Cuvieronius initially evolved in North America during the Late Pliocene.
It is considered closely related to, if not derived from, Rhynchotherium, a North American gomphothere genus known from the Late Miocene and Pliocene.
Cuvieronius was expirated from most of North America during Irvingtonian after the arrival of mammoths in North America around 1.3 Ma, presumably due to competitive exclusion by mammoths and mastodons, but persisted in southern North America until the very end of the Pleistocene.
During the Great American Interchange , Cuvieronius and a relative, Notiomastodon, dispersed into South America.
Cuvieronius apparently reached South America considerably later than Notiomastodon, with the oldest possible date being 0.76 ±0.03 Mya and the oldest confirmed date being 304 ±54 ka, and had a much more restricted range, confined mostly to the Andes.

 
Cuvieronius remains have been identified as far south as Chile, with remains initially suggested to represent Cuvieronius at the Quereo I site (Quereo Quebrada) dating to the Late Pleistocene 11,600—11,400 BP.
However, more recent studies suggest that they were extirpated from South America by the end of the Late Pleistocene, before the arrival of people.
Cuvieronius initially evolved in North America during the Late Pliocene. It is considered closely related to, if not derived from, Rhynchotherium, a North American gomphothere genus known from the Late Miocene and Pliocene. Cuvieronius was expirated from most of North America during Irvingtonian after the arrival of mammoths in North America around 1.3 Ma, presumably due to competitive exclusion by mammoths and mastodons, but persisted in southern North America until the very end of the Pleistocene. During the Great American Interchange , Cuvieronius and a relative, Notiomastodon, dispersed into South America. Cuvieronius apparently reached South America considerably later than Notiomastodon, with the oldest possible date being 0.76 ±0.03 Mya and the oldest confirmed date being 304 ±54 ka, and had a much more restricted range, confined mostly to the Andes.
 
Cuvieronius remains have been identified as far south as Chile, with remains initially suggested to represent Cuvieronius at the Quereo I site (Quereo Quebrada) dating to the Late Pleistocene 11,600—11,400 BP. However, more recent studies suggest that they were extirpated from South America by the end of the Late Pleistocene, before the arrival of people.
Cuvieronius