Maastrichtidelphys fossil map
Where fossils of Maastrichtidelphys have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 66 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 66 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 | 72.2–66 million years ago (Maastrichtian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Peradectidae |
| Named by | Martin et al. 2005 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Netherlands |
| Rock formations | Maastricht |
About Maastrichtidelphys
Maastrichtidelphys is a Late Cretaceous genus of metatherian (marsupial lineage) mammal from the Netherlands in Europe. The genus contains a single species, M. meurismeti. It is known from an extremely small right upper molar, and analysis of it suggests that Maastrichtidelphys is most closely related to the North American herpetotheriid marsupial, Nortedelphys, which is Lancian in age.
Maastrichtidelphys belongs to a group of mammals with their origins in North America, the Herpetotheriidae. The presence of Maastrichtidelphys in Europe in the Late Cretaceous shows there was a high-latitude North Atlantic dispersal route between North America and Europe for marsupials, which suggests they spread across Europe at least 10 million years earlier than previously thought.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Maastrichtidelphys (revision 1248564071), 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: Q5390461.
