Hipposideros fossil map
Where fossils of Hipposideros 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 | 56 million years ago to the present (Ypresian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Hipposideridae |
| Named by | Gray 1831 |
| Fossil records | 100 occurrences at 28 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | France, China, Philippines, Ethiopia, Australia, Spain, DR Congo, Zambia, Madagascar, Thailand … |
| Rock formations | txn:40647, Perrière, Shungura, Perriere, Ashawq, Colombacci |
About Hipposideros
Hipposideros is one of the most diverse genera of bats, with more than 70 species. They are collectively called roundleaf bats after the shape of their nasal ornament. It is the type genus of the family Hipposideridae. It is divided into species groups based on morphology.
Some species that were previously placed in Hipposideros are now placed in the related genera Doryrhina and Macronycteris. Conversely, the genus Paracoelops, which was considered distinct until 2012, is now synonymized with Hipposideros, as the only species turned out to be based on a specimen of Hipposideros pomona.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Hipposideros (revision 1327075095), 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: Q268051.
