Mesotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Mesotherium 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 | 3.6–0.0117 million years ago (Piacenzian to Late Pleistocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Mesotheriidae |
| Named by | Serres 1867 |
| Fossil records | 36 occurrences at 18 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina, O3 |
| Rock formations | txn:43424, Miramar, Ensenada, Vorohué, San Andres, "Pampean" |
About Mesotherium
Mesotherium ("middle beast") is an extinct genus of mesotheriid, a long-lasting family of superficially rodent-like, burrowing notoungulates from South America. It is one of the youngest notoungulates, spanning the Early-Middle Pleistocene, and is the last known member of Typotheria. It was first named by Étienne Serres in 1857, though initially lacked a type species. Another genus name Typotherium, was put forward by Auguste Bravard, and three species were included: however, the name Typotherium was not applied to any particular specimens, and is thus invalid. A type species for Mesotherium, M. cristatum, was named in 1867, securing its status as a valid genus. M. cristatum spanned the Early-Middle Pleistocene.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Mesotherium (revision 1381514055), 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: Q1176128.
