1955 in paleontology

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 1955.

List of years in paleontology (table)
… 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 …
In science 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958
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Plants

Pteridophyta

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Notes	Images
Azolla primaeva[2]	Comb nov	Valid	(Penhallow) Arnold	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada	A waterfern, moved from Azollophyllum primaevum Penhallow, 1890	Azolla primaeva

Dinosaurs

• Massospondylus gastroliths are documented.[3]

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[4]

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Majungasaurus[5]	Valid taxon	René Lavocat		Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)	Maevarano Formation	Madagascar	A majungasaurine abelisaurid.	Majungasaurus
Tarbosaurus[6]	Valid taxon	Evgeny Maleev		Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian)	Nemegt Formation Subashi Formation	Mongolia  China	An Asian Tyrannosaurus-looking tyrannosaurid.	Tarbosaurus

Synapsids

Theriodonts

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Sauroctonus	Valid	Bystrow	Late Permian	Semen Formation Teekloof Formation	Russia	A gorgonopsian.	Sauroctonus
Scalenodon	Valid	Crompton and Parrington	Middle Triassic	Manda Formation	Tanzania	A traversodontid cynodont.

Cetaceans

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Liolithax pappus	Jr. Synonim	Kellogg	middle Miocene (Langhian)			Synonim of Lophocetus pappus.
Pelodelphis	Valid	Kellogg	middle Miocene (Langhian)	Calvert Formation	US ( Maryland)	An odontocete of uncertain position.
Tretosphys	Valid	Kellogg	iddle Miocene (Langhian)	Calvert Formation	Czech Republic  US ( Maryland,  New Jersey,  North Carolina and  Virginia)	An odontocete of uncertain position; new genus for "Delphinapterus" gabbi Cope (1868).

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. Arnold, C.A. (1955). "A Tertiary Azolla from British Columbia" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of. Paleontology, University of Michigan. 12 (4): 37–45.
3. Bond (1955). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.
4. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
5. Lavocat, R. 1955. Sur une portion de mandibule de thérepode provenant de Crétace supérieur de Madagascar. Bull. Musee Natl. d’Histoire Nat. (ser. 2) 27: pp. 256-259.
6. Maleev, E. A. (1955). "Гигантских плотоядных динозавров Монголии" [Gigantic carnivorous dinosaurs of Mongolia]. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR. 104: 634–637.

• Bond, G. 1955. A note on dinosaur remains from the Forest Sandstone (Upper Karoo). Occasional Papers of the National Museum of Rhodesia 2: 795–800.
• Sanders F, Manley K, Carpenter K. Gastroliths from the Lower Cretaceous sauropod Cedarosaurus weiskopfae. In: Tanke D.H, Carpenter K, editors. Mesozoic vertebrate life: new research inspired by the paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Indiana University Press; Bloomington, IN: 2001. pp. 166–180.