Zygorhiza fossil map
Where fossils of Zygorhiza 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 | 42.6–33.9 million years ago (Lutetian to Priabonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Basilosauridae |
| Named by | True 1908 |
| Fossil records | 32 occurrences at 15 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom |
| Rock formations | Yazoo, Waihao Greensand, txn:42936, Headon Hill |
About Zygorhiza
Zygorhiza ("Yoke-Root") is an extinct genus of basilosaurid early whale known from the Late Eocene (Priabonian, 38–34 Ma) of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, United States, and the Bartonian (43–37 Ma on the New Zealand geologic time scale) to the late Eocene of New Zealand (43 to 33.9 million years ago).
Specimens reported from Europe are considered Dorudontinae incertae sedis.
Zygorhiza kochii, along with Basilosaurus under the designation "prehistoric whales", is the state fossil of Mississippi.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Zygorhiza (revision 1371084747), 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: Q2087313.
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