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Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.[1] This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 2000.
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chaneya[2] |
Gen et 2 comb nov |
Valid |
Wang & Manchester |
A genus of uncertain affiliation |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Eskov & Zonstein |
The type and only species is Baltocteniza kulickae |
|||||
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Eskov & Zonstein |
The type and only species is Electrocteniza sadilenkoi |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sp nov |
Valid |
Yokoi & Karasawa |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Makarkiniidae[5] |
Fam nov |
jr synonym |
Martins-Neto |
A lacewing family, syn of Kalligrammatidae |
||||
Sp nov |
valid |
Fernández-Rubio & Nel |
Paleolake Céreste |
A moth, possibly a species of Neurosymploca |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
fam nov |
valid |
Hinz-Schallreuter |
type and only genus Camya |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Johnson, Elliott, & Wittke |
Lower Devonian |
Sevy Dolomite Formation, Nevada |
The type species is Aleosteus eganensis. |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Grogan & Lund |
Carboniferous (late Chesterian) |
An early cartilaginous fish with an anatomy intermediate to the chimaeroid and selachian plans. The type species is D. ellefseni. |
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Middle Cretaceous |
The type species is Avitabatrachus uliana. |
||||
Valid |
|
A replacement genus for Banksia Warren & Mariscano, 1998 preoccupied for arachnid Banksia Voigt & Oudermans, 1905. | |||||
Valid |
|
Early Cretaceous |
Daohugou Bed Formation |
The type species is Jeholotriton paradoxus. | |||
Valid |
|
Upper Triassic |
The type species is Rileymillerus cosgriffi. |
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Upper Jurassic |
The type species is Aegirosaurus leptospondylus. |
||||
Valid |
|
Upper Triassic |
A new genus for "Shastasaurus" neoscapularis. | ||||
Valid |
|
Upper Triassic |
Falang Formation |
The type species is Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae. | |||
Valid |
|
Middle Triassic |
Upper Muschelkalk Formation |
A new genus for "Shastasaurus" neubigi. |
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Late Jurassic |
Shar Teg Beds |
A basal crocodylomorph. The type species is Adzhosuchus fuscus. |
|||
Valid |
|
Early Cretaceous |
A basal crocodilomorph. The type species is Kyasuchus saevi. | ||||
Valid |
|
Late Cretaceous |
A notosuchian. The type species is Simosuchus clarki. | ||||
Valid |
|
Early Cretaceous |
El Rhaz Formation |
A neosuchian. The type species is Stolokrosuchus lapparenti. |
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[20]
Name | Status | Authors | Discovery year | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
A very bird-like two foot long dromaeosaurid. May be a juvenile Saurornitholestes. |
||||||
Valid |
|
A five foot long troodontid. Mysteriously, skulls of extremely small juveniles have been recovered from an oviraptorosaur nest. This may be evidence of brood parasitism or predator-prey relationships between the two species. | ||||||
Valid |
|
Lower Yixian Formation |
A caudipterygid oviraptorosaur |
|||||
Valid |
|
A 13 m (42.5 ft) long Parasaurolophus-like lambeosaur. | ||||||
Valid |
|
A mamenchisaurid. | ||||||
Valid |
|
A neovenatorid known only from juvenile specimens. | ||||||
|
Formally named Kinnareemimus in 2009 in paleontology. | |||||||
Valid |
|
Ojo Alamo Sandstone |
Named after the armored mammal Glyptodon. | |||||
Valid |
Sheeregeen Gashoon Formation |
Primitive ceratopsian. Only a partial skeleton has been found. | ||||||
Valid |
|
Opisthocoelicaudia-like titanosaurid. | ||||||
Nomen nudum; synonym of Iguanodon |
Conybeare vide:
|
Junior synonym of Iguanodon. | ||||||
Valid |
|
A primitive abelisaur who name is derived from "flesh lizard" in Mapuche. | ||||||
Valid |
|
A small, 6.5 metres (21 ft) long sauropod. | ||||||
Valid |
|
A 71.1 centimetres (28.0 in) long hypsilophodont. | ||||||
Valid |
|
A tiny "four-winged" dromaeosaurid. | ||||||
Valid |
A hadrosauroid. | |||||||
Valid |
Beds of Bugeen Tsav |
The first non-avian dinosaur known to have a pygostyle at the end of its tail. In life this structure probably supported a fan of feathers. | ||||||
Valid |
|
The earliest known coelurosaur from Gondwana, the type specimen was a three foot long juvenile with preserved gastroliths in its stomach. | ||||||
Nomen dubium; possibly non-dinosaurian |
|
A dubious taxon whose name means "useless bone" to reflect the low quality of the material, which had fueled taxonomic confusion. | ||||||
Valid |
|
A dromaeosaurid known from a single specimen. | ||||||
Rocasaurus[39] |
Valid |
|
A small, 8 meter long titanosaur. | |||||
|
An Allosaurus-like theropod estimated to be 8 meters (26 ft) long. Only ten percent of its skeleton is known. | |||||||
Valid |
|
A gigantic brachiosaur with an estimated length of up to 34 m (112 ft) and a mass of 50–60 t (55–66 short tons). It is known from four neck vertebrae. | ||||||
Valid |
|
A 20 meters (66 ft) long sauropod. |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alca stewarti [42] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
James W. R. Martin Richard H. C. Bonser |
Early Pliocene |
Kattendijk Sands Formation |
An Alcidae. |
||
Ameripodius alexis [43] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Early Miocene |
MN 2a |
A Quercymegapodiidae Mourer-Chauviré, 1992. |
|||
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Ampoza |
||||||
Cerestenia pulchrapenna [45] |
