recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Morturneria

Credit: Connor Ashbridge on the Wikimedia Commons.

*Morturneria* is an extinct (dubious?) genus of elasmosaurid that lived in Antarctica during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Morturneria* is known from several fossils discovered in the Late Cretaceous of Antarctica. Some sources classify *Morturneria* as an ontogenetic stage of *Aristonectes*, while others view *Morturneria* was a separate genus and species. The animal had many fine teeth in its jaws for sifting sediment, in search of small organisms to eat. Despite the unsure validity of this genus, the remains attributed to it are always considered juvenile.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morturneria
Myliobatis fastigiatus

*Myliobatis fastigiatus* is an extinct species of ray that lived in New Jersey during the Eocene.

## Description

The median groove on the typic lower plate may prove relatedness and/or synonymy with *Myliobatis bisulcus*, which would take taxonomic priority. The dental plate is arched, with nine median teeth and about four lateral teeth comprising of two rows on either side. This taxon is formed by a type and paratype, both postulated upper plates. Eleven median and several lateral teeth and seven median and three smaller teeth on one row are preserved in the type and paratype, respectively. The type was discovered by a W. Cleburne and the paratype by a J.H. Slack in Monmouth County.

## References

* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=132640
* https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin4.pdf
Pikaia gracilens

**Pikaia gracilens** are the oldest known ancestor of chordates (animals with backbones).

## Etymology

The genus name, *Pikaia*, is derived from the pika, an animal that lives near the Burgess Shale. The species name, *gracilens*, is Latin for "thin and simple", which perfectly describes the shape of this chordate.

## Discovery

A 505 million-year-old creature was unearthed in the Burgess Shale fossil beds in Canada's Yoho National Park. American paleontologist Charles Doolittle Walcott initially classified *Pikaia* as a possible annelid worm in 1911. 101 years later, researchers from the University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, and the Royal Ontario Museum disproved Walcott's conclusion. Using a wide range of imagery techniques on 114 fossils, researchers discovered notochords (backbones), myomeres (muscle blocks along either side of the spine), and a dorsal nerve chord on the creature, all characteristic of chordates. Thus, *Pikaia* was named the most primitive chordate.

## Appearance

*Pikaia* is an elongated creature with a small anterior region bearing the head. The flattened body is divided into a series of segmented myomeres or muscle bands by S-shaped lines that lie on either side of the backbone, which runs the entire length of the body. Out from the head grows two equal lobes and a pair of short and slender tentacle-like structures but no evidence of eyes. Twelve pairs of small, short, pointed, gill-like structures grow on either side of the midline on the ventral side, and a ventral fin seems to be present on the posterior. Their gut is narrow, and their anus ends the body.

## Behavior

*Pikaia gracilens* likely swam near the sea floor by undulating its body like a snake. They were deposit feeders, meaning they obtain nutrients from organic matter in the sediments.

## Institutions

Most fossils are held in trust for Parks Canada at the Royal Ontario Museum, while the remainder are found in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.

## Works Cited

“Human’s Oldest Ancestor Found.” *University of Cambridge*, 6

Mar. 2012, www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/humans-oldest-ancestor-found.

“Pikaia Gracilens.” *The Burgess Shale*, 10 July 2023, burgess-

shale.rom.on.ca/fossils/pikaia-gracilens/.
Myliobatis altus

*Myliobatis altus* is an extinct species of ray that lived in New Zealand during the Oligocene.

## History

It is found in the Oamaru Formation and Davis (1888) credits the deposit of the holotypic material to the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand.

## Description

*M. altus* is known from Broken River, Trelissick Basin. It is contemporaneous with *Myliobatis plicatilis* and *Myliobatis arcuatus* in the Oamaru Formation. As of Davis (1888). two fragmentary palatines were recovered, with one specimen preserving three teeth in situ and two for the other. The teeth are massive, with lateral plates identifying the specimen as *Myliobatis*. The median teeth are thick and convex, seeming to be be taxonomically important, are found. Lamellae are absent and the median sutures are curved.

