Procavia fossil map
Where fossils of Procavia have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 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 0 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 | 7.246 million years ago to the present (Messinian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Procaviidae |
| Named by | Storr 1780 |
| Fossil records | 182 occurrences at 52 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | South Africa, Kenya, Israel, DR Congo, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia |
| Rock formations | txn:43293, Swartkrans, Varswater, Sterkfontein, Kromdraai, Makapansgat |
About Procavia
Procavia is a genus of hyraxes. The rock hyrax (P. capensis) is currently the only extant species belonging to this genus, though other species were recognized in the past, including P. habessinica and P. ruficeps, both now relegated to subspecific rank.
Several fossil species are known as well, the oldest dated to the Zanclean (early Pliocene), including:
†Procavia antiqua (syn. Procavia robertsi)
†Procavia pliocenica
†Procavia transvaalensis (syn. Procavia obermeyerae)
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Procavia (revision 1353020069), 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: Q2733577.
