Pogonodon fossil map
Where fossils of Pogonodon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 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 30 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 | 31.8–7.246 million years ago (Rupelian to Tortonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene |
| Family | Nimravidae |
| Named by | Cope 1880 |
| Fossil records | 12 occurrences at 6 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Ukraine |
| Rock formations | txn:41036, John Day, Sharps, Brule |
About Pogonodon
Pogonodon is an extinct genus of cat-like nimravid endemic to North America during the Oligocene from 32.0 to 25.9 Ma. Including supplementary materials The genus the consists of two species P. davisi and P. platycopis. Pogonodon was the last nimravine to go extinct in North America, possibly due to competition with amphicyonids and expansion of grasslands. Its extinction marked the beginning of the cat gap, a 7 million year period without any cat-like predators in North America.
Nimravids wouldn’t reappear in North America until the arrival of barbourofelines, Albanosmilus whitfordi and Barbourofelis.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pogonodon (revision 1368080499), 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: Q856432.
