Homunculus fossil map
Where fossils of Homunculus 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 | 21–11 million years ago (Aquitanian to Tortonian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Homunculidae |
| Named by | Ameghino 1891 |
| Fossil records | 46 occurrences at 17 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina, Colombia |
| Rock formations | Santa Cruz, txn:123445, Sarmiento |
About Homunculus
Homunculus (Latin: [hɔˈmʊŋkʊlʊs]; "little person") is an extinct genus of New World monkey that lived in Patagonia during the Miocene. Two species are known: Homunculus patagonicus and Homunculus vizcainoi, which are known from material found in the Santa Cruz Formation in the far south of Argentina. Reaching a latitude of ~55°S at the time it lived, it is the southernmost non-human primate ever recorded.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Homunculus (genus) (revision 1377193675), 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: Q27664287.
