Protoxerus fossil map
Where fossils of Protoxerus 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 | 2.58 million years ago to the present (Gelasian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Quaternary |
| Family | Sciuridae |
| Named by | Forsyth Major 1893 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | DR Congo |
| Rock formations | txn:41486 |
About Protoxerus
African giant squirrels (genus Protoxerus) form a taxon of squirrels under the subfamily Xerinae. They are only found in Africa.
The two subgenera of African giant squirrels each has a single species:
Subgenus Protoxerus - forest giant squirrel or Stanger's squirrel, P. stangeri
Subgenus Allosciurus - slender-tailed squirrel, P. aubinnii
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article African giant squirrel (revision 1265011231), 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: Q297215.
