Numidotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Numidotherium 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 | 56–33.9 million years ago (Ypresian to Priabonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Numidotheriidae |
| Named by | Jaeger 1986 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Algeria, Libya, Western Sahara |
| Rock formations | txn:98249, Samlat |
About Numidotherium
Numidotherium (from Numidia, and Ancient Greek θηρίον (thēríon), meaning "beast") is an extinct genus of early proboscideans, discovered in 1984, that lived during the middle Eocene of North Africa some 46 million years ago. It was about 90–100 cm (35–39 in) tall at the shoulder and weighed about 250–300 kg (550–660 lb).
The type species, N. koholense, is known from an almost complete skeleton from the site of El Kohol, southern Algeria, dating from the early/middle Eocene period. The animal had the size and the appearance of a modern tapir. In appearance, it was more slender and more plantigrade than an elephant, its closest modern relative.
Numidotherium savagei, named by Court (1995) for material from late Eocene deposits at Dor el Talha, Libya, has been reassigned to its own genus, Arcanotherium.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Numidotherium (revision 1378628295), 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: Q149442.
