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• Revision of tabulate-like fossils from before the latest Middle Ordovician is published by Elias, Lee & Pratt (2020), who reject the interpretation of these fossils as true tabulate corals.^[27]
• Drake, Whitelegge & Jacobs (2020) report the first recovery, sequencing, and identification of fossil biomineral proteins from a Pleistocene fossil invertebrate (the stony coral Orbicella annularis).^[28]

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• A study on the mode of life of Paleozoic strophomenatans is published by Stanley (2020), who argues that nearly all strophomenatans lived infaunally.^[74]
• A study on the paleobiogeography of Early−Middle Devonian (Pragian−Eifelian) brachiopods from West Gondwana, aiming to determine any potential controls that may have driven bioregionalization, is published by Penn-Clarke & Harper (2020).^[75]
• A study on the phylogenetic relationships and ecomorphologic diversification of Mesozoic spiriferinids is published by Guo, Chen & Harper (2020).^[76]

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• A study on morphological diversification of echinoderms and evolutionary mechanisms underlying the establishment of echinoderm body plans during the early Paleozoic is published by Deline et al. (2020).^[113]
• A study on the locomotion of cornute stylophorans, based on data from a specimen of Phyllocystis crassimarginata from the Ordovician (Tremadocian) Saint-Chinian Formation (France), is published by Clark et al. (2020).^[114]
• A study on the speciation and dispersal of the diploporan blastozoans through the Ordovician period is published by Lam, Sheffield & Matzke (2020).^[115]
• A study on the evolutionary history of eublastoid blastozoans is published by Bauer (2020).^[116]
• A study on the anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of Eumorphocystis is published by Guensburg et al. (2020), who consider this taxon to be a blastozoan far removed from crinoids, contrary to the results of the study of Sheffield & Sumrall (2019).^[117][118]
• A study on the phylogeny of the crown group of Echinoidea, based on both phylogenomic and paleontological data, is published by Koch & Thompson (2020).^[119]
• A study on the structure of the arms and on probable locomotion strategies of Devonian brittle stars from the Hunsrück Slate (Germany) is published by Clark, Hutchinson & Briggs (2020).^[120]

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• Evidence of variations in crystallography and microstructure due to both ontogeny and element type within the conodont feeding apparatus of Dapsilodus obliquicostatus is presented by Shohel et al. (2020), who evaluate the implications of their findings for the knowledge of the integrity of conodont apatite as a recorder of seawater chemistry.^[139]
• A study aiming to determine whether the repeated emergence of similar morphologies in the dental elements of Permian conodonts belonging to the genus Sweetognathus is an example of parallel evolution is published by Petryshen et al. (2020).^[140]

Non-mammalian synapsids edit

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• A study on the evolution of the well-defined morphological regions of the vertebral column and of vertebral functional diversity in synapsids is published by Jones et al. (2020).^[157]
• A study aiming to determine the resting metabolic rates and the thermometabolic regimes (endothermy or ectothermy) in eight non-mammalian synapsids is published by Faure-Brac & Cubo (2020).^[158]
• A study on the shoulder musculature in extant Argentine black and white tegu and Virginia opossum, evaluating its implications for reconstructions of the shoulder musculature in non-mammalian synapsids, is published by Fahn-Lai, Biewener & Pierce (2020).^[159]
• A study aiming to determine whether a vicariance pattern can explain early synapsid evolution is published by Brikiatis (2020).^[160]
• Mann et al. (2020) reinterpret Carboniferous taxon Asaphestera platyris Steen (1934) from the Joggins locality (Nova Scotia, Canada) as the earliest unambiguous synapsid in the fossil record reported so far.^[161]
• A study on the long bone histology of varanopids from the lower Permian Richards Spur locality (Oklahoma, United States), evaluating its implications for the knowledge of the paleobiology of early synapsids, is published by Huttenlocker & Shelton (2020).^[162]
• Mann & Reisz (2020) report a new hyper-elongated neural spine of Echinerpeton intermedium from the Pennsylvanian-aged Sydney Mines Formation (Nova Scotia, Canada), indicating a wider distribution of hyper-elongation of vertebral neural spines in early synapsids than previously known.^[163]
• A study on the histology of vertebral centra of Edaphosaurus and Dimetrodon is published by Agliano, Sander & Wintrich (2020).^[164]
• A study on the anatomy of the holotype skull of Tetraceratops insignis and on the phylogenetic relationships of this taxon is published by Spindler (2020).^[165]
• A study comparing the oxygen and carbon stable isotope compositions of tooth and bone apatite of Endothiodon and Tropidostoma, and aiming to determine the ecology and diet of Endothiodon, is published by Rey et al. (2020).^[166]
• Whitney & Sidor (2020) compare the frequency and patterns of growth marks in tusks of Lystrosaurus from polar Antarctica and from the non-polar Karoo Basin of South Africa living ~250 Mya, and report evidence of prolonged stress interpreted as indicative of torpor in polar specimens. This could be the oldest evidence of a hibernation-like state in a vertebrate animal and indicates that torpor arose in vertebrates before mammals and dinosaurs evolved.^{[167][168][169]}
• A study on the skull length and growth patterns of the four South African Lystrosaurus species (L. maccaigi, L. curvatus, L. murrayi and L. declivis), aiming to determine whether the end-Permian mass extinction caused the Lilliput effect in Lystrosaurus species from the Karoo Basin and to infer their lifestyle, is published by Botha (2020).^[170]
• A study aiming to examine the basis for claims that the genus Lystrosaurus is a disaster taxon is published by Modesto (2020).^[171]
• A study on tooth serrations in a Permian gorgonopsian from Zambia, identifying the occurrence of denticles and interdental folds forming the cutting edges in the teeth which were previously thought to be unique to theropod dinosaurs and some other archosaurs, is published by Whitney et al. (2020).^[172]
• Redescription of the skull of Lycosuchus vanderrieti, providing new information on the endocranial anatomy of this taxon, is published by Pusch et al. (2020).^[173]
• A review of the fossil record of Triassic non-mammaliaform cynodonts from western Gondwana and its importance for the knowledge of the origin of mammals, focusing on taxa known from Argentina, is published by Abdala et al. (2020).^[174]
• A study on the tooth replacement in Galesaurus planiceps is published by Norton et al. (2020).^[175]
• The third specimen of Prozostrodon brasiliensis, providing novel information on the anatomy of this taxon, is described by Kerber et al. (2020).^[176]

