''Patriomanis'' ("father of pangolins") is an extinct genus of pangolin from extinct family

Patriomanidae Patriomanidae ("fathers of pangolins") is a extinct family of pangolins from superfamily Manoidea that includes two extinct genera ''Patriomanis'' and '' Cryptomanis''. Taxonomy * Family: †Patriomanidae ** Genus: †'' Cryptomanis'' *** †' ...

. It lived during the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

of North America and it currently represents the only pangolin known from the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

. The genus contains one species, ''P. americana'', which is known from six specimens, mostly from the

Chadronian The Chadronian age within the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology is the North American faunal stage typically set from 38,000,000 to 33,900,000 years BP, a period of . It is usually considered to fall within the Eocene epoch. The Chadroni ...

White River Formation The White River Formation is a geologic formation of the Paleogene Period, in the northern Great Plains and central Rocky Mountains, within the United States. It has been found in northeastern Colorado, Dawes County in western Nebraska, Badlands ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. It had long digits and a prehensile tail, suggesting that it was arboreal, and its jaw was capable of opening wider than modern pangolins. Its ears and the hair between its scales were also longer than modern pangolins.

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic position of genus ''Patriomanis'' within family Patriomanidae.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18818692 Prehistoric pangolins Eocene mammals Myrmecophagous mammals Prehistoric placental genera Fossil taxa described in 1970 Prehistoric mammals of North America