Homalodotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Homalodotherium 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 | 20.45–15.5 million years ago (Burdigalian to Langhian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Homalodotheriidae |
| Named by | Huxley 1870 |
| Fossil records | 28 occurrences at 14 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina, Chile |
| Rock formations | Santa Cruz, Galera, Río Frías |
About Homalodotherium
Homalodotherium is an extinct genus of South American native ungulates in the order Notoungulata. Fossils of Homalodotherium have been found in the Middle Miocene (Friasian in the SALMA classification) Santa Cruz Formation of Argentina and the Río Frías Formation of Chile. The first specimen, a partial skull, was discovered by Robert Holiver Cunningham while on an expedition to Patagonia. By the time it had arrived in England, it was degraded to the point where only a few elements remained. Regardless, in 1870, it was given its genus name by Thomas Henry Huxley, and its species name (H. cunninghami, after its discoverer) by William Henry Flower. The name was misspelled repeatedly over the years, leading to the erection of the family Homalodontotheriidae to include it, though this has since been amended to Homalodotheriidae. Since, then four more species of Homalodotherium have been named.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Homalodotherium (revision 1369774843), 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: Q1038090.
