Hexaprotodon fossil map
Where fossils of Hexaprotodon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | Hippopotamidae |
| Named by | (Falconer and Cautley 1836) |
| Fossil records | 236 occurrences at 92 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Kenya, Ethiopia, DR Congo, India, Chad, Indonesia, Uganda, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka … |
| Rock formations | txn:42479, Koobi Fora, Nachukui, Sagantole, Shungura, Adu-Asa |
About Hexaprotodon
Hexaprotodon is an extinct genus of hippopotamid. The genus name Hexaprotodon comes from Ancient Greek ἑξα- (hexa-), meaning "six", πρῶτος (prôtos), meaning "first", and ὀδούς (odoús), meaning "tooth", therefore, "six front-teeth" as some of the fossil forms have three pairs of incisors. The pygmy hippopotamus was historically placed in the genus, but today is generally placed in its own genus. The core unambiguous Asian members of the genus ranged from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia, and are thought to have had an aquatic ecology similar to that of the living common hippopotamus. Other species have been attributed to the genus from Africa and Europe, though it is unclear whether they are closely related to the Asian members of the genus. The last members of the genus became extinct during the Late Pleistocene, perhaps as recently as 15,000 years ago.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Hexaprotodon (revision 1369943256), 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: Q2715758.
