Simbakubwa fossil map
Where fossils of Simbakubwa have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 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 15 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 | 23.04–15.98 million years ago (Aquitanian to Burdigalian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Hyainailouridae |
| Named by | Borths and Stevens 2019 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Kenya |
| Rock formations | Muhroni Agglomerates |
About Simbakubwa
Simbakubwa ("great lion" in Swahili) is an extinct genus of hyaenodonts belonging to the family Hyainailouridae that lived in Kenya during the Early Miocene. It was discovered between 1978 and 1981 near Meswa Bridge in western Kenya, and its remains, consisting of a lower jaw, part of the snout, and some of the smaller limb bones, were originally believed to come from hyena. After re-examination by Matthew Borths and Nancy Stevens, it was named and assigned to the hyaenodont lineage in 2019. One species of Simbakubwa, S. kutokaafrika, has been described.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Simbakubwa (revision 1372129352), 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: Q63203949.
