Elephas fossil map
Where fossils of Elephas have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 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 0 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 | 23.04 million years ago to the present (Aquitanian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Elephantidae |
| Named by | Linnaeus 1758 |
| Fossil records | 252 occurrences at 102 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | India, Kenya, United States, Ethiopia, Italy, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Morocco, South Africa … |
| Rock formations | txn:43263, Olorgesailie, Hadar, Nagrota, Tatrot, Pinjor |
About Elephas
Elephas is a genus of elephants and one of two surviving genera in the family Elephantidae, with only a single living species, the Asian elephant (E. maximus). Several extinct species have been identified as belonging to the genus, extending back to the Pliocene or possibly the late Miocene.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Elephas (revision 1378633630), 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: Q310746.
