Prodeinotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Prodeinotherium have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 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 15 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 | 27.3–2.58 million years ago (Chattian to Piacenzian) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene |
| Family | Deinotheriidae |
| Named by | Ehik 1930 |
| Fossil records | 126 occurrences at 48 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Kenya, Pakistan, France, Germany, Namibia, Nepal, India, Spain, Greece, Switzerland … |
| Rock formations | txn:43279, Manchar, Maboko, Brackwater Molasse, Lothidok, Chinji |
About Prodeinotherium
Prodeinotherium is an extinct representative of the family Deinotheriidae that lived in Africa, Europe, and Asia in the early and middle Miocene. Prodeinotherium, meaning "before terrible beast", was first named in 1930, but soon after, the only species in it, P. hungaricum, was reassigned to Deinotherium. During the 1970s, however, the two genera were once again separated, with Prodeinotherium diagnosed to include Deinotherium bavaricum (=P. hungaricum), Deinotherium hobleyi, and Deinotherium pentapotamiae, which were separated based on geographic location. The three species are from Europe, Africa, and Asia, respectively. However, because of usage of few characters to separate them, only one species, P. bavaricum, or many more species, including P. cuvieri, P. orlovii, and P. sinense may be possible.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Prodeinotherium (revision 1376603606), 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: Q2048802.
