Sarkastodon fossil map
Where fossils of Sarkastodon 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 | 56–27.3 million years ago (Ypresian to Rupelian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Oxyaenidae |
| Named by | Granger 1938 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China, Mongolia |
| Rock formations | Hetaoyuan, Shara Murum, Ulan Shireh, Irdin Manha |
About Sarkastodon
Sarkastodon ("flesh-tearing tooth") is an extinct genus of oxyaenodont. The genus lived in Asia (in today's China and Mongolia) during the middle Eocene and was the last known oxyaenine. The first fossil of Sarkastodon, part of a lower jaw, was discovered in 1928 in one of the Central Asiatic Expeditions. The second, consisting of the front of the skull and two partial lower jaws, was discovered by a surgeon, Dr. A. Z. Garber, in the final expedition, two years later. Recognised as a "relatively colossal" oxyaenid, it was named in 1938 by Walter W. Garber. Two species have been described: S. mongoliensis from the Irdin Manha Formation of Mongolia, and S. henanensis, named in 1986 based on remains from the Hetaoyuan Formation of China.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Sarkastodon (revision 1379532006), 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: Q527627.
