# 1969 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 1969.

## Plants
### Angiosperms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Dicotylophyllum litseafolia | Comb nov | jr synonym | (MacGinitie) Wolfe | Eocene Ypresian | Ione Formation "Chalk Bluff Flora" Loc P3324 | USA California | A dicot of uncertain affinity. Moved from Lauropliyllum litseafolia (1941) Moved from Artocarpoides litseafolia (19689). Moved to Republica litseafolia (1987) | |

## Molluscs
### Bivalves

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Praenuculidae | Fam nov | Valid | McAlester | Ordovician - Devonian | | | extinct family of Nuculoidea bivalves | |

## Fish
### Actinopterygii

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Proaracana | gen et sp nov | Valid | Le Danois | Eocene | Monte Bolca | Italy | | Proaracana dubia |

### Conodonts

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Location | Notes | Images |
| Protognathodus | Gen. nov | Valid | Willi Ziegler | 351 Millions of years ago. | Austria  China  Germany  UK | | |
| Patrognathus | Gen nov | Valid | Rhodes, Austin & Druce | Carboniferous | Russia  UK | | |

## Archosauromorphs
### Crurotarsans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Location | Notes | Images |
| Riojasuchus | gen et sp nov | valid | Bonaparte | Late Triassic | Argentina | Ornithosuchid archosaur. originally misidentified as a dinosaur | Riojasuchus tenuiceps |

### Non-avian dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Deinonychus | gen et sp nov | Valid | Ostrom | Early Cretaceous | Cloverly Formation | USA Montana | An American dromeosaur, that has a name that means: Terrible Claw . | Deinonychus antirrhopus |
| Riojasaurus | gen et sp nov | Valid. | Bonaparte | Triassic | | | A sauropod. The type species is R. incertus | |
| "Strenusaurus" | gen et sp nov | Junior synonym. | Bonaparte | Triassic | | | Junior synonym of Riojasaurus. | |
| "Syntarsus" | gen et sp nov | Preoccupied name. | Raath | Early Jurassic | | | Preoccupied by Syntarsus Fairmaire, 1869. Renamed Megapnosaurus. | Megapnosaurus rhodesiensis |

### Birds

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Alectoris bavarica | Sp. nov. | Valid | Ballmann | Early Miocene | | Germany | A Phasianidae. | |
| Buteo pusillus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Ballmann | Middle Miocene | | France | An Accipitridae. | |
| Capitonides | Gen. et Sp. nov. | jr synonym | Ballmann | Early Miocene | | Germany | A Lybiidae, jr syn of Trachyphonus europeus. | |
| Diomedea thyridata | Sp. nov. | Valid | Wilkinson | Late Miocene | Black Rock Sandstone | Australia | A Diomedeidae. | |
| Eogeranoides | Gen. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Cracraft | Early Eocene | Willwood Formation | USA ( Wyoming) | A Geranoididae, type sp. E. campivagus. | |
| Geranodornis | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Cracraft | Middle Eocene | Bridger Formation | USA ( Wyoming) | A Geranoididae type sp. G. aenigma | |
| Musophaga meini | Sp. nov. | jr synonym | Ballmann | Middle Miocene (MN 8) | | France | A Musophagidae jr syn of Veflintornis meini | |
| Otus wintershofensis | Sp. nov. | jr synonym | Ballmann | Early Miocene | | Germany | A Strigidae, transferred Strix wintershofensis. | |
| Palaeonerpes | Gen. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Cracraft & Morony | Early Pliocene | Valentine Formation | USA ( Nebraska) | A Picidae, type sp P. shorti | |
| Palaeophasianus incompletus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cracraft | Early Eocene | Willwood Formation | USA ( Wyoming) | A Geranoididae | |
| Paracygnus | Gen. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Short | Late Pliocene | Kimbal Formation | USA ( Colorado) | An Anatidae, type sp P. plattensis | |
| Paragrus shufeldti | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cracraft | Early Eocene | Willwood Formation | USA ( Wyoming) | A Geranoididae | |
| Plotopterum | Gen et Sp. nov. | Valid | Howard | Early Miocene | Upper Walker Formation | USA California | A Plotopteridae, type sp P. joaquinensis | Plotopterum joaquinensis |
| Pseudodontornis stirtoni | Sp. nov. | jr synonym | Howard & Warter | Late Pliocene | | New Zealand | A Pseudodontornithidae transferred to Neodontornis stirtoni | |
| Pulsatrix arredondoi | Sp. nov. | valid | Brodkorb | Pleistocene | Caverna Paredones | Cuba | A Strigidae. | |
| Strix brevis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Ballmann | Early Miocene | | Germany | A Strigidae, transferred to Intulula brevis. | |
| Taoperdix miocaena | Sp. nov. | Valid | Ballmann | Early Miocene | | Germany | A Cracidae. | |
| Tetrao praeurogallus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Early Pliocene - Early Pleistocene | | Bulgaria | A Phasianidae. | |
| Zenaidura prior | Sp. nov. | jr synonym | Brodkorb | Late Pliocene | Rexroad Formation | USA ( Kansas) | A Columbidae, transferred to Zenaida prior. | |
| Zygodactylus | Gen et Sp. nov. | Valid | Ballmann | Middle Miocene | | France  Germany | A Zygodactylidae two sp Z. grivensis & Z. ignotus. | |

### Pterosaurs

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Nesodactylus | gen et sp nov | Valid | Colbert | Late Jurassic | Jagua Formation | Cuba | family placement uncertain | |

## Synapsids
### Mammals

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type Locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Crusafontia | Gen et sp nov | valid | Henkel & Krebs | Cretaceous Barremian | | Spain | A dryolestid mammalian The type species is C. cuencana. | Crusafontia cuencana |
| Sivapardus | Gen. et. sp. nov. | Valid | Bakr | Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene | Sar-Dhok | Pakistan | A felinae large cat. The type species is S. punjabiensis | |

## Paleontologists

* Death of Friedrich von Huene, the well known German paleontologist.