## References

* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=389662
* https://archive.org/details/scientifictransa4188roya/page/40
Milk River Albanerpetontid

The Milk River Albanerpetontid is an unnamed genus of Amphibian that lived in Canada, Montana, and Wyoming during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

the type specimen, UA 16203, was discovered in the Milk River Formation, and consists of a partial left premaxilla. Fox and Naylor (1982) origionally described this taxon as a species of *Albanerpeton, Albanerpeton galaktion*. However, Daza et. al. (2020) did a phylogenetic analysis on Albanerpetontid after describing *Yaksha*, and found *Albanerpeton* to be paraphyletic. The authors encouraged any species of *Albanerpeton* known before the Cenozoic to be split into their own genera.

## Classification

this phylogeny was recovered by Daza et al (2020):

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanerpeton
* http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon\_no=114403
Myliobatis microrhizus

M. cf. microrhizus from the region of Savigné.

*Myliobatis microrhizus* is an extinct species of ray that lived in France during the Late Miocene.

## Description

*M. microrhizus* is known from Léognan, 33. It was described from a whole vomerian plate, which was strong arched from front-to-back. The external surface is heavily toothed like in *Aetobatus*, with 8 median rafters that run laterally and have many small, diamond-shaped chevrons. The rafters join via sutures rather than the smooth contours of *Myliobatis*. Unlike typical members of this genus, the roots are concave on the interior wall. Each rafter bears a space between them, as both sides do not extend over the entire crown medially or laterally. This clearly outlines the crowns of each tooth, which is also completely isolate from the root side. The first six median rafters are slightly pectinated, with the last two having smooth roots. Agassiz originally considered naming two species from the material that originally defined *M. microrhizus*; however, the material was named later as being a single taxon, having a suite of novel characters rather than one or two.

## References

* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=431465
* http://dominique.millet2.free.fr/poiss9-a.html
* https://archive.org/details/DelfortrieE.1871-Ichthyologie-LesBroyeursDuTertiaireAquitanien
Osteoporosia

Kem Kem Beds size chart by randomdinos on DeviantArt depicting Osteoporosia as a megaraptoran.

## Statistics

### Length

7.9 meters (25.9 feet)?
15 meters?
9 meters?

### Diet

Carnivorous

*Osteoporosia* is a naked genus of dinosaur that lived in Morocco during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Osteoporosia* is known from a fragmented posterior dorsal neural arch that was classified as a carnosaur by Singer. This was compared with the size of Aerosteon, where he found Osteoporosia was 15 meters long. This has changed, however, and many sources consider it a different size. However, when Franoys and a friend compared the material, they found an animal 9 meters long. Since the original megaraptoran affinities, Mortimer has suggested the material instead represents a carcharodontosaurid.

A 2019 theropod faunal list finds Osteoporosia is based a tooth, JP Cr340. It is also said in this list to be a possible synonym of Sauroniops.

## References

* https://dinoanimals.com/dinosaurs/huge-dinosaurs-youve-never-heard-of/
* https://dinoanimals.com/dinosaurdatabase/osteoporosia-gigantea/
* https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780691190594-013/pdf
Orthocormus

O. cornutus. Credit: Orthocormus on the Wikimedie Commons.

*Orthocormus* is an extinct genus of pachycormiform fish that lived in Europe during the Early Jurassic.

## Description

BSPG 1993 XVIII-VFKO B16 (or SNSB-BSPG 1993 XVIII-VFKO B16) is a very complete, well-preserved specimen that was assigned the type of O. roeperi. It is known from Brunn Quarry, of the Kimmeridgian-aged lagoonal/restricted shallow subtidal mudstone.

## Classification

*Orthocormus* is considered a basal pachycormiform. *"Hypsocormus" tenuirostris* is not closely affiliated with the type of *Hypsocormus*, and is more akin to *Orthocormus* and *Protosphyaena*. Therefore, it is sometimes classified as *O.? tenuirostris*.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthocormus
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=358159
* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318339141\_Vertebrate\_fossils\_from\_the\_Kimmeridgian\_of\_Brunn\_the\_oldest\_fauna\_from\_the\_Solnhofen\_Archipelago\_Late\_Jurassic\_Bavaria\_Germany
Passenger pigeon

Martha, the last living passenger pigeon, photographed in 1912 by Enno Myer

The passenger pigeon, any pigeon in *Ectopistes*, is a species of pigeon that lived in North America that went extinct on September 1st, 1914.

