page_title: Ocepeia
section_title: Discovery and naming
hierarchical_section_title: Ocepeia / Discovery and naming
caption_attribution_description: English: A. General geographical map of Morocco showing the main phosphatic basins (Ganntour and Oulad Abdoun basins). B. details of the Oulad Abdoun Basin with some major northeastern excavation areas (Daoui, Meraa El Arach, Sidi Chennane)
context_page_description: Ocepeia is an extinct genus of afrotherian mammal that lived in present-day Morocco during the middle Paleocene epoch, approximately 60 million years ago. First named and described in 2001, the type species is O. daouiensis from the Selandian stage of Morocco's Ouled Abdoun Basin. A second, larger species, O. grandis, is known from the Thanetian, a slightly younger stage in the same area. In life, the two species are estimated to have weighed about 3.5 kg and 10 kg, respectively, and are believed to have been specialized leaf-eaters. The fossil skulls of Ocepeia are the oldest known afrotherian skulls, and the best-known of any Paleocene mammal in Africa.
  Loosely grouped with the archaic ungulates known as "condylarths", Ocepeia shares several features with primitive paenungulates, but some analyses suggest it is more closely related to Afroinsectiphilia. As such, it may represent a transitional stage in the evolution of paenungulates from insectivore-like mammals. Unusual features of Ocepeia include skull bones with many air-spaces, and teeth and jaws reminiscent of those of simian primates. Ocepeia also has fewer teeth than other early ungulates.
context_section_description: All specimens of Ocepeia come from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, a phosphate basin. Research on Ocepeia has been carried out by French and Moroccan researchers led by Dr. Emmanuel Gheerbrant of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Ocepeia fossils have been recovered from the Grand Daoui, Meraa El Arech, and Sidi Chennane quarries, with the latter bearing the most complete specimens. Some of the original material was collected on-site as early as 1997, while other material was obtained from fossil dealers.
  Ocepeia was first described and named in 2001 by Gheerbrandt and Dr. Jean Sudre (University of Montpellier) based on two lower jaw fragments assigned to the new species O. daouiensis: one (designated CPSGM-MA1), bearing a premolar and first molar, is the holotype for the species. Additional material assigned to O. daouiensis was described in 2010, including a near-complete left lower jaw bone and additional dental fragments.  In 2014, new specimens of O. daouiensis were described including a partial skull, upper jaw, and additional teeth, allowing for a complete reconstruction of what the intact skull looked like. The diversity of specimens, combined with CT scans of the partial skull, allowed for a much more detailed and comprehensive description. Additionally, new lower jaw fragments with larger teeth led to the description of O. grandis, whose holotype (designated MNHN.F PM37) bears a canine tooth and full set of cheek teeth. As of 2014, the skull of Ocepeia is the best-known mammal skull from the Paleocene of Africa (other species are only known from teeth or lower jaws), as well as the oldest known skull of any afrotherian.
caption: The Ouled Abdoun Basin and other major phosphate basins of Morocco (A) and key fossil localities of the Ouled Abdoun (B): Grand Daoui, Meraa El Arech, and Sidi Chennane
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