# List of the prehistoric life of Illinois

This list of the prehistoric life of Illinois contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of Illinois.

## Precambrian

The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in Illinois.

## Paleozoic
### Selected Paleozoic taxa of Illinois

* †Achatella
* †Actinoceras
* †Alethopteris
** †Alethopteris decurrens
** †Alethopteris lonchitica
** †Alethopteris owenii
** †Alethopteris serlii
* Life restoration of the Carboniferous amphibian Amphibamus †Amphibamus – type locality for genus
** †Amphibamus grandiceps – type locality for species
* †Amphiscapha
* †Amynilyspes – type locality for genus
* †Annularia
** †Annularia asteris – or unidentified comparable form
** †Annularia stellata
* †Anomphalus – type locality for genus
* †Anthracoceras
* †Archaeocidaris – tentative report
* †Archaeopteris
* †Archimedes
** †Archimedes communis
** †Archimedes compactus
** †Archimedes invaginatus
** †Archimedes lativolvis
** †Archimedes macfarlani
** †Archimedes swallovanus
** †Archimedes terebriformis
* †Archimylacris
* †Arctinurus
* Illustration of a fossil of the Carboniferous-Permian spider Arthrolycosa. Charles Emerson Beecher (1889). †Arthrolycosa – type locality for genus
* †Artisia
* †Asterotheca
** †Asterotheca miltoni – or unidentified comparable form
* †Asyncritus – type locality for genus
* †Athyris
* †Atrypa
** †Atrypa reticularis – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
* †Aviculopecten
** †Aviculopecten fasciculatus
* † Avonia
* †Bandringa – type locality for genus
* †Bassleroceras
* †Bellerophon
** †Bellerophon spergensis
* †Belinurus
* †Bembexia
* †Blattoidea
* Life restoration of the Carboniferous amphibian Brachydectes †Brachydectes
** †Brachydectes newberryi
* †Bumastus
** †Bumastus armatus – or unidentified comparable form
** †Bumastus chicagoensis
** †Bumastus cuniculus – or unidentified comparable form
** †Bumastus graftonensis
** †Bumastus insignis
** †Bumastus springfieldensis
** †Bumastus transversalis
* †Calamites
** †Calamites suckowii
* †Callipteridium
* †Calvinia
* †Calymene
** †Calymene breviceps
** †Calymene celebra
* †Calyptaulax
* †Camarotoechia
* Life restoration of the Carboniferous Chimaera relative Caseodus †Caseodus
* †Cephalerpeton – type locality for genus
** †Cephalerpeton ventriarmatum – type locality for species
* †Ceratiocaris
* †Ceratocephala
* †Ceraurinella
* †Ceraurinus
* †Ceraurus
* †Cheirurus
* †Chonetes
** †Chonetes ornatus
* †Cleiothyridina
** †Cleiothyridina atrypoides
** †Cleiothyridina sublamellosa
* †Clepsydrops – type locality for genus
* †Cliftonia
* Life restoration (foreground) of the Permian-Jurassic lobe-finned fish Coelacanthus †Coelacanthus
* †Composita
** †Composita subtilita
** †Composita trinuclea
* †Conocardium
* †Cooperoceras
* †Cordaicarpus
* †Cordaites
** †Cordaites principalis
* †Cornulites
* †Crania
* †Craniops
* Fossilized skeleton of the Carboniferous-Permian reptile relative Cricotus †Cricotus – type locality for genus
* †Crotalocrinites
* †Ctenacanthus
** †Ctenacanthus buttersi – type locality for species
* †Curriella – tentative report
* †Cyathocrinites
* †Cyclonema
* †Cyclus
* †Cyphaspis
* †Cyrtoceras
* †Dalmanites
* †Deiphon
* †Dicoelosia
* †Dictyonema
* †Dimerocrinites
** †Dimerocrinites occidentalis
* Fossilized axial skeleton of the Carboniferous-Permian amphibian Diplocaulus †Diplocaulus – type locality for genus
* †Domatoceras
* †Echinaria
* †Edestus
* †Edmondia
* †Elonichthys
* †Encrinurus
* †Eodictyonella
* †Eophacops
** †Eophacops handwerki
* †Eospirifer
** †Eospirifer radiatus
* †Erratencrinurus
* †Eucalyptocrinites
** †Eucalyptocrinites crassus
* †Euomphalus
** †Euomphalus planodorsatus
* Illustration of fossil of the Carboniferous millipede Euphoberia †Euphoberia – type locality for genus
** †Euphoberia armigera – type locality for species
* †Favosites
* †Fenestella
* †Fletcheria
* †Gerarus – type locality for genus
* †Glikmanius
** †Glikmanius occidentalis
* †Glyptambon
* †Glyptopleura
* †Gondolella
* †Graeophonus
** †Graeophonus scudderi – type locality for species
* †Greenops
* Life restoration of the Carboniferous four-limbed animal precursor Greererpeton †Greererpeton
* †Hallopora – tentative report
* †Halysites
* †Harpidium
* †Helenodora – type locality for genus
** †Helenodora inopinata – type locality for species
* †Heliomeroides
* †Holia
* †Hyolithes
* †Ilyodes
* †Isodectes
* Fossil of the Middle-Late Ordovician giant trilobite Isotelus. †Isotelus
** †Isotelus gigas
** †Isotelus maximus
* †Kionoceras
* †Latzelia – type locality for genus
** †Latzelia primordialis – type locality for species
* †Lepidodendron
** †Lepidodendron aculeatum
* †Lepidophyllum
* †Lepidostrobus
* †Lichas
* †Lingula
* †Liroceras
* Lithophaga – tentative report
* Life restoration of the Permian snake-like amphibian Lysorophus showing speculative egg-coiling behavior †Lysorophus – type locality for genus
* †Marsupiocrinus
* †Meristina
* †Metacoceras
* †Milosaurus – type locality for genus
* †Monograptus
** †Monograptus dubius
* †Murchisonia
* †Naticopsis
** †Naticopsis carleyana
** †Naticopsis planifrons
** †Naticopsis waterlooensis – type locality for species
* †Nemastomoides – type locality for genus
* †Neospirifer
** †Neospirifer dunbari
** †Neospirifer triplicatus
* Fossilized frond of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris †Neuropteris
** †Neuropteris ovata
** †Neuropteris rarinervis
** †Neuropteris scheuchzeri
** †Neuropteris tenuifolia
* †Nodonema
* Nucula
* †Nuculoidea – tentative report
* †Onychopterella – tentative report
* †Palenarthrus – type locality for genus
** †Palenarthrus impressus – type locality for species
* †Paraisobuthus
* †Pecopteris
** †Pecopteris plumosa
* †Pentremites
** †Pentremites tulipaformis
* †Periechocrinus
* †Phacops
* Life restoration of the Carboniferous-Permian amphibian Phlegethontia. †Phlegethontia
** †Phlegethontia longissima – type locality for species
* †Phragmolites
* †Platyceras
* †Platysomus
* †Platystrophia
* †Plicochonetes
* †Polysentor – type locality for genus
* †Priapulites – type locality for genus
** †Priapulites konecniorum – type locality for species
* †Prodentalium
* †Proetus
* Life restoration of the Carboniferous insects Protophasma and Titanophasma †Protophasma
* †Protopilio
* †Pseudophlegethontia – type locality for genus
** †Pseudophlegethontia turnbullorum – type locality for species
* †Pterochiton
* †Pterotheca
* †Rasstriga – type locality for genus
** †Rasstriga americana – type locality for species
* †Remopleurides
* †Rhodea
* †Rhynchonella
* †Saccoglossus
* †Sagenodus
* †Samaropsis
* †Savagella
* †Scepasma – type locality for genus
* Fossilized stump of the Carboniferous-Permian club moss relative Sigillaria †Sigillaria
* †Silphion – type locality for genus
* † Simplicius
* †Skenidioides
* Solemya
* †Solenochilus
* †Sphaerexochus
* †Sphaerocoryphe
* †Sphenophyllum
** †Sphenophyllum cuneifolium
** †Sphenophyllum emarginatum
** †Sphenophyllum longifolium – or unidentified comparable form
* †Sphenopteris
* †Stearoceras
* †Stethacanthus
** †Stethacanthus altonensis
* †Stigmaria
* †Strophomena
* †Symmorium – type locality for genus
* †Syringopora
* †Tainoceras
* †Tentaculites
* †Tranodis
* Restoration of the mysterious Carboniferous life-form Tullimonstrum, or the Tully monster †Tullimonstrum – type locality for genus
* †Wilkingia
* †Worthenia
* †Xyloiulus
* Yoldia

