Cambaytherium

Cambaytherium is an extinct genus of placental mammals in the family Cambaytheriidae. It existed during the early Eocene approximately 55 million years ago on the Indian subcontinent. Fossils of Cambaytherium are known exclusively from the Cambay Shale Formation in western India and comprise over 200 specimens, including skulls, teeth, and postcranial elements. The genus and family were first described scientifically in 2005. Initially, placement at the base of the odd-toed ungulates was preferred, though some researchers suggested affinity with elephants within Tethytheria. Recent systematic analyses, based on abundant material, position it not at the base of odd-toed ungulates but in close relation to them. The genus's discovery on the subcontinent, then an island drifting northward toward Asia, offers insights into the origin and early evolution of the order Perissodactyla, hypothesized to have arisen in Asia.