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Middle Oligocene |
Possibly a stem Turnicidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
||||
Cygnus verae [46] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Zlatozar N. Boev |
Early Pliocene |
MN 14, Ruscinian |
An Anatidae. |
||
Eocoracias brachyptera [47] |
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Middle Eocene |
The type species of the new genus, placed in the new family Eocoraciidae G. Mayr et Mourer-Chauviré, 2000. |
||||
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Daniel A. Guthrie Howell W. Thomas George L. Kennedy |
Late Pleistocene |
Late Rancholabrean, |
USA: |
An Alcidae. |
||
Frigidafons babaheydariensis [49] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Dieter S. Peters Ali Hamedani |
Early Oligocene |
A Diomedeoididae Fischer, 1985, transferred to Diomedeoides Fischer, 1985 by Mayr, Peters & Rietschel, 2002 and to Rupelornis van Beneden, 1871 by Mayr & Smith, 2012. |
|||
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Atholl J. Anderson Richard Walter |
A Rallidae. |
|||||
Geranopterus milneedwardsi [47] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Phosphotites du Quercy, MP 16-28 |
A Geranopteridae Mayr & Mourer-Chauviré, 2000. |
||||
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Lianhai Hou |
An Enantiornithes, described in 1997 but the name was a labelname, so a Nomen Nudum, in 2000 Hou gave a short description in the Picture Book of Chinese Fossil Birds, making the name valid. |
|||||
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Hou Lianhan Gu Gang |
An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981. The type species of the new genus. |
|||||
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Cave deposits, Viti Levu |
A Megapodiidae. |
|||||
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Cave deposits, |
A Megapodiidae, the type species of the new genus. |
|||||
Messelirrisor grandis [54] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Early Middle Eocene |
An Upupiformes, Laurillardiidae Harrison, 1979. |
||||
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Atholl J. Anderson Richard Walter |
An Ardeidae. |
|||||
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Middle Oligocene |
MP 23-24 |
A stem Coliidae. |
||||
Paraortygoides messelensis [56] |
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Middle Eocene |
A Gallinuloididae Lucas, 1900. |
||||
Phirriculus pinicola [57] |
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Jirí Mlíkovský Ursula B. Göhlich |
Early Miocene |
MN 2a and MN 3 |
|||
Porzana piercei [58] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Middle Pleistocene |
Government Quarry |
A Rallidae. |
|||
Valid |
Gen. nov et Sp. nov. |
Thomas A. Stidham |
Late Maastrichtian |
USA: |
A Hesperornithiformas. |
|||
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Zhang Fucheng |
An Enanthornithes. This is the type species of the new genus. |
|||||
Pulchapollia gracilis [61] |
Valid |
Gen. nov et Sp. nov. |
Joanne H. Cooper |
Early Eocene |
Ypresian, MP 8, London Clay |
UK: |
A Psittaciformes, Halcyornithidae Harrison et Walker, 1972, this is the type species of the new genus. |
|
Qiluornis taishanensis [62] |
Valid |
Gen. nov et Sp. nov. |
Lian-Hai Hou Fu-Cheng Zhang Jun-De Li |
An Accipitridae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
||||
Rallus ibycus [58] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Middle Pleistocene |
Government Quarry |
A Rallidae. |
|||
Salmila robusta [63] |
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Middle Eocene |
A Gruiformes, Salmilidae Mayr, 2002, this is the type species of the new genus. |
||||
Serudaptus pohli [64] |
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Middle Eocene |
A Psittaciformes, Halcyornithidae Harrison et Walker, 1972, this is the type species of the new genus. |
||||
Turnipax dissipata [45] |
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Early-Middle Oligocene |
MP 21-25 |
Possibly a stem Turnicidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
|||
Valid |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Early Eocene |
MP 8, London Clay |
USA: UK: |
A Messelasturidae Mayr, 2005, this is the type species of the new genus. |
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Early Cretaceous |
Santa Ana Formation |
A pterodactyloid. The type species is Domeykodactylus ceciliae. |
|||
Valid |
|
Early Cretaceous |
A pterodactyloid. Reclassified in 2006 to the genus Coloborhynchus.[68] |
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Upper Permian |
Sokolki Faunal Assemblage |
A dicynodont. Two species are described Australobarbarus kotelnitshi (type) and A. platycephalus. |
|||
Valid |
|
Upper Triassic |
A cynodont. The type species is Charruodon tetracuspidatus. | ||||
Valid |
|
Upper Permian |
Sokolki Faunal Assemblage |
A therocephalian. The type species is Chlynovia serridentatus. | |||
Valid |
|
Middle-Upper Triassic |
A eucynodont. The type species is Dadadon isaloi. | ||||
Valid |
|
Middle-Upper Triassic |
Makay Formation |
A eucynodont. The type species is Menodon besairiei. | |||
Valid |
|
Upper Permian |
Mezen Faunal Assemblage |
A nikkasaurid. The type species is Nikkasaurus tatarinovi. | |||
Valid |
|
Upper Permian |
Mezen Faunal Assemblage |
A nikkasaurid. Two species are described Reiszia gubini (type) and R. tippula. | |||
Valid |
|
Upper Permian |
Sokolki Faunal Assemblage |
A theriocephalian. The type species is Scalopodontes kotelnichi | |||
Valid |
|
Upper Permian |
Sokolki Faunal Assemblage |
A gorgonopsid. The type species is Suchogorgon golubevi. | |||
Valid |
|
Upper Permian |
Sokolki Faunal Assemblage |
A dicynodont. The type species is Vivaxosaurus permicus. |