## Description

The passenger pigeon was sexually dimorphic, with males being larger and more colorful than the females. Their natural habitat was the deciduous forested region of eastern North America, but they primarily bred around the Great Lakes region. They migrated and flocked communally, and at one point their population was between 3 and 5 billion individuals. They could fly at speeds of 100 km/h and fed primarily on seeds and nuts, but also ate fruits and invertebrates. Passenger pigeons practiced communal roosting and breeding, and adapted a form of predator satiation with their high population numbers.

## History

The oldest known fossil of *E. migratorius* is a humerus (USNM 430960) from North Carolina, dating to the Zanclean stage of the Pliocene between 5.3 and 3.6 million years ago. Passenger pigeons were hunted regularly by indigenous peoples of North America, but began to face threat when Europeans in the 19th century began hunting them at an unprecedented scale for many decades in order to sell their meat at extremely cheap prices. This, combined with shrinking breeding populations and deforestation, lead to a slow decrease in population between 1800 and 1870, which was followed by a rapid decline between 1870 and 1890. The last confirmed passenger pigeon in the wild was shot in 1901. The remaining individuals remained in captivity around the turn of the 20th century, some surviving long enough to be photographed alive. The final living passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1st, 1914. Today, over 1,532 skins of passenger pigeons still exist, along with 16 skeletons. An American geneticist named George M. Church has suggested using DNA from these specimens to clone the passenger pigeon back to life through genetic splicing into STEM cells of related extant species. As of 2021, no attempt has been made to de-extinct a passenger pigeon.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger\_pigeon
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha\_(passenger\_pigeon)
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martha\_last\_passenger\_pigeon\_1912.jpg
* https://archive.org/details/publishedfigures00shuf/mode/2up?view=theater
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=67689
* https://eol.org/pages/45509400
Peloneustes

Before formal naming or identification, this organism was known as the following on this wiki:
**BMNH R2439**

## Statistics

### Diet

Carnivorous

*Peloneustes* is an extinct genus of pliosaur that lived in England during the Middle Jurassic.

## Description

It was one of the smallest known pliosaurs, making it more streamlined and agile so it could easily catch its prey, which consisted of belemnites and ammonites. One specimen, informally known as BMNH R2439 (known from a mandible, teeth, paddlebones, ribs and vertebrae), was originally thought to have been a separate pliosaur genus, but now most palaeontologists classify BMNH R2439 as a new species of *Peloneustes*.

## Notable Specimens

* BMNH R2439: Once thought to have been a new genus of pliosaur, is thought to have been a species of *Peloneustes*. The fossil consists of paddle bones, a mandible, teeth, ribs and vertebrae.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/illustrated-encyclopedia-dinosaurs-prehistoric-animals/dp/1840281529/ref=sr\_1\_1?dchild=1&field-isbn=1840281529&qid=1625085709&refinements=p\_66%3A1840281529&sr=8-1
2. ↑ http://www.paleofile.com/Sauropterygia/Peloneustus.asp
Paraderma

*Paraderma* is an extinct genus of monitor lizard that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Paraderma* possessed venom glands, a trait seen in later monitor lizards like the massive Megalania and the extant *Varanus*. The lizard is known from several fragmented teeth and a maxilla. The teeth are pleurodont, with bases that are transversally elongated and infolded.

## Classification

*Paraderma* is closely related to other monitors, like *Palaeosaniwa*, *Parasaniwa*, *Labrodioctes* and *Cemeterius*. The monitor would evolve into extant monitor lizard genera like *Varanus*.

## References

* https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Paraderma
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaeosaniwa
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heloderma
* http://treatment.plazi.org/id/1A7187CFFFC21774FEE2FB0BE38859C3
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=38034
Palaeopteryx

*Palaeopteryx* is a dubious misidentified genus of maniraptoran dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic.

