Stegodibelodon fossil map
Where fossils of Stegodibelodon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | 11.63–2.58 million years ago (Tortonian to Piacenzian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Elephantidae |
| Named by | Coppens 1972 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Ethiopia, Chad |
| Rock formations | Adu-Asa, txn:43263 |
About Stegodibelodon
Stegodibelodon is an extinct genus of primitive elephantid known from the Early Pliocene of Africa. It is known only from the Djourab region of northern Chad, where it was discovered in 1964 by the hydrogeologist Jean-Louis Schneider. It differs from the most primitive elephantid Stegotetrabelodon by the absence of lower tusks and a shortened mandibular symphysis, and the more pronounced nature of the lamellae on the molars (with the median sulcus being absent), with each molar possessing at least seven lamellae, though the number of lamellae is low compared to modern elephant teeth, and the teeth are also low crowned (brachydont) relative to modern elephants.
The genus Stegodibelodon and the species Stegodibelodon schneideri were described in 1972 by Yves Coppens.
This genus has three referenced fossil collections, one from the Pliocene in Chad and two from the Miocene to Pliocene in Ethiopia. The genus is not well known and opinions differ on whether it is a "true elephant" or not.
Stegodibelodon schneideri is only known from the Djourab region in northern Chad where numerous fossils were unearthed on three sites in the Toros-Menalla fossil sector in 1964 and then from 1998.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Stegodibelodon (revision 1363195171), 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: Q16919113.
