Leptictis fossil map
Where fossils of Leptictis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 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 30 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 | 39.7–29.5 million years ago (Bartonian to Rupelian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Leptictidae |
| Named by | Leidy 1868 |
| Fossil records | 44 occurrences at 13 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Spain |
| Rock formations | Chadron, Brule, txn:40257, Collegats, Dunbar Creek |
About Leptictis
Leptictis is an extinct genus of leptictid non-placental eutherian mammal known from the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene of North America. The type species, L. haydeni, was named in 1868 by Joseph Leidy in honour of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden. L. dakotensis was also named by Leidy in 1868, but he originally named it as a separate genus, Ictops, which is now seen as the same animal as Lepticitis. Since then, six other species have been named.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Leptictis (revision 1332785522), 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: Q1063896.