## History

BYU 2022 was discovered by an expedition lead by Brigham Young University directed by J.A. Jensen in the 1970s. It was found in the "Dry Mesa" quarry, Brushy Basin Member, Morrison Formation. Alongside pterosaurs and dinosaur remains BYU 2023 represents a derived maniraptor, missing the distal end, is 63 millimeters (2 1/2 inches) long. This specimen is too small to be from BYU 2022. This specimen exhibits apomorphies in advanced maniraptors like *Microvenator*, *Microraptor* and *Archaopteryx*.

*Palaeopteryx*, specifically specimen BYU 2022, is subject to much confusion on the internet, both in scientific press and creationist writers. Described as a bird older than *Archaeopteryx*, *Palaeopteryx* can not be assigned avialae, with a horizon much younger than *Archaeopteryx* (still Jurassic-aged, however). The specimen is 45 millimeters (1 3/4 inches) long. Jensen (1981) classifies the proximal left tibiotarsus as "avian-like". R.E. Molner (1985) lists *Palaeopteryx* in a survey about the earliest birds. Jensen and Padian (1989) find the distal right radius as from a small deinonychosaur or a bird.

BYU 2022 AND BYU 2023 are important samples of small maniraptors from Jurassic North America.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaeopteryx
Michaelceratops

An extreme close up of bone teased to be of this species.

MIchaelceratops, also called Brunetiraptor and Brunevenator, is a supposedly new genus of possible ceratopsian dinosaur.

## History

This specimen, which appears to be roughly 8 centimeters long, was teased on Twitter by Darren Naish as an "actual exciting new dinosaur we're working on". It was jokingly called "Michaelceratops" ("Michael horned face"), "Brunetiraptor" (Jason J. Brunet's thief") and Brunevenator ("J.J. Brunet's hunter"). The image is an extreme close up of a fossil, which appears to be of a ceratopsian or of a limb bone.

## References

https://twitter.com/TetZoo/status/1460982859175497736/photo/1 (and associated thread)
Niebla

Credit: Cisiopurple on DeviantArt.

*Niebla* is an extinct genus of abelisaur that lived in Argentina during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Niebla* is known from a single adult specimen, MPCN-PV-796, that preserves its braincase, a fragmentary mandible and teeth a nearly complete scapulacoracoid, dorsal ribs and incomplete vertebrae. *Niebla* is smaller than *Abelisaurus* and *Carnotaurus*. *Niebla*'s braincase has a tube which is dorsoventrally tall and the postemporal foramen is enclosed by parietal and exoccipitals. The scapulacoracoid is very similar to *Carnotaurus*. It's name, meaning "mist", refers to foggy excavation days. "*Antiqua*" means "old". It was found near Matadero Hill.

It is one of the most derived abelisaurs. The scapulacoracoid is similar to *Carnotaurus* in having a posterodorsally-oriented glenoid, a wide, dorsoventrally-expanded coraco-scapular plate and a straight, narrow scapular blade. These are also different from other abelisaurids, which may suggest a unique pectoral girdle conformation in South American theropod dinosaurs. It lived in the Allen Formation, which was populated by pterosaurs, theropods, sauropods and ornithopods.

## References

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0895981120304582
NSMT-PV 20375

Credit: Momotarou2012 on Wikimedia.

NSMT-PV 20375 is an unnamed genus of Apatosaurine that lived in Wyoming during the Late Jurassic.

## Description

NSMT-PV 20375 consists of a mostly complete skeleton. Some bones have unusual proportions to Apatosaurines and is believed these represent *Camarasaurus*. "*Atlantosaurus immanis"* (YPM 1840) potentially represents the same taxon as this specimen.

## Classification

This phylogeny was recovered by Tschopp, Mateus, and Benson (2015).

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplodocidae
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4393826/
Parabalaenoptera

*Parabalaenoptera* is an extinct genus of baleen whales that lived in California during the Late Miocene.

## History

A skull was discovered by College of Marin geology professors in the 1980s from Point Reyes National Seashore near Bolinas, California -which it is named after. It is known from the Late Miocene Santa Cruz Mudstone.

