Protitanops fossil map
Where fossils of Protitanops have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 45 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 45 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 | 48.07–33.9 million years ago (Lutetian to Priabonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Brontotheriidae |
| Named by | Stock 1936 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Clarno, Titus Canyon |
About Protitanops
Protitanops (lit. 'before titanic face', in reference to Titanops) is an extinct genus of horned brontothere that lived in North America during the Late Eocene, in the Duchesnean land mammal age. The genus contains a single species, P. curryi, known from fossils found in California, Texas, and Chihuahua.
Protitanops was a large and heavy animal, estimated to have stood about 2.4 meters (7 ft 10 in) tall at the shoulder and to have weighed over two tonnes. The skull was broad and saddle-shaped, with large zygomatic arches, fused facial bones, and short and bulbous, knob-like horns. Protitanops was broadly similar to the better known Megacerops, but distinguished by its smaller size, smaller horns, and retention of several primitive features, such as its smaller incisors and canines, and the somewhat flattened upper surface of its skull.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Protitanops (revision 1364409915), 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: Q5554888.
