Orycteropus fossil map
Where fossils of Orycteropus 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 | 27.3 million years ago to the present (Chattian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Orycteropodidae |
| Named by | Geoffroy 1791 |
| Fossil records | 202 occurrences at 90 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Greece, Türkiye, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Zambia, DR Congo, Chad … |
| Rock formations | txn:43315, Vogel River Series, Varswater, Swartkrans, Koobi Fora, Nagri |
About Orycteropus
Orycteropus is a genus of mammals in the family Orycteropodidae within Tubulidentata. The genus is known from Late Miocene to recent of Africa.
The only living species within Tubulidentata is the aardvark (Orycteropus afer).
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Orycteropus (revision 1335370017), 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: Q1975774.
