narrower compared to that of Xiphodon. The different morphologies of the two genera suggest different dietary specializations of folivory (leaf-eating), but the postcranial morphology of Dichodon remains poorly known compared to that of Xiphodon.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Dichodon (mammal) (revision 1380981990), 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: Q106106297.
