Shuotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Shuotherium have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 160 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 160 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 | 168.2–161.5 million years ago (Bathonian to Callovian) |
| Periods | Jurassic |
| Family | Shuotheriidae |
| Named by | Chow and Rich 1982 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China, United Kingdom |
| Rock formations | Shaximiao, Forest Marble |
About Shuotherium
Shuotherium is a fossil mammaliaform known from Middle-Late Jurassic of the Forest Marble Formation of England, and the Shaximiao Formation of Sichuan, China.
The original holotype is composed of a partial dentary and seven teeth (two which are incomplete). The holotypes for other species of this genus are solely represented by isolated molars. Shuotherium, along with Pseudotribos has been placed in the family Shuotheriidae as a sister taxon of the Australosphenida (see, Yinotheria), making it a relative of modern monotremes. However, some studies place it and other shuothereres as closer to therian mammals, and another outside Mammalia altogether.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Shuotherium (revision 1344224997), 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: Q7505192.
