Moeritherium fossil map
Where fossils of Moeritherium have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 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 30 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 | 48.07–27.3 million years ago (Lutetian to Rupelian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Moeritheriidae |
| Named by | Andrews 1901 |
| Fossil records | 50 occurrences at 12 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Egypt, Libya, Senegal, Algeria, Mali |
| Rock formations | Qasr el Sagha, Qasr el-Sagha, txn:43237, Jebel Qatrani, Lumachelle calcaire marin, Idam Unit |
About Moeritherium
Moeritherium ("Lake Moeris' beast") is an extinct genus of basal proboscideans from the Eocene of North and West Africa. The first specimen was discovered in strata from the Fayum fossil deposits of Egypt. It was named in 1901 by Charles William Andrews, who suggested that it was an early proboscidean, perhaps ancestral to mastodons, although subsequent workers considered it everything from a relative of manatees to a close relative of both clades' common ancestor. Currently, Moeritherium is seen as a proboscidean that, while fairly basal, diverged before the split between elephantiforms and deinotheres. Seven species have been named, though five (M. andrewsi, M. chehbeurameuri, M. gracile, M. lyonsi, and M. trigodon) are currently considered valid. The name comes from Lake Moeris, and the Ancient Greek θηρίον (thēríon), meaning "beast".
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Moeritherium (revision 1371818485), 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: Q131232.
