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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Bryophytes
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muscites eocenicus[2] | Sp nov | jr synonym | Kuc | A bartramiaceous moss |
Mollusca
Bivalves
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Babin & Melou | New genus for Nucula ponderata. |
Archosauromorphs
Newly named archosauromorphs
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Dutuit | Argana Formation | A herbivorous archosauromorph. |
Newly named pseudosuchians
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gracilisuchus[6] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Romer | Late Triassic (Carnian) | Chañares Formation |  Argentina |  |
Newly named dinosauriforms
| 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. |
Newly named dinosaurs
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. |
Newly named birds
| 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. | ||||
Sp. nov. | Valid | Waititaran | A Spheniscidae. | |||||
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 |
| 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 |
| A Corvidae, this is the type species of the new genus. | |||
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] | |||||
Phalacrocorax lautus [13] | Sp. nov. | Valid | I. M. Ganya | |||||
Probalearica moldavica [13] | Sp. nov. | Valid | I. M. Ganya | A Gruidae, transferred to the genus Grus by Jíří Mlíkovský, 2002.[21] | ||||
Protocitta ajax [17] | Sp. nov. | Valid |
| 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. | ||
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] | |||
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] | |||
Tyto noeli [28] | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cave deposits | A Tytonidae. | ||||
Sp. nov. | Valid | Cave deposits | A Tytonidae. |
Synapsids
Newly named therapsids
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regisaurus[30] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Mendrez | Early Triassic |  South Africa | A regisaurid therocephalian. |  |
Mammalian
| Name | Novelty | Authors | Age | Type Locality | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stenailurus teilhardi | Gen. et. sp. nov. | Crusafont-Pairo & Aguirre | Late Miocene (Turolian) |  Spain |
Other Animals
| 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 |
