# 2000 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 2000.

## Plants
### Angiosperms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Chaneya | Gen et 2 comb nov | Valid | Wang & Manchester | Late Eocene | Florissant Formation | USA | A genus of uncertain affiliation The type species is Porana tenuis (1908) Also includes P. kokangensis (1939) | Chaneya tenuis |
| Palaeocarpinus sikhotealinensis | Sp nov | Valid | Akhmetiev & Manchester | Latest Eocene or Earliest Oligocene | Kizi Group Buoy Bay Member | Russia | A betulaceous fruit | |

## Arthropods
### Arachnids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Baltocteniza | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Eskov & Zonstein | Early Eocene (Miocene) | Baltic amber | Europe | The type and only species is Baltocteniza kulickae | |
| Electrocteniza | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Eskov & Zonstein | Early Eocene (Miocene) | Baltic amber | Europe | The type and only species is Electrocteniza sadilenkoi | |

### Crustaceans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Tillocheles kaoriae | Sp nov | Valid | Yokoi & Karasawa | Cenomanian-Turonian | Yezo Group | Japan | A stenochirid | |

### Insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Makarkiniidae | Fam nov | jr synonym | Martins-Neto | Aptian | Crato Formation | Brazil | A lacewing family, syn of Kalligrammatidae | |
| Neurosymploca? oligocenica | Sp nov | valid | Fernández-Rubio & Nel | Rupelian | Paleolake Céreste | France | A moth, possibly a species of Neurosymploca | Neurosymploca oligocenica |

## Molluscs
### Bivalves

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Camyidae | fam nov | valid | Hinz-Schallreuter | Early Cambrian | Bornholm | Denmark | type and only genus Camya | |

## Fishes
### Newly named placoderms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Aleosteus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Johnson, Elliott, & Wittke | Lower Devonian | Sevy Dolomite Formation, Nevada | USA | The type species is Aleosteus eganensis. | |

### Newly named cartilaginous fish

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Debeerius | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Grogan & Lund | Carboniferous (late Chesterian) | Heath Formation | USA ( Montana) | An early cartilaginous fish with an anatomy intermediate to the chimaeroid and selachian plans. The type species is D. ellefseni. | |

## Amphibians

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Avitabatrachus | Valid | Baez Trueb Calvo | Middle Cretaceous | Candeleros Formation | Argentina | The type species is Avitabatrachus uliana. |
| Banksiops | Valid | Warren Mariscano | | | | A replacement genus for Banksia Warren & Mariscano, 1998 preoccupied for arachnid Banksia Voigt & Oudermans, 1905. |
| Jeholotriton | Valid | Wang | Early Cretaceous | Daohugou Bed Formation | China | The type species is Jeholotriton paradoxus. |
| Rileymillerus | Valid | Bolt Chatterjee | Upper Triassic | Cooper Canyon Formation | USA | The type species is Rileymillerus cosgriffi. |

## Ichthyosaurs

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Aegirosaurus | Valid | Bardet Fernández | Upper Jurassic | | Germany | The type species is Aegirosaurus leptospondylus. |
| Callawayia | Valid | Maisch Matzke | Upper Triassic | Pardonet Formation | Canada | A new genus for "Shastasaurus" neoscapularis. |
| Guizhouichthyosaurus | Valid | Cao Luo | Upper Triassic | Falang Formation | China | The type species is Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae. |
| Phantomosaurus | Valid | Maisch Matzke | Middle Triassic | Upper Muschelkalk Formation | Germany | A new genus for "Shastasaurus" neubigi. |

## Archosauromorphs
### Newly named crurotarsans

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Adzhosuchus | Valid | Efimov Gubin Kurzanov | Late Jurassic | Shar Teg Beds | Mongolia | A basal crocodylomorph. The type species is Adzhosuchus fuscus. |
| Kyasuchus | Valid | Efimov Leshchinskiy | Early Cretaceous | Ilek Formation | Russia | A basal crocodilomorph. The type species is Kyasuchus saevi. |
| Simosuchus | Valid | Buckley Brochu Krause Pol | Late Cretaceous | Maevarano Formation | Madagascar | A notosuchian. The type species is Simosuchus clarki. |
| Stolokrosuchus | Valid | Larrson Gabo | Early Cretaceous | El Rhaz Formation | Niger | A neosuchian. The type species is Stolokrosuchus lapparenti. |

### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Bambiraptor | Valid | Burnham Derstler et al. | | Two Medicine Formation | USA | A very bird-like two foot long dromaeosaurid. May be a juvenile Saurornitholestes. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Byronosaurus | Valid | Mark Norell Makovicky Clark | | Djadochta Formation | Mongolia | A five foot long troodontid. Mysteriously, skulls of extremely small juveniles have been recovered from an oviraptorosaur nest. This may be evidence of brood parasitism or predator-prey relationships between the two species. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Caudipteryx dongi | Valid | Zhou Zhonghe Wang Xiaolin | Early Cretaceous | Lower Yixian Formation | China | A caudipterygid oviraptorosaur | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Charonosaurus | Valid | Godefroit Zan Jin L. | | Yuliangze Formation | China | A 13 m (42.5 ft) long Parasaurolophus-like lambeosaur. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Chuanjiesaurus | Valid | Fang Pang et al. | | Chuanjie Formation | China | A mamenchisaurid. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Fukuiraptor | Valid | Azuma Phillip Currie | | Kitadani Formation | Japan | A neovenatorid known only from juvenile specimens. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| "Ginnareemimus" | Nomen nudum | Kaneko | | Sao Khua Formation | Thailand | Formally named Kinnareemimus in 2009 in paleontology. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Glyptodontopelta | Valid | Ford | | Ojo Alamo Sandstone | USA | Named after the armored mammal Glyptodon. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Graciliceratops | Valid | Paul Sereno | | Sheeregeen Gashoon Formation | Mongolia | Primitive ceratopsian. Only a partial skeleton has been found. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Huabeisaurus | Valid | Pang Cheng Z. | | Huiquanpu Formation | China | Opisthocoelicaudia-like titanosaurid. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| "Iguanoides" | Nomen nudum; synonym of Iguanodon | Conybeare vide: Cadbury | | | | Junior synonym of Iguanodon. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Ilokelesia | Valid | Rodolfo Coria Salgado | | Rio Limay Formation | Argentina | A primitive abelisaur who name is derived from "flesh lizard" in Mapuche. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Isanosaurus | Valid | Buffetaut Suteethorn et al. | | Nam Phong Formation | Thailand | A small, 6.5 metres (21 ft) long sauropod. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Jeholosaurus | Valid | Xu Xing Wang X. You | | Yixian Formation | China | A 71.1 centimetres (28.0 in) long hypsilophodont. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Microraptor | Valid | Xu Xing Zhou Z. Wang X. | | Jiufotang Formation | China | A tiny "four-winged" dromaeosaurid. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Nanyangosaurus | Valid | Xu Xing Zhao X. et al. | | Sangping Formation | China | A hadrosauroid. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Nomingia | Valid | Rinchen Barsbold Halszka Osmólska et al. | | Beds of Bugeen Tsav | Mongolia | The first non-avian dinosaur known to have a pygostyle at the end of its tail. In life this structure probably supported a fan of feathers. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Nqwebasaurus | Valid | de Klerk Forster et al. | | Kirkwood Formation | South Africa | The earliest known coelurosaur from Gondwana, the type specimen was a three foot long juvenile with preserved gastroliths in its stomach. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| "Ponerosteus" | Nomen dubium; possibly non-dinosaurian | George Olshevsky, | | | | A dubious taxon whose name means "useless bone" to reflect the low quality of the material, which had fueled taxonomic confusion. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Pyroraptor | Valid | Allain Philippe Taquet | | Grès à Reptiles | France | A dromaeosaurid known from a single specimen. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Rocasaurus | Valid | Salgado Azpilicueta | | Allen Formation | Argentina | A small, 8 meter long titanosaur. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| "Saltriosaurus" | Nomen nudum | Dal Sasso | | | | An Allosaurus-like theropod estimated to be 8 meters (26 ft) long. Only ten percent of its skeleton is known. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Sauroposeidon | Valid | Wedel Cifelli Sanders | | Antlers Formation | USA | A gigantic brachiosaur with an estimated length of up to 34 m (112 ft) and a mass of 50–60 t (55–66 short tons). It is known from four neck vertebrae. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |
| Tendaguria | Valid | Jose Bonaparte Heinrich Wild | | Tendaguru Formation | Tanzania | A 20 meters (66 ft) long sauropod. | Bambiraptor Charonosaurus Fukuiraptor Graciliceratops Microraptor Nanyangosaurus Nomingia PyroraptorSauroposeidon |

