Palaeoryctes fossil map
Where fossils of Palaeoryctes have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 56 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 56 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 | 66–48.07 million years ago (Danian to Ypresian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Palaeoryctidae |
| Named by | Matthew 1913 |
| Fossil records | 60 occurrences at 25 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Canada, Morocco |
| Rock formations | Fort Union, Willwood, Ravenscrag, Nacimiento, Wasatch, Paskapoo |
About Palaeoryctes
Palaeoryctes ("ancient digger") is an extinct paraphyletic genus of mammals from paraphyletic subfamily Palaeoryctinae within family Palaeoryctidae, that lived in North America from middle Paleocene to early Eocene.
Palaeoryctes resembled a modern shrew, being slender and sharp-nosed, with typical insectivore teeth. It was around 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) long, and weighed around 20 to 60 grams (0.71 to 2.12 oz). The molars of Palaeoryctes had little function other than piercing.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Palaeoryctes (revision 1368551619), 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: Q3753319.
