Inostrancevia fossil map
Where fossils of Inostrancevia have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 252 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 252 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 | Pre-mammals (synapsids) |
|---|---|
| Lived | 264.28–254.14 million years ago (Capitanian to Wuchiapingian) |
| Periods | Permian |
| Family | Inostranceviidae |
| Named by | Amalitski 1922 |
| Fossil records | 12 occurrences at 7 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Russian Federation, Tanzania |
| Rock formations | txn:358816, Salarevo, Kutuluk, Usili |
About Inostrancevia
Inostrancevia is an extinct genus of large carnivorous therapsids which lived during the Late Permian in what is now European Russia and Southern Africa. The first-known fossils of this gorgonopsian were discovered in the context of a long series of excavations carried out from 1899 to 1914 in the Northern Dvina, Russia. Among these are two near-complete skeletons embodying the first described specimens of this genus, being also the first gorgonopsian identified in Russia. Several other fossil materials were discovered there, and the various finds led to confusion as to the exact number of valid species, before only two of them were formally recognized, namely I. alexandri and I. latifrons. A third species, I. uralensis, was erected in 1974, but the fossil remains of this taxon are very thin and could come from another genus. More recent research carried out in Southern Africa has discovered specimens identified as belonging to this genus, being classified within the species I. africana. The genus name honors Alexander Inostrantsev, professor of Vladimir P. Amalitsky, the paleontologist who described the taxon.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Inostrancevia (revision 1381178944), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q132835.
