Early Eocene perissodactyl radiation and dispersal

Odd-toed ungulates appeared and rapidly diversified into many of the dominant large-herbivore roles of Eocene northern continents.

Represented range56–45 Ma

RegionsAsia · Europe · North America

CladesPerissodactyla · Equoidea · Ceratomorpha · Brontotheriidae

Claim ledger

biogeography · medium

The earliest sampled perissodactyls occur during the PETM and imply rapid dispersal among northern landmasses, but sparse sampling and analysis-dependent stem placements leave the order’s place of origin unresolved.

claim:event:perissodactyl-radiation

References

Earliest perissodactyls reveal large-scale dispersals during the PETMTissier, J.; Smith, T. · 2026 · DOI 10.1073/pnas.2519690122

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