Embolotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Embolotherium 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 | 37.71–27.3 million years ago (Priabonian to Rupelian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Brontotheriidae |
| Named by | Osborn 1929 |
| Fossil records | 20 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China, Mongolia |
| Rock formations | Ulan Gocho, Ergilin Dzo, Chaganbulage |
About Embolotherium
Embolotherium (lit. 'battering ram beast') is an extinct genus of horned brontothere that lived in East Asia during the Late Eocene, in the Ulangochuian and Ergilian land mammal ages. Fossils of Embolotherium have mainly been found in Inner Mongolia in China, and in Mongolia, particularly in the Ulan Gochu and Ergilin Dzo formations.
Embolotherium is distinguished from other brontotheres by its "ram", a highly unique and elongated structure at the front of the skull. The ram developed from the horns, frontal bones, and nasal bones of Embolotherium's ancestors. In the past, the ram was interpreted as functioning like a horn and to have been used for combat. The skeletal features of the ram, such as the nasal septum running along the entire length of the structure, instead indicate that the ram was incorporated into a large soft-tissue snout, and served to support a large nasal cavity. The orientation and position of the ram is among the features that serve to distinguish the two currently recognized species of Embolotherium. In E. andrewsi, the ram is relatively vertical and rises above the orbits (eye sockets), whereas in E. grangeri the ram is curved forwards and rises behind the orbits.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Embolotherium (revision 1377011471), 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: Q133204.
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