Josephoartigasia fossil map
Where fossils of Josephoartigasia have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | 5–0.4 million years ago (Zanclean to Chibanian) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Dinomyidae |
| Named by | Mones 2007 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Uruguay |
| Rock formations | San José |
About Josephoartigasia
Josephoartigasia is an extinct genus of enormous dinomyid rodent from the Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of Uruguay. Its closest living relative is the pacarana. Josephoartigasia is named after Uruguayan national hero José Artigas. It contains two species: J. magna, described in 1966 based on a left mandible, and J. monesi, described in 2008 based on a nearly complete skull. Both are reported from the San José Member of the Raigón Formation by the Barrancas de San Gregorio along Kiyú beach.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Josephoartigasia (revision 1376903878), 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: Q753388.
