Dinosorex fossil map
Where fossils of Dinosorex 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 | 27.3–5.333 million years ago (Chattian to Messinian) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene |
| Family | Soricidae |
| Named by | Engesser 1972 |
| Fossil records | 114 occurrences at 43 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Germany, Türkiye, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, Serbia, Poland, Hungary, China, Spain … |
| Rock formations | txn:40443, Upper Freshwater Molasse, Studienka, Ville, Laa, Edelény |
About Dinosorex
Dinosorex is an extinct eulipotyphlan genus, popularly referred to as giant terror shrews due to their fearsome lower incisors. Dinosorex lived in Europe from the late Oligocene or early Miocene to the late Miocene, with a range that stretched from Ukraine to Iberia. It was about the size of a modern hedgehog, but its enlarged and strengthened incisors (which have been found to contain iron particles within the enamel) may have allowed it to adopt a partially carnivorous diet, as opposed to the strictly insectivorous diet of most modern mammals of that size.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Dinosorex (revision 1264578985), 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: Q19950876.
