1903 in paleontology

Overview of the events of 1903 in paleontology

List of years in paleontology

(table)

* … 1893
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* 1900
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* 1907
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* 1913 …

In science
1900
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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

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### New taxa

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Taxon  | Novelty  | Status  | Author(s)  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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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

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* Plesiosaur gastroliths documented.[9]

### Newly named plesiosaurs

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Name  | Novelty  | Status  | Authors  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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Apatomerus

gen et sp

Valid

Williston

Albian

Kiowa Shale, Kansas

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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

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### Non-mammalian

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Name  | Novelty  | Status  | Authors  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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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

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### Eutherians

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#### Cetaceans

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Name  | Novelty  | Status  | Authors  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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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

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Metacheiromys | Wortman  | 48 Million years ago.  |

* USA ( Colorado and  Wyoming)

| An Eocene Mammal related to modern pangolins.  | Metacheiromys

## References

[edit]

* Paleontology portal

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.
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.
4. ^ Hatcher, J.B. 1903. A new name for the Dinosaur Haplocanthus Hatcher. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 16: p.100.
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.
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.
9. ^ 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.

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