Sciurumimus fossil map
Where fossils of Sciurumimus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 145 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 145 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 | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 152.21–149.2 million years ago (Kimmeridgian) |
| Periods | Jurassic |
| Named by | Rauhut et al. 2012 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Germany |
| Rock formations | Torleite |
About Sciurumimus
Sciurumimus ("squirrel mimic," named for its tail's resemblance to that of the tree squirrel genus Sciurus) is an extinct genus of tetanuran theropod from the Late Jurassic Torleite Formation of Germany. It is known from a single juvenile specimen representing the type species, Sciurumimus albersdoerferi, which was found in a limestone quarry close to Painten in Lower Bavaria. The specimen was preserved with traces of feather-like filaments.
The Sciurumimus specimen was first announced in an informal presentation by Rauhut and Foth (2011), but not formally described and named until the following year by Rauhut et al. (2012). Although originally classified as a basal megalosauroid, later phylogenetic analyses dispute this placement. However, a recent analysis on immature coelurosaurs, including compsognathids, finds Sciurumimus back in Megalosauroidea.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Sciurumimus (revision 1369601553), 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: Q133894.
