Plioviverrops fossil map
Where fossils of Plioviverrops 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 | Hyaenidae |
| Named by | Kretzoi 1938 |
| Fossil records | 20 occurrences at 9 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Greece, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria |
| Rock formations | txn:41020, Lithostratigraphic Unit B, Vathylakkos, Nea Messimvria, Colombacci |
About Plioviverrops
Plioviverrops is an extinct genus of hyaenids that were native to Europe throughout the Miocene and Early Pliocene. Plioviverrops is unique among most hyaenids in its gradual development towards more hypocarnivorous dentition as opposed to most hyaenids which evolved to have hypercarnivorous dentition. As P. orbignyi had especially reduced and simplified dentition, it has been proposed that P. orbignyi may be ancestral to the genus Proteles, including the modern aardwolf. Plioviverrops may be a paraphyletic group.
Plioviverrops is among the limited number of hyaenid genera that avoided extinction during the Miocene-Pliocene boundary, when canids first arrived in Eurasia.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Plioviverrops (revision 1362630230), 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: Q3906723.
