貘类动物起源于北美始新世早期,体型较小,后来发展为美洲和欧亚大陆特有动物。我国晚中新世到早上新世的貘化石发现很稀少。1978年,北京自然博物馆时墨庄等人在云南一四三煤田地质队的协助下在昭通永乐褐煤矿采掘到一批哺乳动物化石,他们依据其中的几件貘化石下颌骨残段建立一新种——云南貘, Tail animals originated in North America early Eocene, smaller, and later developed into the Americas and Eurasia endemic animals. The fossils from late Miocene to early Pliocene in China were very rare. In 1978, Shimozhuang et al. Of Beijing Natural History Museum, a group of mammalian fossils, were excavated at the Yongle Brown Coal Mine, Zhaotong, with the help of the Geological Team of the 124th Yunnan Coalfield, who set up a new fossil skeleton based on several of them Species - Yunnan 貘,