Titanohyrax fossil map
Where fossils of Titanohyrax have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 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 30 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 | 56–23.04 million years ago (Ypresian to Chattian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Titanohyracidae |
| Named by | Matsumoto 1922 |
| Fossil records | 22 occurrences at 7 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya |
| Rock formations | Jebel Qatrani, txn:143672, Glib Zegdou, Chambi |
About Titanohyrax
Titanohyrax is an extinct genus of large to very large hyrax from the Eocene and Oligocene. Specimens have been discovered in modern-day Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Some species, like T. ultimus, are estimated to be as large as the modern rhinoceros. Titanohyrax species are still poorly known due to their rarity in the fossil record.
Titanohyrax is unusual among the numerous Paleogene hyracoids by its lophoselenodont teeth (having teeth that are lophodont and selenodont), fully molariform premolars, and relatively high-crowned cheek teeth. This suggests the genus had a folivorous diet.
The genus was first described by in 1922 for the species T. ultimus from the early Oligocene of the Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Depression, Egypt. The author described it as an “extremely gigantic species, being the largest of all the hyracoids hitherto known” – estimates of body mass range from 600 kg (1,300 lb) to 1,300 kg (2,900 lb). T. tantulus is the smallest Titanohyrax species known, with a body mass of around 23 kg (51 lb).
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Titanohyrax (revision 1338003697), 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: Q1037402.
