Hispanomeryx fossil map
Where fossils of Hispanomeryx 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 | 15.98–8.725 million years ago (Langhian to Tortonian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Moschidae |
| Named by | Morales et al. 1981 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Spain, China |
| Rock formations | txn:42640, Tunggur |
About Hispanomeryx
Hispanomeryx is an extinct genus of artiodactyl from the middle to late Miocene epoch, living from 13 to 8 million years ago. Over the years, they have been variously classified as being related to bovids or giraffes, or even belonging to their own unique family, but they are now widely regarded as moschids, relatives of the living musk deer.
Hispanomeryx would have resembled modern musk deer, but was smaller, and some of the teeth in the lower jaw resembled those of bovids, possibly as an adaptation to its diet. Most fossils are known from Spain, but others are known from Turkey to China, most of which are too fragmentary to be assigned to a particular species. Hispanomeryx seems to have been an adaptable species, and to have lived in both subtropical forests and open, relatively arid, savanna.
The following species are known:
H. andrewsi Sánchez et al., 2011 - China
H. aragonensis Azanza, 1986 - Spain
H. daamsi Sánchez, Domingo, and Morales, 2010 - Spain
H. duriensis (type) Morales, Moyà-Solà, and Soria, 1981 - Spain
H. lacetanus Sánchez et al., 2019 - Spain
H. linxiaensis Aiglstorfer et al., 2023 - China
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Hispanomeryx (revision 1313923183), 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: Q11925881.
