Megistotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Megistotherium 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 | 20.45–11.63 million years ago (Burdigalian to Serravallian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Hyainailouridae |
| Named by | Savage 1973 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Kenya, Libya, Egypt |
| Rock formations | Upper Koru Series, Maradah, Moghara |
About Megistotherium
Megistotherium ("greatest beast") is an extinct genus of very large hyaenodont belonging to the family Hyainailouridae that lived in Africa and possibly Asia during the early-middle Miocene epoch, with possible earliest late Miocene records. The first specimen, a near-complete skull, was discovered in 1963 by Robert J. G. Savage in Libya, and was kept at the Natural History Museum in London alongside postcrania discovered in the prior few years. In 1973, Savage described Megistotherium based on these elements, with the skull serving as the type specimen. It was later determined that the assigned postcrania actually came from an amphicyonid, or "bear-dog". One species of Megistotherium, M. osteothlastes, has been described. There is some debate over whether Megistotherium is a genus of its own or a junior synonym of another, related genus, Hyainailouros.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Megistotherium (revision 1376859901), 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: Q1175482.
