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 1972.
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Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muscites eocenicus[2] |
Sp nov |
jr synonym |
Kuc |
A bartramiaceous moss |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen. et sp. nov. |
Valid |
Babin & Melou |
New genus for Nucula ponderata. |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen. et sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dutuit |
Argana Formation | A herbivorous archosauromorph. |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gracilisuchus[6] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Romer | Late Triassic (Carnian) | Chañares Formation | Argentina |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lewisuchus[7] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Romer | Late Triassic (Carnian) | Chañares Formation | Argentina | A silesaurid. |
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[8]
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Archaeornithomimus[9] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Russell | Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) | Iren Dabasu Formation | China | An ornithomimid. | |
Dromiceiomimus[9] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Russell | Maastrichtian | Horseshoe Canyon Formation | Canada | An ornithomimid, possibly a synonym of Ornithomimus. | |
Gallimimus[10] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Osmólska, Roniewicz Barsbold | Late Cretaceous (Maastichtian) | Nemegt Formation | Mongolia | An ornithomimid. | |
"Thotobolosaurus"[11] | Nomen nudum | Ellenberger | Late Triassic (Norian) | Lesotho | Formally named Kholumolumo in 2020. | |||
Vulcanodon[12] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Raath | Early Jurassic (Sinemurian-Pliensbachian) | Batoka Formation | Zimbabwe | A sauropod. |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anserobranta tarabukini [13] |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Valid |
I. M. Ganya |
An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
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Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Waititaran |
A Spheniscidae. |
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Apus submelba [15] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dénes Jánossy |
MQ 2A |
An Apodidae. |
|||
Ardeagrandis arborea [13] |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Valid |
I. M. Ganya |
An Ardeidae. |
||||
Eostrix martinellii [16] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Larry D. Martin |
USA: |
A Strigiformes, Protostrigidae Wetmore, 1933. |
|||
Mergus connectens [15] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dénes Jánossy |
MQ 1b |
An Anatidae. |
|||
Miocitta galbreathi [17] |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Kenmesaw Local Fauna |
USA: |
A Corvidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
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Otis kalmani [15] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dénes Jánossy |
MQ 1a |
An Otididae. |
|||
Sp. nov. |
Synonym of Paraptenodytes robustus (Ameghino, 1895). |
Patagonian Formation |
A Spheniscidae, placed in synonymy with Paraptenodytes robustus (Ameghino, 1895) by Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, 2005,[19] but Sara Bertelli, Norberto P. Giannini & Daniel T. Ksepka, 2006 disagree with her and say it needs another genus.[20] |
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Phalacrocorax lautus [13] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
I. M. Ganya |
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Probalearica moldavica [13] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
I. M. Ganya |
A Gruidae, transferred to the genus Grus by Jíří Mlíkovský, 2002.[21] |
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Protocitta ajax [17] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
USA: |
A Corvidae, sometimes placed in the genus Calocitta G. R. Gray, 1841. |
||||
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Waititaran |
A Spheniscidae. |
|||||
Rustaviornis georgicus [22] |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich G. K. Meladze |
Sarmantian |
Hipparion Fauna |
A Phasianidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
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Strix collongensis [23] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Peter Ballmann |
Mn 5 |
A Strigidae, transferred to and made the type species of the new genus Alasio by Jirí Mlíkovský, 1998.[24] |
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Surnia capeki [25] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dénes Jánossy |
MQ 1b |
A Strigidae. |
|||
Tertiariaporphyrula lungi [13] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
I. M. Ganya |
MN 9-11 |
A Rallidae, transferred to the genus Palaeoaramides Lambrecht, 1933 by Storrs L. Olson, 1977.[26] Subsequently, made the type species of a separate genus Mioporphyrula by Zelenkov (2015).[27] |
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Tyto noeli [28] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Cave deposits |
A Tytonidae. |
||||
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Cave deposits |
A Tytonidae. |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regisaurus[30] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Mendrez | Early Triassic | South Africa | A regisaurid therocephalian. |
Name | Novelty | Authors | Age | Type Locality | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stenailurus teilhardi | Gen. et. sp. nov. | Crusafont-Pairo & Aguirre | Late Miocene (Turolian) | Spain |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sp. nov | Synonym of Dickinsonia tenuis | Wade | Ediacaran | Australia | ||||
Dickinsonia lissa [31] |
Sp. nov | Synonym of Dickinsonia tenuis | Wade | Ediacaran | Australia | |||
Rangea sibirica | Sp. nov | Synonym of Charnia masoni | Sokolov | Ediacaran | Russia |