Molossus fossil map
Where fossils of Molossus 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 | 0.129 million years ago to the present (Late Pleistocene to Holocene) |
| Periods | Quaternary |
| Family | Molossidae |
| Named by | Geoffroy 1805 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil |
| Rock formations | txn:40693 |
About Molossus
Molossus is a genus of bats. The genus contains ten species with a New World distribution from Mexico in the north to northern Argentina at its most southerly limit. Four of these species have distributions that include various islands in the West Indies such as Puerto Rico or Trinidad.
The genus belongs to a group commonly referred to as free-tailed bats. Its name is from the ancient Molossus breed of shepherd dog.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Molossus (bat) (revision 1337196914), 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: Q1723019.
