Ontocetus fossil map
Where fossils of Ontocetus 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 | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 23.04–0.0117 million years ago (Aquitanian to Late Pleistocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Odobenidae |
| Named by | Leidy 1859 |
| Fossil records | 152 occurrences at 66 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Morocco, Japan |
| Rock formations | txn:41336, Yorktown, Peace River, Tamiami, Lillo, Goose Creek |
About Ontocetus
Ontocetus is an extinct genus of walrus, an aquatic carnivoran of the family Odobenidae, endemic to coastal regions of the southern North Sea and the southeastern coastal regions of the U.S. during the Miocene-Pleistocene. It lived from 13.6 mya—300,000 years ago, existing for approximately 13.3 million years.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Ontocetus (revision 1377060693), 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: Q7095037.