## Mesozoic

The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Mesozoic fossils in Illinois.

## Cenozoic

* Agabus
** †Agabus praelugens – type locality for species
** †Agabus savagei – type locality for species
* †Anomodon – type locality for genus
** †Anomodon snyderi – type locality for species
* †Araloselachus
** †Araloselachus cuspidata
* Arvicola
* †Bananogmius
** †Bananogmius crieleyi – or unidentified comparable form
* Bison
** Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene Bison antiquus, or ancient bison †Bison antiquus
** †Bison bison
* Blarina
* †Bootherium
** †Bootherium bombifrons
* Carabus
** †Carabus maeander
* Castor
** †Castor canadensis
* †Castoroides
** †Castoroides ohioensis
* †Cervalces
** †Cervalces latifrons – tentative report
** Life restoration of the Pleistocene Cervalces scotti, or stag-moose †Cervalces scotti
* Chelonia
* Chlaenius
** †Chlaenius plicatipennis – type locality for species
* Conopeum
** †Conopeum damicornis
* Donacia
** †Donacia stirioides – type locality for species
* Equus
* Esox
* †Euceratherium
** †Euceratherium collinum
* Geomys
** †Geomys bursarius
* †Ischyodus
** †Ischyodus williamsae
* Lasiopodomys
** †Lasiopodomys deceitensis
* †Mammut
** †Mammut americanum
* †Mammuthus
** Restoration of a herd of Mammuthus primigenius, or wooly mammoths †Mammuthus primigenius
* Marmota
** †Marmota monax
* †Megalonyx
** †Megalonyx jeffersonii
* Mesalia
** †Mesalia alabamiensis
* Microtus
** †Microtus paroperarius
* Natica
** †Natica reversa
* Olophrum
** †Olophrum henryi – type locality for species
* Ostrea
** †Ostrea pulaskensis
* †Pachyrhizodus
** †Pachyrhizodus caninus
* Patrobus
** †Patrobus henshawi – type locality for species
* Peromyscus
* Pitar – tentative report
** †Pitar ripleyanus
* Pituophis
* Restoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus. Charles R. Knight (1922). †Platygonus – type locality for genus
** †Platygonus compressus – type locality for species
** †Platygonus cumberlandensis – tentative report
* Platynus
** †Platynus calvini – type locality for species
** †Platynus pleistocenicus – type locality for species
** †Platynus subgelidus – type locality for species
* Procyon
** †Procyon lotor – type locality for species
* †Propenser
** †Propenser hewletti
* †Ptychodus
* Rangifer
** A living Rangifer tarandus, or reindeer †Rangifer tarandus
* †Sangamona
** †Sangamona fugitiva
* Sorex
* †Strepsidura
** †Strepsidura contorea
* Sylvilagus
** †Sylvilagus floridanus
* Ursus
** †Ursus americanus
* Venericardia
** †Venericardia smithii