1903 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 1903.

Dinosaurs

New taxa

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Brachiosaurus^[2]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Riggs	Late Jurassic	Morrison Formation	Colorado	A brachiosaurid
Claosaurus affinis^[3]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Wieland	Maastrichtian	Pierre Shale	South Dakota	A species of Claosaurus
Haplocanthosaurus^[4]	Gen. nov.	Nomen conservandum	Hatcher	Late Jurassic	Morrison Formation	Colorado	New name for "Haplocanthus", mistakenly thought preoccupied
Haplocanthosaurus utterbacki^[5]	Sp. nov.	Jr. synonym	Hatcher	Late Jurassic	Morrison Formation	Colorado	A species of Haplocanthosaurus now a synonym of Haplocanthosaurus priscus
Haplocanthus priscus^[6]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen rejectum	Hatcher	Late Jurassic	Morrison Formation	Colorado	Erroneously thought preoccupied by Haplacanthus Agassiz, 1845 and renamed Haplocanthosaurus.
Ornitholestes^[7]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Osborn	Kimmeridgian	Morrison Formation	Wyoming	Known from a single skull and partial skeleton.
Telmatosaurus^[8]	Gen. nov.	Valid	Nopcsa	Maastrichtian	Sânpetru Formation	Romania	New genus name for Limnosaurus transsylvanicus

Sauropterygians

Plesiosaur gastroliths documented.^[9]

Newly named plesiosaurs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Apatomerus	gen et sp	Valid	Williston	Albian	Kiowa Shale, Kansas		first described as a pterosaur; reidentified in the 1970s
Brachauchenius	gen et sp	Valid	Williston	Turonian	Greenhorn Formation,	Colombia UK USA ( Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Utah)	A brachauchenine pliosaurid.	Brachauchenius lucasi pursuing a generic hesperornithiform bird.
Dolichorhynchops	gen et sp	Valid	Williston	Turonian	Smoky Hill Chalk, Kansas	Canada ( Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan) USA ( Kansas, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming)	A polycotylid.

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Images
Lycosuchus	gen et sp	Valid	Broom	Middle Permian	Middle Abrahamskraal Formation	South Africa	Lycosuchus
Scylacosaurus	gen et sp	Valid	Broom	Late Permian	Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	Scylacosaurus
Scymnosaurus	gen et sp	Valid	Broom	Middle Permian	Middle Abrahamskraal Formation	South Africa

Eutherians

Cetaceans

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Squalodon bariensis latirostris	Ssp. nov	Valid	Capellini	Late Oligocene (Chattian)	Unnamed deposit	Italy	A squalodontid; now recognized as a species of Eosqualodon.

Pholidotes

Name	Authors	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Metacheiromys	Wortman	48 Million years ago.	USA ( Colorado and Wyoming)	An Eocene Mammal related to modern pangolins.	Metacheiromys

References

^ 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.
^ Riggs, E.S. 1903. Brachiosaurus altithorax, the largest known dinosaurs. Amer. J. Science 15 (4):pp. 299-306.
^ Weiland, G.R. (1903). "Note on the marine turtle Archelon. I. On the structure of the carapace, II. associated fossils". The American Journal of Science. Series 4. 15 (87): 211–216.
^ Hatcher, J.B. 1903. A new name for the Dinosaur Haplocanthus Hatcher. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 16: p.100.
^ Hatcher, J.B. 1903. Osteology of Haptocanthosaurus. with description of a new species, and remarks on the probable habits of the Sauropoda and the age and origin of the Atlantosaurus beds. Mem. Carnegie Mus. 2: pp. 1-72.
^ Hatcher, J.B. (1903). "A new sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic of Colorado". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 16: 1–2.
^ Osborn, H. F. 1903. Ornitholestes hermanni, a new compsognathoid dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 19: pp. 459-464.
^ Nopcsa, F. 1903. Telmatosaurus, new name for the dinosaur Limnosaurus. Geol. Mag. (ser. 4) 10:pp. 94-95.
^ Williston (1903). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.

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.
Williston, Samuel Wendel; 1903. North American Plesiosaurs; Field Columbian Museum Publication 73, Geological Series; II(I); Field Columbian Museum, Chicago.

[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] Riggs, E.S. 1903. Brachiosaurus altithorax, the largest known dinosaurs. Amer. J. Science 15 (4):pp. 299-306.

[wieland1903-3] Weiland, G.R. (1903). "Note on the marine turtle Archelon. I. On the structure of the carapace, II. associated fossils". The American Journal of Science. Series 4. 15 (87): 211–216.

[hatcher1903b-4] Hatcher, J.B. 1903. A new name for the Dinosaur Haplocanthus Hatcher. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 16: p.100.

[hatcher1903c-5] Hatcher, J.B. 1903. Osteology of Haptocanthosaurus. with description of a new species, and remarks on the probable habits of the Sauropoda and the age and origin of the Atlantosaurus beds. Mem. Carnegie Mus. 2: pp. 1-72.

[hatcher1903a-6] Hatcher, J.B. (1903). "A new sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic of Colorado". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 16: 1–2.

[7] Osborn, H. F. 1903. Ornitholestes hermanni, a new compsognathoid dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 19: pp. 459-464.

[8] Nopcsa, F. 1903. Telmatosaurus, new name for the dinosaur Limnosaurus. Geol. Mag. (ser. 4) 10:pp. 94-95.

[Williston-Sanders-9] Williston (1903). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.

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