This list of the prehistoric life of West Virginia contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of West Virginia.
Precambrian
The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in West Virginia.
Paleozoic
Selected Paleozoic taxa of West Virginia
†AlethopterisFossilized fronds of the Carboniferous-Early Cretaceous seed fern Alethopteris - †Aneurophyton – or unidentified related form
- †Annularia
†ArchaeopterisRestoration of the Late Devonian-Carboniferous tree Archaeopteris with insets detailing its anatomy - †Artisia
- †Athyris
- †Atrypa
- †Atrypa reticularis – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
- †Aulopora
- †Aviculopecten
- †Aviculopecten batesvillensis
- †Aviculopecten crenistriatus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Baiera
- †Barinophyton
- †Bassipterus
- †Calamites
†CallipteridiumFossilized fronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Callipteridium - †Callipteris
- †Callixylon
- †Calymene
- †Calymene camerata
- †Calymene cresapensis
†Calymene niagarensisFossils in enrolled posture of the Silurian trilobite Calymene niagarensis
- †Camarotoechia
- †Cardiocarpus
- †Carniodus
- †Chonetes
- †Cordaites
- †Cornulites
- †Crassigyrinus
- †Cyclopteris
- †Dalmanites
- †Diploceraspis
- †Distomodus
- †Drepanopterus
†EdaphosaurusLife restoration of the Permian synapsid (mammal precursor) Edaphosaurus - †Edaphosaurus colohistion – type locality for species
- †Edmondia
- †Eucalyptocrinites
- †Eurypterus
- †Favosites
- †Greererpeton
- †Gyracanthus
- †Holopea
- †Hughmilleria
†LepidodendronRestoration of the Carboniferous-Late Triassic club moss relative Lepidodendron. Eli Heimans (1911). - †Limnopus
- †Lingula
- †Lithostrotion
- †Lyginopteris
- †Modiolus
- †Mucrospirifer
- †Murchisonia
†NeuropterisFronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris †OnychodusLife restoration of the Middle-Late Devonian lobe-finned fish Onychodus - †Orthacanthus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Orthoceras – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
- †Parahughmilleria
- †Pecopteris
- †Pecopteris arborescens
- †Pecopteris elliptica
- †Pecopteris feminaeformis
- †Pecopteris hemitelioides
- †Pecopteris hemiteloides
- †Pecopteris pennaeformis – or unidentified comparable form
- †Pecopteris unita
- †Periechocrinus
- †Petalodus
- †Phacops
- †Pinna
- †Platyceras
- †Proterogyrinus
†Protorothyris – type locality for genusLife restoration of the Permian reptile Protorothyris - †Protorothyris morani – type locality for species
- †Rhodea
- †Sagenodus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Sigillaria
- †Solenomorpha
- †Sphenophyllum
- †Sphenopteris
†Spirifer – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclatureFossilized shell of the Late Ordovician-Late Triassic brachiopod Spirifer - †Stigmaria
- †Tentaculites
- †Tetracystis
- †Tetrameroceras
- †Trimerus
- †Waeringopterus
- †Wilkingia
- †Wurmiella
†ZatrachysLife restoration of the Permian amphibian Zatrachys
Mesozoic
The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Mesozoic fossils in West Virginia.
