# 1972 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 1972.

## Bryophytes

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| Muscites eocenicus | Sp nov | jr synonym | Kuc | Ypresian | Allenby Formation | Canada British Columbia | A bartramiaceous moss moved to Plagiopodopsis eocenicus in 1980 | |

## Mollusca
### Bivalves

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Concavodonta | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Babin & Melou | Ordovician | | Europe | New genus for Nucula ponderata. | |

## Archosauromorphs
### Newly named archosauromorphs

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Azendohsaurus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Dutuit | Late Triassic | Argana Formation | Morocco | A herbivorous archosauromorph. | |

### Newly named pseudosuchians

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Gracilisuchus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Romer | Late Triassic (Carnian) | Chañares Formation | Argentina | | Gracilisuchus |

### Newly named dinosauriforms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Lewisuchus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Romer | Late Triassic (Carnian) | Chañares Formation | Argentina | A silesaurid. | |

### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Archaeornithomimus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Russell | Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) | Iren Dabasu Formation | China | An ornithomimid. | Archaeornithomimus asiaticus |
| Dromiceiomimus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Russell | Maastrichtian | Horseshoe Canyon Formation | Canada | An ornithomimid, possibly a synonym of Ornithomimus. | Dromiceiomimus |
| Gallimimus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Osmólska, Roniewicz Barsbold | Late Cretaceous (Maastichtian) | Nemegt Formation | Mongolia | An ornithomimid. | Gallimimus |
| "Thotobolosaurus" | | Nomen nudum | Ellenberger | Late Triassic (Norian) | | Lesotho | Formally named Kholumolumo in 2020. | |
| Vulcanodon | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Raath | Early Jurassic (Sinemurian-Pliensbachian) | Batoka Formation | Zimbabwe | A sauropod. | |

### Newly named birds

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Anserobranta tarabukini | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya | Late Miocene | MN 9 | Soviet Union:  Moldova | An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Aptenodytes ridgeni | Sp. nov. | Valid | George G. Simpson | Late Pliocene | Waititaran | New Zealand | A Spheniscidae. |
| Apus submelba | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Middle Pleistocene | MQ 2A | Hungary | An Apodidae. |
| Ardeagrandis arborea | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya | Late Miocene | MN 9 | Soviet Union:  Moldova | An Ardeidae. |
| Eostrix martinellii | Sp. nov. | Valid | Larry D. Martin Craig Call Black | Early Eocene | Wind River Formation | USA:  Wyoming | A Strigiformes, Protostrigidae Wetmore, 1933. |
| Mergus connectens | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Early Pleistocene | MQ 1b | Czech Republic;  Romania | An Anatidae. |
| Miocitta galbreathi | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Pierce Brodkorb | Late Miocene | Kenmesaw Local Fauna | USA:  Colorado | A Corvidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Otis kalmani | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Early Pleistocene | MQ 1a | Romania | An Otididae. |
| Paraptenodytes brodkorbi | Sp. nov. | Synonym of Paraptenodytes robustus (Ameghino, 1895). | George G. Simpson | Early Miocene | Patagonian Formation | Argentina | A Spheniscidae, placed in synonymy with Paraptenodytes robustus (Ameghino, 1895) by Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, 2005, but Sara Bertelli, Norberto P. Giannini & Daniel T. Ksepka, 2006 disagree with her and say it needs another genus. |
| Phalacrocorax lautus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya | Late Miocene | | Soviet Union:  Moldova | A Phalacrocoracidae. |
| Probalearica moldavica | Sp. nov. | Valid | Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya | Late Miocene | MN 9 | Soviet Union:  Moldova | A Gruidae, transferred to the genus Grus by Jíří Mlíkovský, 2002. |
| Protocitta ajax | Sp. nov. | Valid | Pierce Brodkorb | Late Pliocene | Blancan | USA:  Texas;  Kansas | A Corvidae, sometimes placed in the genus Calocitta G. R. Gray, 1841. |
| Pygoscelis tyreei | Sp. nov. | Valid | George G. Simpson | Late Pliocene | Waititaran | New Zealand | A Spheniscidae. |
| Rustaviornis georgicus | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich G. K. Meladze | Late Miocene Sarmantian | Hipparion Fauna | Soviet Union:  Georgia | A Phasianidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Strix collongensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Peter Ballmann | Middle Miocene | Mn 5 | France | A Strigidae, transferred to and made the type species of the new genus Alasio by Jirí Mlíkovský, 1998. |
| Surnia capeki | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Early Pleistocene | MQ 1b | Czech Republic | A Strigidae. |
| Tertiariaporphyrula lungi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya | Late Miocene | MN 9-11 | Soviet Union:  Moldova | A Rallidae, transferred to the genus Palaeoaramides Lambrecht, 1933 by Storrs L. Olson, 1977. Subsequently, made the type species of a separate genus Mioporphyrula by Zelenkov (2015). |
| Tyto noeli | Sp. nov. | Valid | Oscar Arredondo | Late Pleistocene | Cave deposits | Cuba | A Tytonidae. |
| Tyto riveroi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Oscar Arredondo | Pleistocene | Cave deposits | Cuba | A Tytonidae. |

## Synapsids
### Newly named therapsids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Regisaurus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Mendrez | Early Triassic | | South Africa | A regisaurid therocephalian. | Regisaurus jacobi. |

### Mammalian

| Name | Novelty | Authors | Age | Type Locality | Country | Notes |
| Stenailurus teilhardi | Gen. et. sp. nov. | Crusafont-Pairo & Aguirre | Late Miocene (Turolian) | | Spain | |

## Other Animals

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Location | Notes |
| Brachina | Gen. and sp. nov. | Valid | Wade | Ediacaran | Australia | The type species is B. delicata. |
| Dickinsonia brachina | Sp. nov. | Synonym of Dickinsonia tenuis | Wade | Ediacaran | Australia | |
| Dickinsonia lissa | Sp. nov. | Synonym of Dickinsonia tenuis | Wade | Ediacaran | Australia | |
| Eoporpita | Gen. and sp. nov. | Valid | Wade | Ediacaran | Australia | The type species is E. medusa. |
| Kimberella | Nom. nov. | Valid | Wade | Ediacaran | Australia | A replacement name for Kimberia Glaessner & Wade (1966). |
| Rangea sibirica | Sp. nov. | Synonym of Charnia masoni | Sokolov | Ediacaran | Russia | |
| Rugoconites tenuirugosus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Wade | Ediacaran | Australia | |