## Description

*Parabalaenoptera* was close in size, 16 meters (52 feet), to the modern gray whale. It was very similar to the humpback whale.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabalaenoptera
* https://twitter.com/CoastalPaleo/status/1448350376198033413
Paludidraco

Credit: Nix Draws Stuff.

*Paludidraco* is an extinct genus of nothosaur that lived in Spain during the Late Triassic.

## Description

*Paludidraco* is closely related to *Simosaurus*, and is only differentiated by the wideness of its jaws and its body plan. *Paludidraco* was a stocky animal, with wide jaws built for filter-feeding. *Paludidraco* had 15 pre-maxillary teeth, and has expanded ribs. The vertebrae and zygapophyses are thickened.

## Paleoecology

Like all nothosaurs, *Paludidraco* was able to surface on land for a short while, then return to the ocean. *Paludidraco* may have scooped sand through its teeth in search of small animals to devour. *Paludidraco*'s teeth were very weak, and not able to eat marine plants. *Paludidraco* may have had a low energy lifestyle, eating animal and plant matter smal enough not to break it's teeth.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paludidraco
Ocozocoautla Richardoestesia

Credit: Digital Assets Department. General Directorate of Computing and Information and Communication Technologies - UNAM.

## Statistics

### Diet

piscivorous?

The Ocozocoautla *Richardoestesia* is an unnamed genus of either primitive Maniraptoran or extremely specialized Troodontid that lived in Mexico during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

The taxon is known from a jaw and 19 teeth. The jaw is curved upward and all teeth are the same length in relation to eachother. It is hypothesized that this taxon may have been specialized for feeding on fish, due to the similarities between jaw shape with piscivorous modern birds, but that hypothesis is tentative due to the lack of material.

## Paleoenvironment

The Ocozocoautla Formation is a coastal deposit, ranging from Deltaic deposits, to the continental slope. The taxon was reported from a Maastrichtian-aged lagoon with ocean access.

## References

* http://www.revista.unam.mx/vol.16/num11/art86/art86.pdf
* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/28113619\_Late\_Cretaceous\_Maastrichtian\_foraminiferal\_assemblage\_from\_the\_inoceramid\_beds\_Ocozocoautla\_Formation\_Central\_Chiapas\_SE\_Mexico
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocozocoautla\_Formation
Micropterix

This page is about a genus that contains extinct and extant species; species marked with † are extinct.

## Statistics

### Synonyms

*Micropteryx*
*Eriocephala*
*Microptericina*
*Electrocrania*

### Diet

Herbivorous?

*Micropterix* is a genus of moth that lives worldwide, and has existed since the Eocene to the present day.

## Description

*Micropterix* has small wings, with large antennae and other specialized features.

