1859 in paleontology

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Paleontology or palaeontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") 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 1859.

Dinosaurs

Newly named dinosaurs

Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Astrodon[2] Nomen dubium. Johnston Early Cretaceous (Aptian/Albian boundary) Arundel Formation  United States An indeterminate titanosauriform. Compsognathus Valid Wagner Late Jurassic (Tithonian) Solnhofen Limestone  Germany  France A compsognathid. Hadrosaurus[3] Nomen dubium. Joseph Leidy Late Cretaceous (early Campanian) Woodbury Formation  United States A hadrosaurid. Scelidosaurus[4] Valid Sir Richard Owen Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian) Blue Lias  England A basal thyreophoran.

Compsognathus. Scelidosaurus.

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Dimorphodon[5]	Valid	Owen		Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian)	Blue Lias	England	A dimorphodontid; new generic name for "Pterodactylus" macronyx Buckland (1829).

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Galesaurus[6]	Valid	Owen	Early Triassic (Induan)	Cynognathus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A galesaurid cynodont.

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. Johnston, C. 1859. Note on odontography. Amer. J. Dent. Sci. 9: pp. 337-343
3. Leidy, J. 1859. Extinct vertebrata from the Judith River and Great Lignite Formations of Nebraska. American Philosophical Society Transactions 11:pp. 139-154.
4. Owen, R. 1859. On the order of fossil and recent reptilia, and their distribution in time. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science: pp. 153-166.
5. Owen, R. (1859). "On a new genus (Dimorphodon) of pterodactyle, with remarks on the geological distribution of flying reptiles." Rep. Br. Ass. Advmnt Sci., 28 (1858): 97–103.
6. Owen, R. 1859. On the order of fossil and recent reptilia, and their distribution in time. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 1859: pp. 153-166.