# 1840 in paleontology

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. 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 1840.

## Arthropods
### Crustaceans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Alvis | Gen. et. sp. nov. | Jr synonym | Münster | Jurassic | Solnhofen Limestone | Germany | Type species is A. octopus, initially described as an isopod, now a junior synonym of Pseudastacus. | |
| Norna | Gen. et. sp. nov. | Valid | Münster | Jurassic | Solnhofen Limestone | Germany | A peracarid initially described as an isopod, type species is N. lithophila. | |
| Sculda | Gen. et. sp. nov. | Valid | Münster | Late Jurassic (Tithonian) | Solnhofen Limestone | Germany | A mantis shrimp initially described as an isopod, type species is S. pennata. | Sculda |
| Urda | Gen. et. sp. nov. | Valid | Münster | Jurassic - Cretaceous | | Germany | An isopod, species named include U. rostrata, U. decorata, U. cincta & U. elongata. | |

## Anapsids
### Newly named anapsids

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Palaeosaurus | Preoccupied | Fitzinger | | Early Permian | Unnamed unit (coal deposits) | Czech Republic | Preoccupied by a non-dinosaurian archosaur named by Geoffroy Saint-Hilare in 1833. Renamed Sphenosaurus. A procolophonid. |

## Archosauromorphs
### Newly named basal archosauromorphs

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Paleosaurus | Nomen dubium | Riley | Stutchbury | Late Triassic (?Rhaetian) | Magnesian Conglomerate | England | An archosaur of unknown affinities |

### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Notes |
| Hylosaurus | Jr. synonym | Fitzinger | | Junior synonym of Hylaeosaurus. |
| Therosaurus | Valid | Fitzinger | | An iguanodont. New name for "Iguanodon" mantelli von Meyer (1832) (=Iguanodon anglicus Holl (1829)). |

### Pterosaurs

* Thomas Hawkins published The Book of the Great Sea-Dragons, wherein he suggested that the great reptiles of the Mesozoic were created by the devil. He described pterosaurs as "an engrafted-by-Evil stock" and depicted them as bat-like scavengers that combed the ancient seashore.

## Plesiosaurs
### Newly named plesiosaurs

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Plesiosaurus arcuatus | Valid | Owen | Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian) | Blue Lias | United Kingdom | A rhomaleosaurid. |
| Plesiosaurus brachyspondylus | Valid | Owen | Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) | Kimmeridge Clay Formation | United Kingdom | A thalassophonean pliosaurid. |
| Plesiosaurus hawkinsii | Valid | Owen | Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian) | Blue Lias | United Kingdom | A pliosaurid. |
| Plesiosaurus rugosus | Valid | Owen | Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian) | Blue Lias | United Kingdom | A microcleidid. |
| Plesiosaurus trochantericus | Valid | Owen | Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) | Kimmeridge Clay Formation | United Kingdom | A cryptoclidid. |

## Mammals
### Newly named cetaceans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Squalodon | Gen. nov. | Valid | Grateloup | | Early Miocene (Burdigalian) | Unnamed unit | France | A squalodontid. | Squalodon |