### Newly named birds

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Alca stewarti | Valid | Sp. nov. | James W. R. Martin Cyril A. Walker Richard H. C. Bonser Gareth J. Dyke | Early Pliocene | Kattendijk Sands Formation | Belgium:  East Flanders | An Alcidae. |
| Ameripodius alexis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Early Miocene | MN 2a | France | A Quercymegapodiidae Mourer-Chauviré, 1992. |
| Brachypteracias langrandi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Steven M. Goodman | Holocene | Ampoza | Madagascar | A Brachypteraciidae. |
| Cerestenia pulchrapenna | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Middle Oligocene | MP 23 | France | Possibly a stem Turnicidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Cygnus verae | Valid | Sp. nov. | Zlatozar N. Boev | Early Pliocene | MN 14, Ruscinian | Bulgaria | An Anatidae. |
| Eocoracias brachyptera | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Middle Eocene | Messel pit, MP 11 | Germany:  Hessen | The type species of the new genus, placed in the new family Eocoraciidae G. Mayr et Mourer-Chauviré, 2000. |
| Fratercula dowi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Daniel A. Guthrie Howell W. Thomas George L. Kennedy | Late Pleistocene | Late Rancholabrean, San Nicolas Island | USA:  California | An Alcidae. |
| Frigidafons babaheydariensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Dieter S. Peters Ali Hamedani | Early Oligocene | Rupelian | Iran | A Diomedeoididae Fischer, 1985, transferred to Diomedeoides Fischer, 1985 by Mayr, Peters & Rietschel, 2002 and to Rupelornis van Beneden, 1871 by Mayr & Smith, 2012. |
| Gallirallus huiatua | Valid | Sp. nov. | David W. Steadman Trevor H. Worthy Atholl J. Anderson Richard Walter | Holocene | Prehistoric | Niue | A Rallidae. |
| Geranopterus milneedwardsi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Eocene or Oligocene | Phosphotites du Quercy, MP 16-28 | France | A Geranopteridae Mayr & Mourer-Chauviré, 2000. |
| Jibeinia luanhera | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Lianhai Hou | Early Cretaceous | Huajiying Formation | China | An Enantiornithes, described in 1997 but the name was a labelname, so a Nomen Nudum, in 2000 Hou gave a short description in the Picture Book of Chinese Fossil Birds, making the name valid. |
| Longipteryx chaoyangensis | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Fucheng Zhang Zhou Zhonghe Hou Lianhan Gu Gang | Early Cretaceous | Jiufotang Formation | China | An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981. The type species of the new genus. |
| Megapodius amissus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Trevor H. Worthy | Holocene | Cave deposits, Viti Levu | Fiji | A Megapodiidae. |
| Megavitiornis altirostris | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Trevor H. Worthy | Holocene | Cave deposits, Viti Levu | Fiji | A Megapodiidae, the type species of the new genus. |
| Messelirrisor grandis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Early Middle Eocene | Messel pit MN 11 | Germany:  Hessen | An Upupiformes, Laurillardiidae Harrison, 1979. |
| Nycticorax kalavikai | Valid | Sp. nov. | David W. Steadman Trevor H. Worthy Atholl J. Anderson Richard Walter | Holocene | Prehistoric | Niue | An Ardeidae. |
| Oligocolius brevitarsus | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Middle Oligocene | MP 23-24 | Germany:  Baden-Württemberg | A stem Coliidae. |
| Paraortygoides messelensis | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Middle Eocene | Messel pit, MP 11 | Germany:  Hessen | A Gallinuloididae Lucas, 1900. |
| Phirriculus pinicola | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Jirí Mlíkovský Ursula B. Göhlich | Early Miocene | MN 2a and MN 3 | France;  Germany:  Bavaria | A Phoeniculidae. |
| Porzana piercei | Valid | Sp. nov. | Storrs L. Olson David B. Wingate | Middle Pleistocene | Government Quarry | Bermuda | A Rallidae. |
| Potamornis skutchi | Valid | Gen. nov et Sp. nov. | Andrzej Elzanowski Gregory S. Paul Thomas A. Stidham | Late Cretaceous | Late Maastrichtian | USA:  Wyoming | A Hesperornithiformas. |
| Protopteryx fengningensis | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Zhang Fucheng Zhou Zhonghe | Early Cretaceous | Huajiying Formation | China | An Enanthornithes. This is the type species of the new genus. |
| Pulchapollia gracilis | Valid | Gen. nov et Sp. nov. | Gareth J. Dyke Joanne H. Cooper | Early Eocene | Ypresian, MP 8, London Clay | UK:  England | A Psittaciformes, Halcyornithidae Harrison et Walker, 1972, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Qiluornis taishanensis | Valid | Gen. nov et Sp. nov. | Lian-Hai Hou Zhong-He Zhou Fu-Cheng Zhang Jun-De Li | Miocene | Shanwang Formation | China | An Accipitridae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Rallus ibycus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Storrs L. Olson David B. Wingate | Middle Pleistocene | Government Quarry | Bermuda | A Rallidae. |
| Salmila robusta | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Middle Eocene | Messel pit, MP 11 | Germany:  Hessen | A Gruiformes, Salmilidae Mayr, 2002, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Serudaptus pohli | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Middle Eocene | Messel pit, MP 11 | Germany:  Hessen | A Psittaciformes, Halcyornithidae Harrison et Walker, 1972, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Turnipax dissipata | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Early-Middle Oligocene | MP 21-25 | France | Possibly a stem Turnicidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Tynskya eocaena | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Early Eocene | Green River Formation MP 8, London Clay | USA:  Wyoming;  UK:  England | A Messelasturidae Mayr, 2005, this is the type species of the new genus. |

