Sinodelphys fossil map
Where fossils of Sinodelphys have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 130 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 130 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 | 125.77–119.57 million years ago (Barremian to Aptian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Named by | Luo et al. 2003 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Yixian |
About Sinodelphys
Sinodelphys is an extinct mammal from the Early Cretaceous, estimated to be 125 million years old. It was discovered and described in 2003 in rocks of the Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province, China, by a team of scientists including Zhe-Xi Luo and John Wible. While initially suggested to be the oldest known metatherian, later studies interpreted it as a eutherian.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Sinodelphys (revision 1350638663), 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: Q1064780.
