Moropus fossil map
Where fossils of Moropus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 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 15 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 | 29.5–5.333 million years ago (Rupelian to Messinian) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene |
| Family | Chalicotheriidae |
| Named by | Marsh 1877 |
| Fossil records | 68 occurrences at 25 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | txn:43076, Marsland, John Day, Olcott, Crystal River, Harrison |
About Moropus
Moropus (meaning "slow foot") is an extinct genus of large perissodactyl mammal in the chalicothere family. They were endemic to North America during the Miocene from ~20.4–13.6 Mya, existing for approximately 6.8 million years. Moropus belonged to the schizotheriine subfamily of chalicotheres, and has the best fossil record of any member of this group; numbers of individuals, including complete skeletons, have been found. The type species of Moropus, M. distans, was named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1877, alongside two other species, M. elatus and M. senex. Three more species have been named since. Others have been named, but have either been invalidated for one reason or another, or reclassified to other genera.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Moropus (revision 1360710609), 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: Q133086.