### Newly named pterosaurs

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Domeykodactylus | Valid | Martill Frey Diaz Bell | Early Cretaceous | Santa Ana Formation | Chile | A pterodactyloid. The type species is Domeykodactylus ceciliae. | |
| Anhanguera piscator | Valid | Kellner Tomida | Early Cretaceous | Santana Formation | Brazil | A pterodactyloid. Reclassified in 2006 to the genus Coloborhynchus. | |

## Synapsids
### Non-mammalian

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Australobarbarus | Valid | Kurkin | Upper Permian | Sokolki Faunal Assemblage | Russia | A dicynodont. Two species are described Australobarbarus kotelnitshi (type) and A. platycephalus. |
| Charruodon | Valid | Abdala Ribeiro | Upper Triassic | Santa Maria Formation | Brazil | A cynodont. The type species is Charruodon tetracuspidatus. |
| Chlynovia | Valid | Tatarinov | Upper Permian | Sokolki Faunal Assemblage | Russia | A therocephalian. The type species is Chlynovia serridentatus. |
| Dadadon | Valid | Flynn Parrish Rakotosamimanana Ranivoharimanana Simpson Wyss | Middle-Upper Triassic | Makay Formation | Madagascar | A eucynodont. The type species is Dadadon isaloi. |
| Menadon | Valid | Flynn Parrish Rakotosamimanana Ranivoharimanana Simpson Wyss | Middle-Upper Triassic | Makay Formation | Madagascar | A eucynodont. The type species is Menodon besairiei. |
| Nikkasaurus | Valid | Ivakhnenko | Upper Permian | Mezen Faunal Assemblage | Russia | A nikkasaurid. The type species is Nikkasaurus tatarinovi. |
| Reiszia | Valid | Ivakhnenko | Upper Permian | Mezen Faunal Assemblage | Russia | A nikkasaurid. Two species are described Reiszia gubini (type) and R. tippula. |
| Scalopodontes | Valid | Tatarinov | Upper Permian | Sokolki Faunal Assemblage | Russia | A theriocephalian. The type species is Scalopodontes kotelnichi |
| Suchogorgon | Valid | Tatarinov | Upper Permian | Sokolki Faunal Assemblage | Russia | A gorgonopsid. The type species is Suchogorgon golubevi. |
| Vivaxosaurus | Valid | Kalandadze Kurkin | Upper Permian | Sokolki Faunal Assemblage | Russia | A dicynodont. The type species is Vivaxosaurus permicus. |