Meles fossil map
Where fossils of Meles have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 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 0 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 | 11.63 million years ago to the present (Tortonian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Mustelidae |
| Named by | Brisson 1762 |
| Fossil records | 150 occurrences at 68 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China, Greece, Italy, Germany, France, Hungary, Spain, Georgia, Portugal, Romania … |
| Rock formations | txn:41086, Gerakarou, Platanochori, Lishi, Unterer Travertin, Guadix |
About Meles
Meles is a genus of badgers containing four living species known as Eurasian badgers, the Japanese badger (Meles anakuma), Asian badger (Meles leucurus), Caucasian badger (Meles canescens) and European badger (Meles meles). In an older categorization, they were seen as a single species with three subspecies (Meles meles anakuma, Meles meles leucurus and Meles meles meles). There are also several extinct members of the genus. They are members of the subfamily Melinae of the weasel family, Mustelidae.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Meles (genus) (revision 1345026541), 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: Q1345042.
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