# 1971 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 1971.

## Arthropods
### Crustaceans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| Oplophorus roselli | Sp nov | jr synonym | Via | Barremian | Las Hoyas | Spain | Moved to the genus Delclosia | |
| Pseudastacus llopisi | Sp nov | jr synonym | Via | Barremian | Las Hoyas | Spain | A crayfish, moved to the genus Austropotamobius in 1997. | |

## Plants
### Angiosperms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| Holmskioldia quilchenensis | Sp nov | jr synonym | Mathewes & Brooke | Ypresian | Coldwater Beds | Canada British Columbia | A mallow relative. moved to Florissantia quilchenensis (1992) | Florissantia quilchenensis |

## Conodonts

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Country/subdivision |
| Baltoniodus | gen nov | valid | Maurits Lindström | Sweden |
| Paracordylodus | gen nov | valid | Maurits Lindström | Sweden |
| Microzarkodina | gen nov | valid | Maurits Lindström | Sweden |

## Archosauromorphs
### Newly named pseudosuchians

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country/subdivision | Notes | Image |
| Venaticosuchus | gen et sp nov | valid | Bonaparte | Late Triassic | | Argentina | an ornithosuchid | Venaticosuchus rusconii |

### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country/subdivision | Notes | Image |
| Nemegtosaurus | gen et sp nov | Valid | Nowinski | Late Cretaceous | Nemegt Basin | Mongolia | | |
| Yaverlandia | gen et sp nov | Valid | Galton | Lower Cretaceous | Wessex Formation | England | Maniraptoran? | |

### Newly named onithodirans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country/subdivision | Notes | Image |
| Lagerpeton | gen et sp nov | Valid | Romer | Ladinian | Chañares Formation | Argentina | A member of the lagerpetonidae. | Lagerpeton |
| Lagosuchus | fam et gen et sp nov | valid | Romer | Ladinian | Chañares Formation | Argentina | | |

### Newly named birds

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country/subdivision | Notes | Image |
| Anser devjatkini | Sp. nov. | Valid | Kurochkin | Late Miocene | Hyargas Nuur Formation | Mongolia | An Anatidae. | |
| Antillovultur | Gen. et sp. nov. | jr synonym | Arredondo | Late Quaternary | Las Breas de San Felipe | Cuba | An accipitrid, Type species A. varonai, moved to Gymnogyps varonai (2003), | |
| Bathornis minor | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cracraft | Early Miocene | | USA South Dakota | A bathornithid | |
| Bucorvus brailloni | Sp. nov. | Valid | Brunet | Middle Miocene | | Morocco | A bucorvid. | |
| Campephilus dalquesti | Sp. nov. | Valid | Brodkorb | Late Pliocene (Blancan) | | USA Texas | A picid. | |
| Cerorhinca minor | Sp. nov. | Valid | Howard | Late Miocene - Late Pliocene | Almejas Formation | Mexico | An alcid. | |
| Cygnus pristinus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Kurochkin | Late Miocene - Early Pliocene | Chirgiz-Nur Formation | Mongolia | An anatid. | |
| Dolichonyx kruegeri | Sp. nov. | Valid | Fischer & Stephan | Late Pleistocene | "Cave deposits" | Cuba | An icterid. | |
| Eutreptornis | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Cracraft | Middle Eocene | Uinta Formation | USA Utah | A bathornithid. Type species E. uintae | |
| Fulica picapicensis | Sp. nov. | jr synonym | Fischer & Stephan | Quaternary | "Cave deposits" | Cuba | A flightless rallid, moved to Nesotrochis picapicensis (1974). | |
| Grus cubensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Fischer & Stephan | Late Pleistocene | "Cave deposits" | Cuba | A crane. Moved to Antigone cubensis (2020). | Antigone cubensis (top) |
| Macrorhamphus finitimus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Kurochkin | Pliocene | | Mongolia | A scolopacid, Moved to Limnodromus finitimus. | |
| Mancalla cedrosensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Howard | Early Pliocene | Almejas Formation | Mexico | A mancaline alcid | |
| Onychopteryx | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Cracraft | Early Eocene | Casamajor Formation | Argentina | An onychopterygid Type species O. simpsoni | |
| Phalacrocorax mongoliensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Kurochkin | Late Miocene - Pliocene | | Mongolia | A phalacrocoracid. | |
| ?Platydyptes marplesi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Simpson | Early or Middle Oligocene (Duntroonian) | | New Zealand | A spheniscid. | |
| Progrus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Bendukidze | Middle - Late Eocene | Kalmakpai River | Kazakhstan | An eogruid. Type species P. turanicus Moved to Eogrus turanicus. | |
| Proplegadis | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Harrison & Walker | Early Eocene | | UK England | A possible phaethontid, Type species P. fisheri | |
| Puffinus tedfordi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Howard | Early Pliocene | Almejas Formation | Mexico | A procellariid. | |
| Spheniscus predemersus | Sp. nov. | jr synonym | Simpson | Late Pliocene | Langebaanweg fossil site | South Africa | A spheniscid, Moved to Inguza predemersus (1975) | |
| Spizaetus tanneri | Sp. nov. | Valid | Martin | Early Pleistocene | Broadwater Formation | USA Nebraska | An accipitrid. | |
| Struthio transcaucasicus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Burchak-Abramovich & Vekua | Late Pliocene (Akchagil age) | | Georgia | A struthionid. | |
| Wimanornis | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Simpson | Eocene | Seymour Island | Antarctica | A basal spheniscid Type species W. seymourensis | |

### Newly named pterosaurs

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country/subdivision | Notes | Image |
| Araripesaurus | gen et sp nov | Valid | Price | Early Cretaceous | Santana Formation | Brazil | an ornithocheirid | Araripesaurus. |
| Sordes | gen et sp nov | Valid | Sharov | Late Jurassic | Karabastau Svita | Kazakhstan | possible rhamphorhynchid | Sordes pilosus |

## Other Animals

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Chondroplon | Valid | Wade | Ediacaran | | Australia Russia | Sometimes considered a synonym of Dickinsonia | |