Morus fossil map
Where fossils of Morus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | 48.07 million years ago to the present (Lutetian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Sulidae |
| Named by | Vieillot 1816 |
| Fossil records | 77 occurrences at 62 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Peru, Greece, New Zealand … |
| Rock formations | txn:39676, Yorktown, Temblor, San Diego, Monterey, Calvert |
About Morus
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. They are known as 'solan' or 'solan goose' in Scotland. A common misconception is that the Scottish name is 'guga' but this is the Gaelic name referring to the chicks only.
Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads, black-tipped wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of up to two metres (6+1⁄2 feet). The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia, and New Zealand.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gannet (revision 1378877691), 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: Q1651414.
