1824 in paleontology

List of years in paleontology
(table)
In science
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827


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 1824.

Dinosaurs

New taxa

Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images
"Iguanosaurus" Gen. nov. Nomen nudum Anonymous[3] Barremian, 126-125 mya[4] Unknown England "Iguanosaurus" was first mentioned in a magazine article by an anonymous author (possibly Mantell) in 1824. The author suggested that Mantell was originally going to name the teeth "Iguanosaurus", but William Daniel Conybeare suggested that it be instead named Iguanodon.[3]
Megalosaurus[5] Gen. nov. Valid Buckland Bathonian, 166 mya[6] Taynton Limestone Formation[6] England The Reverend William Buckland gives a presentation to the Geological Society describing the first scientifically named dinosaur, Megalosaurus on February 20. Later that year its formal scientific description is published in writing.[2]

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images
Pterodactylus grandis[7] Sp. nov. Nomen dubium Cuvier Kimmeridgian Solnhofen limestone Germany

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images
Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus[8] Sp. nov. Valid Conybeare Sinemurian, 199 mya[9] Blue Lias[9] England

Henry De la Beche and Conybeare named the genus in 1821, following up with the type species P. dolichodeirus in 1824. The species was named on the basis of a complete skeleton discovered by Mary Anning.[9]

Pterosaurs

  • Cuvier reiterated his previous conclusions that Pterodactylus was a reptile that flew with membranous wings. He also advanced novel speculations about its paleobiology, like that it used the claws on its wings to climb trees and "crawled" quadrupedally when not in flight rather than walking on its hind limbs.[10]

References

  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. ^ a b Farlow, J.O.; Brett-Surmann, M.K. (1999). The Complete Dinosaur. Indiana University Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 0-253-21313-4.
  3. ^ a b Delair, J.B.; Sarjeant, W.A.S. (1975). "Earliest Discoveries of the Dinosaurs". Isis. 66 (1): 4–25. doi:10.1086/351373. JSTOR 229523.
  4. ^ Carpenter, K.; Ishida, Y. (2010). "Early and "Middle" Cretaceous Iguanodonts in Time and Space". Journal of Iberian Geology. 36 (2): 145–164. doi:10.5209/rev_JIGE.2010.v36.n2.3.
  5. ^ Buckland, W. (1824). "Notice on the Megalosaurus, or great fossil lizard of Stonesfield". Transactions of the Geological Society of London. 2 (1): 390–396. doi:10.1144/transgslb.1.2.390.
  6. ^ a b Benson, R.B.J. (2009). "An assessment of variability in theropod dinosaur remains from the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) of Stonesfield and New Park Quarry, UK and taxonomic implications for Megalosaurus bucklandii and Iliosuchus incognitus". Palaeontology. 52 (4): 857–877. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00884.x.
  7. ^ Cuvier, G. (1824). Recherches sur les Ossemens fossiles. Vol. 5 pt. 2. Paris et Amsterdam: chez G. Dufour et E. d'Ocagne. pp. 380–383.
  8. ^ Conybeare, W.D. (1824). "On the discovery of an almost perfect skeleton of the Plesiosaurus". Transactions of the Geological Society of London. 1 (2): 381–389.
  9. ^ a b c Storrs, G.W. (1997). "Morphological and taxonomic clarification of the genus Plesiosaurus". In Callaway, J.M; Nicholls, E.L. (eds.). Ancient Marine Reptiles. Academic press. pp. 145–190.
  10. ^ Wellnhofer, Peter (2008). "A short history of pterosaur research". Zitteliana B. 28: 7–19.
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