Pantolambda fossil map
Where fossils of Pantolambda have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 66 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 66 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 | 63.4–57.5 million years ago (Danian to Thanetian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Pantolambdidae |
| Named by | Cope 1882 |
| Fossil records | 48 occurrences at 12 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Nacimiento, Fort Union, Hanna, txn:40563, "Fort Union" (= Lebo) |
About Pantolambda
Pantolambda (Greek: "all" (pantos), "lambda" (lambda), in a reference to the shape of upper premolars, similar to the Greek letter lambda) is an extinct genus of Paleocene pantodont mammal. Pantolambda lived during the middle Paleocene, and has been found both in Asia and North America.
Cretaceous mammals, which had to compete with dinosaurs, were generally small insect eaters. Pantolambda was one of the first mammals to expand into the large-animal niches left vacant by the extinction of the dinosaurs. Pantolambda and other early pantodonts would quickly evolve into heavy animals such as Barylambda and Coryphodon. These were the first large browsers, pioneering styles of life later followed by many unrelated groups of mammals: rhinos, tapirs, hippos, ground sloths, and elephants. Pantodonts such as Pantolambda were definitely not tree dwellers.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pantolambda (revision 1368551641), 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: Q1093139.