Cenozoic
- Agkistrodon
†Agkistrodon contortrixA living Agkistrodon contortrix, or copperhead
- †Allophaiomys
- †Allophaiomys pliocaenicus
- †Ambystoma
- †Atopomys
- †Atopomys texensis
- Blarina
- †Blarina bravicauda
†Blarina brevicaudaA living Blarina brevicauda, or northern short-tailed shrew - †Blarina brevicuda
- †Blarine
- †Blarine brevicauda
- †Bootherium
- †Brachyprotoma
- Bufo
- Canis
†Canis dirusModern mounted skeleton of Canis lupus, the grey wolf, to scale with a fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene wolf Canis dirus, or dire wolf - †Canis latrans
- Carphophis
- Castor
- †Cenis
- †Cenis latrans
- Cervus
- Clethrionomys
- Coluber
†Coluber constrictorA living Coluber constrictor, or eastern racer
- Condylura
- †Condylura cristata
- †Condylura crystata
- Crotalus
- Cryptobranchus
- †Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
- †Cryptobranchus guildayi
- Cryptotis
- †Cryptotis parva
- †Cryptotis pava
DesmodusA living Desmodus, or vampire bat - Desmognathus
- Dicrostonyx
- †Dipoides
- †Ectopistes
†Ectopistes migratoriusTaxidermied male Ectopistes migratorius, or passenger pigeon
- Elaphe
- Eptesicus
- Equus
- Erethizon
- Eumeces
- Eutamias
- †Eutamias minimus – or unidentified comparable form
- Geomys
- †Geomys bursarius – or unidentified comparable form
- Glaucomys
- Gyrinophilus
†Gyrinophilus porphyriticusA living Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, or Spring salamander
- Heterodon
- Hyla
- Ictalurus
- Lampropeltis
- Lasiopodomys
- †Lasiopodomys deceitensis
- Lasiurus
- Lepus
†Lepus americanusA living Lepus americanus, or snowshoe hare
- Lynx
- †Mammut
- †Mammuthus
- Marmota
- †Megalonyx
†Megalonyx jeffersoniiClaws of M. jeffersonii - †Megalonyx jerrersonii – or unidentified comparable form
- Mephitis
- Microtus
- †Microtus chrotorrhinus
- †Microtus hibbardi
- †Microtus llanensis
- †Microtus ochrogaster – or unidentified comparable form
- †Microtus paroperarius
- †Microtus pennsylvanicus
- †Microtus pinetorum
- †Microtus xanthognathus
- Mictomys
- †Mimomys
- †Mimomys virginianus
†MiracinonyxRestoration of the Pliocene-Pleistocene Miracinonyx, or American cheetah - Mustela
- †Mustela americana
- †Mustela armines
- †Mustela fenata – or unidentified comparable form
- †Mustela frenata – or unidentified comparable form
- †Mustela nivalis
- †Mustela vison
†MylohyusFossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Holocene peccary Mylohyus - Myotis
- †Myotis grisescens – tentative report
- †Myotis keeni
- †Myotis keenii
- †Myotis leibi
- †Myotis leibii
- Napaeozapus
- Neofiber
- †Neofiber alleni – or unidentified comparable form
- †Neofiber leonardi
- Neotoma
†Neotoma floridanaClose-up of a Neotoma floridana, or eastern woodrat - †Neotoma spelaea
- Nerodia
- Notophthalmus
- Ochotona
- †Ochotone
- Odocoileus
- †Ondarta
- †Ondarta ziebethicus
- Ondatra
- †Ondatra annectens
- †Ondatra zibethicus
- Opheodrys
- Panthera
†Panthera oncaA living Panthera onca, or jaguar
- †Parascalopis
- †Parascalopis breweri
- Parascalops
- †Parascalopuis
- †Parascalopuis breweri
- Pekania
- Peromyscus
- †Peromyscus cumberlandensis
- †Peromyscus maniculatus – or unidentified comparable form
- Phenacomys
- †Phenacomys brachyodus
- †Phenacomys intermedis
- †Phenacomys intermedius
- Pipistrellus
- Pitymys
- †Pitymys cumberlandensis
†PlatygonusRestoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus. Charles R. Knight (1922). - †Platygonus compressus
- †Platygonus vetus
- Plecotus
- †Plesiothomomys
- Procyon
- †Rana
- †Rana catesbeina
- †Rana clamitans
- †Rana pipiens
- †Rana sylvatica
- Rangifer
†Rangifer tarandusA living Rangifer tarandus, or reindeer
- Salamandra
- †Salamandra opaca
- Sceloporus
- Sciuropterus
- †Sciuropterus volans
- Sciurus
- †Sciurus carolinensis – or unidentified comparable form
- †Sciurus carolinensus
- †Sciurus corolinensis
- Sistrurus
†SmilodonLife restoration of the Pleistocene-Holocene saber-tooth cat Smilodon - Sorex
- †Sorex arcticus
- †Sorex cinereus
- †Sorex cinerus
- †Sorex dispar
- †Sorex fumeus
- †Sorex hoyi
- †Sorex palustris
- Spermophilus
- Spilogale
†Spilogale putorius – or unidentified comparable formA living Spilogale putorius, or eastern spotted skunk
- Storeria
- Sylvilagus
- †Sylvilegus – or unidentified comparable form
- Synaptomys
- Tadarida
- †Tadarida brasiliensis – or unidentified comparable form
- Tamias
- Tamiasciurus
- †Tamies
- †Tamies striatus
TapirusA living Tapirus, or tapir - Taxidea
- Thamnophis
- Thomomys
- †Thomomys potomacensis
- Urocyon
- Ursus
- Vulpes
†Vulpes vulpesA living Vulpes vulpes, or red fox
- Zapus
References
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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