Plagiaulax fossil map
Where fossils of Plagiaulax have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 145 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 145 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 | 143.1–137.05 million years ago (Berriasian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Plagiaulacidae |
| Named by | Falconer 1857 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United Kingdom |
| Rock formations | Lulworth, txn:39802 |
About Plagiaulax
Plagiaulax is a genus of mammal from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. It was a member of the also extinct order Multituberculata, and shared the world with dinosaurs. It is of the suborder "Plagiaulacida" and family Plagiaulacidae. The genus was named by Hugh Falconer in 1857, and was the first described multituberculate species.
Fossil remains of the species Plagiaulax becklesii are known from the Lulworth Formation of Durlston Bay in Dorset, England. They include at least one partial lower jaw with teeth, though there may well be further specimens. Some material has been reported from Galve, Spain.
Another possible species, P. dawsoni, was provisionally named by Woodward in 1891. This came from the county of Sussex, which is further east along the English coast. It was subsequently damaged and there seems not to have been a scientific description. Its discoverer, Charles Dawson has been implicated in the Piltdown hoax and Pevensey tiles hoax.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Plagiaulax (revision 1312575817), 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: Q974335.
