Eosiren fossil map
Where fossils of Eosiren 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 | 48.07–27.3 million years ago (Lutetian to Rupelian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Dugongidae |
| Named by | Andrews 1902 |
| Fossil records | 42 occurrences at 18 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Egypt, Western Sahara, India |
| Rock formations | Qasr el-Sagha, Birket Qarun, txn:43286, Samlat, Jebel Qatrani, Harudi |
About Eosiren
Eosiren is an extinct genus of sea cow that lived during the Late Eocene (later Priabonian) to Early Oligocene (Rupelian). Several fossils have been found in Egypt. It seems like the species E. abeli were contemporaneous with Protosiren and Eotheroides. Like them, Eosiren closely resembled modern sirenians, with the primary differences being somewhat larger innominates and the presence of thigh bones.
Eosiren was first described by vertebrage paleontologist Charles William Andrews in 1902, who distinguished it from the genus Halitherium due to differences in the teeth and mandible. Later that year, Science published a summary of his findings in a collection on advances in zoopaleontology.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Eosiren (revision 1365545995), 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: Q3726742.
