Minerva fossil map
Where fossils of Minerva have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 45 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 45 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 | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 51.1–45.9 million years ago (Ypresian to Lutetian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Named by | Shufeldt 1915 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Bridger |
About Minerva
Minerva is an extinct genus of owls in the prehistoric family Protostrigidae from the Eocene of North America. Described in 1915 by R. W. Shufeldt, some of the bones of Minerva were interpreted as belonging to an edentate mammal by Alexander Wetmore in 1933, who assigned the remaining bones to the new genus Protostrix. Analysis in 1983 re-established the genus Minerva was avian.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Minerva (bird) (revision 1380714180), 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: Q30017315.
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