Pliohyrax fossil map
Where fossils of Pliohyrax have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | 11.63–5.09 million years ago (Tortonian to Zanclean) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Pliohyracidae |
| Named by | Osborn 1899 |
| Fossil records | 10 occurrences at 5 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Türkiye, France, Afghanistan, Greece |
| Rock formations | txn:43298, Khurdkabul, Yatagan |
About Pliohyrax
Pliohyrax, is a genus of hyracoids (the cavy-like group of animals most closely related to elephants and manatees). It grew to sizes greatly exceeding those of any living hyrax, though it was by no means the largest member of this family.
Fossils of this Miocene-Pliocene herbivore have been found in Afghanistan, France, and Turkey.
In Spain, Pliohyrax graecus is among the large mammals species found in the Almenara site, deposited during the Messinian salinity crisis, together with Macaca sp., Bovidae indet., cf. Nyctereutes sp., and Felidae indet.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pliohyrax (revision 1307792016), 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: Q735341.
