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 1969.

List of years in paleontology (table)
In science
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
+...

Plants

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Angiosperms

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Dicotylophyllum litseafolia[2]

Comb nov

jr synonym

(MacGinitie) Wolfe

Eocene
Ypresian

Ione Formation
"Chalk Bluff Flora" Loc P3324

  USA
  California

A dicot of uncertain affinity.
Moved from Lauropliyllum litseafolia (1941)[3]
Moved from Artocarpoides litseafolia (19689).[4]
Moved to Republica litseafolia (1987)[5]

 

Molluscs

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Bivalves

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Praenuculidae

Fam nov

Valid

McAlester

Ordovician - Devonian

extinct family of Nuculoidea bivalves

Fish

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Actinopterygii

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Proaracana

gen et sp nov

Valid

Le Danois

Eocene

Monte Bolca

 
Proaracana dubia

Conodonts

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Location Notes Images

Protognathodus

Gen. nov

Valid

Willi Ziegler

351 Millions of years ago.

Patrognathus[6]

Gen nov

Valid

Rhodes, Austin & Druce

Carboniferous

Archosauromorphs

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Crurotarsans

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Location Notes Images

Riojasuchus[7]

gen et sp nov

valid

Bonaparte

Late Triassic

Ornithosuchid archosaur. originally misidentified as a dinosaur

 
Riojasuchus tenuiceps

Non-avian dinosaurs

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Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[8]

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Deinonychus[9]

gen et sp nov

Valid

Ostrom

Early Cretaceous

Cloverly Formation

  USA
  Montana

An American dromeosaur, that has a name that means: Terrible Claw .
 
Deinonychus antirrhopus

Riojasaurus[7]

gen et sp nov

Valid.

Bonaparte

Triassic

A sauropod.
The type species is R. incertus

 

"Strenusaurus"[7]

gen et sp nov

Junior synonym.

Bonaparte

Triassic

Junior synonym of Riojasaurus.

"Syntarsus"[10]

gen et sp nov

Preoccupied name.

Raath

Early Jurassic

Preoccupied by Syntarsus Fairmaire, 1869. Renamed Megapnosaurus.

 
Megapnosaurus rhodesiensis

Birds

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Alectoris bavarica [11]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Ballmann

Early Miocene

  Germany

A Phasianidae.

Buteo pusillus [12]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Ballmann

Middle Miocene

  France

An Accipitridae.

Capitonides [11]

Gen. et Sp. nov.

jr synonym

Ballmann

Early Miocene

  Germany

A Lybiidae, jr syn of Trachyphonus europeus.[13]

Diomedea thyridata [14]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Wilkinson

Late Miocene

Black Rock Sandstone

  Australia

A Diomedeidae.

Eogeranoides [15]

Gen. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Cracraft

Early Eocene

Willwood Formation

  USA (  Wyoming)

A Geranoididae, type sp. E. campivagus.

Geranodornis [15]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Cracraft

Middle Eocene

Bridger Formation

  USA (  Wyoming)

A Geranoididae type sp. G. aenigma

Musophaga meini [12]

Sp. nov.

jr synonym

Ballmann

Middle Miocene (MN 8)

  France

A Musophagidae
jr syn of Veflintornis meini[16]

Otus wintershofensis [11]

Sp. nov.

jr synonym

Ballmann

Early Miocene

  Germany

A Strigidae,
transferred Strix wintershofensis.[13]

Palaeonerpes [17]

Gen. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Cracraft & Morony

Early Pliocene

Valentine Formation

  USA (  Nebraska)

A Picidae, type sp P. shorti

Palaeophasianus incompletus [15]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Cracraft

Early Eocene

Willwood Formation

  USA (  Wyoming)

A Geranoididae

Paracygnus [18]

Gen. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Short

Late Pliocene

Kimbal Formation

  USA (  Colorado)

An Anatidae, type sp P. plattensis

Paragrus shufeldti [15]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Cracraft

Early Eocene

Willwood Formation

  USA (  Wyoming)

A Geranoididae

Plotopterum [19]

Gen et Sp. nov.

Valid

Howard

Early Miocene

Upper Walker Formation

  USA
  California

A Plotopteridae, type sp P. joaquinensis

 
Plotopterum joaquinensis

Pseudodontornis stirtoni [20]

Sp. nov.

jr synonym

Howard & Warter

Late Pliocene

  New Zealand

A Pseudodontornithidae
transferred to Neodontornis stirtoni[21]

Pulsatrix arredondoi [22]

Sp. nov.

valid

Brodkorb

Pleistocene

Caverna Paredones

  Cuba

A Strigidae.

Strix brevis [11]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Ballmann

Early Miocene

  Germany

A Strigidae,
transferred to Intulula brevis.[13]

Taoperdix miocaena [11]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Ballmann

Early Miocene

  Germany

A Cracidae.

Tetrao praeurogallus [23]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Dénes Jánossy

Early Pliocene - Early Pleistocene

  Bulgaria

A Phasianidae.

Zenaidura prior [24]

Sp. nov.

jr synonym

Brodkorb

Late Pliocene

Rexroad Formation

  USA (  Kansas)

A Columbidae, transferred to Zenaida prior.

Zygodactylus [12]

Gen et Sp. nov.

Valid

Ballmann

Middle Miocene

  France   Germany

A Zygodactylidae
two sp Z. grivensis & Z. ignotus.

