Zenkerella fossil map
Where fossils of Zenkerella 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 | 23.04–11.63 million years ago (Aquitanian to Serravallian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Zenkerellidae |
| Named by | Matschie 1898 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Kenya, Uganda |
| Rock formations | Maboko, txn:346054 |
About Zenkerella
Zenkerella is a genus of rodent, the only member of the family Zenkerellidae. It was formerly classified in Anomaluridae until phylogenetic studies made its distinctiveness clear. While the Anomalurus of the family Anomaluridae has gliding membranes between its forelimb and hindlimb, the Zenkerella has no such adaptation. It is estimated from fossil records that this divergence might have occurred in the middle of the Eocene.
There is a single extant species, the Cameroon scaly-tail, and a single fossil representative. The fossil species Zenkerella wintoni is known from a single mandible from Songhor, Kenya dated to the Early Miocene.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Zenkerella (rodent) (revision 1366876789), 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: Q19717489.
