Merycopotamus fossil map
Where fossils of Merycopotamus 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 | 13.82–5.333 million years ago (Serravallian to Messinian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Anthracotheriidae |
| Named by | Falconer and Cautley 1847 |
| Fossil records | 16 occurrences at 7 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Pakistan, Tunisia, Thailand |
| Rock formations | txn:42443, Dhok Pathan, Beglia, Nagri |
About Merycopotamus
Merycopotamus is an extinct genus of Asian anthracothere that appeared during the Middle Miocene, and died out in the Late Pliocene. At the height of the genus' influence, species ranged throughout South Asia and South East Asia (Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand). With the extinction of the last species, M. dissimilis, the lineage of anthracotheres came to an end. Merycopotamus was closely related to the anthracothere genus Libycosaurus, which, unlike the former, never left Africa. In fact, some African fossils originally placed in Merycopotamus, but are now referred to Libycosaurus.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Merycopotamus (revision 1326303464), 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: Q1922211.
