Protarctos fossil map
Where fossils of Protarctos 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 | 5.333–1.4 million years ago (Zanclean to Calabrian) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Ursidae |
| Named by | Kretzoi 1945 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Canada, Romania |
| Rock formations | txn:41301, Glenns Ferry |
About Protarctos
Protarctos is an extinct genus of basal ursine bear that lived in North America and Eurasia during the Pliocene and into Early Pleistocene.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Protarctos (revision 1368888114), 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: Q56326812.
