Ovis fossil map
Where fossils of Ovis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 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 0 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 | 7.246 million years ago to the present (Messinian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Bovidae |
| Named by | Linnaeus 1758 |
| Fossil records | 224 occurrences at 76 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, South Africa, Portugal, China, Canada, Netherlands, Morocco, Sudan, Kenya, Egypt … |
| Rock formations | txn:42742, Nubia, Manix, Pauba, Platanochori, Kairubak suite |
About Ovis
Ovis is a genus of mammals, part of the Caprinae subfamily of the ruminant family Bovidae. Its seven species, including its type species O. aries, are highly sociable and are known as sheep or ovines. Domestic sheep are thought to be descended from the wild mouflon (O. gmelini) of central and southwest Asia.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Ovis (revision 1377646468), 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: Q22724.