Mammals edit

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• A study on the taphonomy of three-dimensionally preserved specimens of Charnia from the White Sea, and on their implications for the knowledge of rangeomorph feeding and physiology, is published by Butterfield (2020).^[207]
• A study on the morphology and likely mode of life of Beothukis mistakensis is published by McIlroy et al. (2020).^[208]
• Evidence of preservation of internal anatomical structures in cloudinomorph fossils from the Ediacaran Wood Canyon Formation (Nevada, United States) is reported by Schiffbauer et al. (2020), who interpret these structures as probable digestive tracts, and evaluate their implications for the knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships of cloudinomorphs.^[209]
• Fossils of Dickinsonia identical with D. tenuis from the Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite in South Australia are reported from the late Ediacaran Maihar Sandstone of the Bhander Group (India; found in the roof of Auditorium Cave at Bhimbetka rock shelters) by Retallack et al. (2020), who interpret this finding as confirming the assembly of Gondwana by 550 Ma;^[210] however, Meert et al. (2023) subsequently reinterpreted purported fossil material of Dickinsonia as an impression resulting from decay of a modern beehive.^[211]
• New specimens of Mafangscolex, providing the first detailed information on the anatomy of a proboscis in palaeoscolecids, are described from the Cambrian Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte (Kunming, China) by Yang et al. (2020).^[212]
• A study on the type material of a putative Ordovician annelid Haileyia adhaerens is published by Muir & Botting (2020) who find no evidence indicating that H. adhaerens is an annelid, or even a recognizable fossil.^[213]
• New hyolithid specimens preserving helens and interior soft tissues, including muscle scars and digestive tracts, are described from the Guanshan Biota (Cambrian Stage 4; Yunnan, China) by Liu et al. (2020).^[214]
• Redescription of Acosmia maotiania based on data from new and historic fossil material is published by Howard et al. (2020), who interpret this animal as a stem group ecdysozoan.^[215]
• Two types of microscopic reticulate cuticular patterns are described in Cambrian stem-group scalidophorans from the Kuanchuanpu Formation (China) by Wang et al. (2020), who argue that these cuticular networks replicate the cell boundaries of the epidermis.^[216]
• A study on the anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of Facivermis yunnanicus, based on data from the holotype and new specimens, is published by Howard et al. (2020), who consider this species to be a luolishaniid lobopodian.^[217]
• New type of a compound eye is identified in specimens of "Anomalocaris" briggsi from the Cambrian Emu Bay Shale (Australia) by Paterson, Edgecombe & García-Bellido (2020), who interpret the eye morphology of "A." briggsi as suggestive of this animal being a mesopelagic species, capable of inhabiting depths of several hundred meters, and likely using its acute, light-sensitive eyes to detect plankton in dim down-welling light.^[218]
• An isolated frontal appendage of a miniature hurdiid radiodont (less than half the size of the next smallest radiodont frontal appendage discovered so far) is described from the Ordovician (Tremadocian) Dol-cyn-Afon Formation (Wales, United Kingdom) by Pates et al. (2020), representing the first radiodont reported from the UK, the first record of this group from the palaeocontinent Avalonia, and the first from an environment dominated by sponges rather than euarthropods.^[219]
• Barrios-de Pedro, Osuna & Buscalioni (2020) report the discovery of trematode and nematode eggs in coprolites from the Barremian Las Hoyas fossil site (Spain).^[220]

New taxa edit