Placodus fossil map
Where fossils of Placodus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 252 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 252 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 | Plesiosaurs & kin |
|---|---|
| Lived | 250.8–227.3 million years ago |
| Periods | Triassic |
| Family | Placodontidae |
| Named by | Agassiz 1833 |
| Fossil records | 34 occurrences at 25 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Germany, Israel, Poland, Netherlands, Italy, China |
| Rock formations | txn:38865, Jena, Wellenkalk, Vossenveld, Calcare di Recoaro, Trochitenkalk |
About Placodus
Placodus (from Greek: plax, plakos, "a plate" and Greek: odous, "tooth") is an extinct genus of marine reptiles belonging to the order Placodontia, which swam in the shallow seas of the middle Triassic period (c. 240 million years ago). Fossils of Placodus have been found in Central Europe (Germany, France, Poland) and China.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Placodus (revision 1358274539), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in.