Pterosaurs

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Nesodactylus

gen et sp nov

Valid

Colbert

Late Jurassic

Jagua Formation

family placement uncertain

Synapsids

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Mammals

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type Locality Country Notes Images

Crusafontia[25]

Gen et sp nov

valid

Henkel & Krebs

Cretaceous
Barremian

  Spain

A dryolestid mammalian
The type species is C. cuencana.

 
Crusafontia cuencana
Sivapardus[26]

Gen. et. sp. nov.

Valid

Bakr

Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene

Sar-Dhok

  Pakistan

A felinae large cat.
The type species is S. punjabiensis

Paleontologists

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References

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  1. ^ Gini-Newman, Garfield; Graham, Elizabeth (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 9780070887398. OCLC 46769716.
  2. ^ Wolfe, J.A. (1968). Paleogene Biostratigraphy of nonmarine rocks in King County, Washington (Report). Professional Paper. Vol. 571. United States Geological Survey. pp. 1–29. doi:10.3133/pp571.
  3. ^ MacGinitie, H.D. (1941). A Middle Eocene Flora from the Central Sierra Nevada (Report). Contributions to Paleontology. Vol. 534. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Institution of Washington. p. 116.
  4. ^ MacGinitie, H. (1969). The Eocene green River flora of northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah. University of California Press.
  5. ^ Wolfe, J.A.; Wehr, W.C. (1987). Middle Eocene dicotyledonous plants from Republic, northeastern Washington (Report). Bulletin. Vol. 1597. United States Geological Survey. pp. 1–25. doi:10.3133/b1597.
  6. ^ British Avonian (Carboniferous) conodont faunas, and their value in local and intercontinental correlation. FHT Rhodes, RL Austin, EC Druce - 1969 - British Museum (Natural History)
  7. ^ a b c Bonaparte, J.F. 1969. Dos nuevas "faunas" de reptiles Triasicos de Argentina. I Gondwana Symp. (IVGAS, 1967), Mar del Plata Ciencias Tierra 2: pp. 283-306
  8. ^ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  9. ^ Ostrom, J. H. 1969. A new theropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Montana. Postilia 128: pp. 1-17.
  10. ^ Raath, M.A. 1969. A new coelurosaurian dinosaur from the Forest Sandstone of Rhodesia. Arnoldia Rhodesia. 4 (28): pp. 1-25.
  11. ^ a b c d e Ballmann, P (1969). "Die Vögel aus der Altburdigalen Spaltenfüllung von Wintershof (West) bei Eichstätt in Bayern" (PDF). Zitteliana. 1: 5–60. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-30.
  12. ^ a b c Ballmann, P (1969). "Les Oiseaux Miocènes de la Grive-Saint-Alban (Isère)". Géobios. 2: 157–204. doi:10.1016/s0016-6995(69)80005-7.
  13. ^ a b c Mlíkovský, J (2002). "Cenozoic Birds of the World Part 1: Europe" (PDF). Praha Ninox Press, 2002: 1–407. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
  14. ^ Wilkinson, HE (1969). "Descriptions of an Upper Miocene albatross from Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia, and a review of the fossil Diomedeidae". Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria. 29: 41–51. doi:10.24199/j.mmv.1969.29.04.
  15. ^ a b c d Cracraft, J (1969). "Systematics and evolution of the Gruiformes (Class, Aves) 1. The Eocene family Geranoididae and the early history of the Gruiformes" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (2388): 1–41.
  16. ^ Brodkorb, P (1971). "Catalogue of Fossil Birds. Part 4 (Columbiformes through Piciformes)" (PDF). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences. 15: 163–266.
  17. ^ Cracraft, J; Morony, JJ jr. (1969). "A new pliocene woodpecker, with comments on the fossil Picidae" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (2400): 1–41.
  18. ^ Short, LL jr. (1969). "A new genus and species of goose like swan from the Pliocene of Nebraska" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (2369): 1–7.
  19. ^ Howard, H (1969). "A new avian fossil from Kern County, California" (PDF). Condor. 71 (1): 68–69. doi:10.2307/1366050. JSTOR 1366050.
  20. ^ Howard, H; Warter, SL (1969). "A new species of bony-toothed bird (Family Pseudodontornithidae) from the Tertiary of New Zealand". Records of the Canterbury Museum. 8: 345–357.
  21. ^ Harrison, CJO; Walker, CA (1976). "A review of the bony-toothed birds (Odontopterygiformes): with the description of some new species". Tertiary Research Special Papers. 2: 1–72.
  22. ^ Brodkorb, P (1969). "An extinct Pleistocene owl from Cuba" (PDF). Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences. 31 (2): 112–114.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^ Jánossy, D (1969). "Die Mittelpleistozäne Vogelfauna der Stránská Skála". Anthropos, Studia Musei Moraviae, Brno. New Series. 20 (12): 35–64.
  24. ^ Brodkorb, P (1969). "An ancestral mourning dove from Rexroad, Kansas" (PDF). Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences. 31 (3): 173–176. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  25. ^ Henkel, S. and Krebs, B., 1969. Zwei Säugetier-unterkiefer aus der unteren Kreide von uña (prov. Cuenca, Spanien). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, 1969, pp.449-463.
  26. ^ Bakr, Abu (July 1969). "A new genus of large cat from Upper Siwaliks". Pakistan Journal of Zoology. 1 (2): 135–140.
  27. ^ Farlow, James O.; M. K. Brett-Surmann (1999). The Complete Dinosaur. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 17. ISBN 0-253-21313-4.