## Species

* *Micropterix abchasiae*
* *Micropterix agenjoi*
* *Micropterix aglaella*
* *Micropterix algeriella*
* *Micropterix allionella*
* *Micropterix amasiella*
* *Micropterix amsella*
* †*Micropterix anglica*
* *Micropterix aruncella*
* *Micropterix aureatella*
* *Micropterix aureocapilla*
* *Micropterix aureofasciella*
* *Micropterix aureopennella*
* *Micropterix aureoviridella*
* *Micropterix avarcella*
* *Micropterix balcanica* (manuscript name)
* *Micropterix berytella*
* *Micropterix calthella*
* *Micropterix carthaginiensis*
* *Micropterix cassinella*
* *Micropterix completella*
* *Micropterix conjunctella*
* *Micropterix constantinella*
* *Micropterix corcyrella*
* *Micropterix cornuella*
* *Micropterix croatica*
* *Micropterix cyaneochrysa*
* *Micropterix cypriensis*
* *Micropterix eatoniella*
* *Micropterix elegans*
* *Micropterix emiliensis*
* *Micropterix erctella*
* *Micropterix facetella*
* *Micropterix fasciata* (manuscript name)
* *Micropterix fenestrellensis*
* *Micropterix garganoensis*
* *Micropterix gaudiella*
* †*Micropterix gertraudae*
* *Micropterix granatensis*
* *Micropterix hartigi*
* *Micropterix herminiella*
* *Micropterix huemeri*
* *Micropterix hyrcana*
* *Micropterix ibericella*
* *Micropterix igaloensis*
* †*Micropterix immensipalpa*
* *Micropterix imperfectella*
* *Micropterix inornatus* (manuscript name)
* *Micropterix islamella*
* *Micropterix isobasella*
* *Micropterix italica*
* *Micropterix jabalmoussae*
* *Micropterix jacobella*
* ?*Micropterix jeanneli*
* *Micropterix kardamylensis*
* *Micropterix klimeschi*
* *Micropterix lagodechiella*
* *Micropterix lakoniensis*
* *Micropterix lambesiella*
* *Micropterix longicornuella*
* *Micropterix mansuetella*
* *Micropterix maschukella*
* *Micropterix minimella*
* *Micropterix montanella*
* *Micropterix monticolella*
* *Micropterix montosiella*
* *Micropterix myrtetella*
* *Micropterix osthelderi*
* *Micropterix paykullella*
* *Micropterix purpureopennella*
* *Micropterix rablensis*
* *Micropterix renatae*
* *Micropterix rothenbachii*
* *Micropterix schaefferi*
* *Micropterix sicanella*
* *Micropterix sikhotealinensis*
* *Micropterix staudinger* (manuscript name)
* *Micropterix stuebneri*
* *Micropterix trifasciella*
* *Micropterix trinacriella*
* *Micropterix tunbergella*
* *Micropterix turkmeniella*
* *Micropterix tuscaniensis*
* *Micropterix uxoria*
* *Micropterix vulturensis*
* *Micropterix wockei*
* *Micropterix zangheriella*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micropterix\_anglica

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micropterix\_gertraudae

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micropterix\_immensipalpa

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micropterix
Pica mourerae

Credit: Skye McDavid.

*Pica mourerae* is an extinct species of magpies that lived on Mallorca near the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary.

## Description

Their wing bones are much shorter than those of extant magpies, though not as short proportionally as completely flightless passerines, suggesting that the birds had reduced flight capability and were primarily terrestrial.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016699501800802?via%3Dihub
NGMC 2124

Cast of the Specimen at SMNK. Credit: Llez on the Wikimedia Commons.

NGMC 2124/GMV 2124 is an unnamed genus of Compsognathid that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

The specimen is perserved in a block, with the remains being crushed. Most of the skeleton is preserved, including staining from collagen present on the specimen. In the abdomen two *Zhangheotherium* lower jaw fragments are present. It can be distinguished from *Sinosauropteryx* by less vertebrae in the tail, longer shin bones, a longer proportion of neck length, and a relatively smaller Metatarsus, among others.

## Classification

Ji and Ji (1997) originally classified this specimen as a specimen of *Sinosauropteryx prima*, but later analysis from Longrich (DML, 2000) as well as others firmly place this taxon as not *S. prima*, an unlikely to be a new species of *Sinosauropteryx*. Hartman et al. (2019) recovered the taxon as being related to *Aorun* and *Sciurumimus*, which are both recovered as Compsognathids in that paper. Mortimer however states that only 3 characters could be changed in order to make it the sister group to *Sinosauropteryx*.

## References

* https://theropoddatabase.com/Coelurosauria.htm#Compsognathidae
* Longrich, DML 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20201115172810/http://dml.cmnh.org/2000Apr/msg00300.html
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinosauropteryx
* Hartman, Mortimer, Wahl, Lomax, Lippincott and Lovelace, 2019. A new paravian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of North America supports a late acquisition of avian flight. PeerJ. 7:e7247. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7247
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sinosauropteryx\_GMV\_2124.jpg
Mooneye

This page is about a genus that contains extinct and extant species; species marked with † are extinct.

## Statistics

### Diet

Carnivorous

Mooneyes, a monotypic group under the genus *Hiodon*, is a genus of fish that have lived in North America since the Paleocene.

## Description

Mooneyes are known for their large eyes and forked-fins, and their superficial resemblance to shads. Their common names come from a notable metallic shine observed in their eyes. About 3 or 5 extinct species are known, from Eocene and Paleocene rock. Mooneyes may belong to their own order, proposed Hiodontiformes, but mostly grouped into Osteoglossiformes. Two species remain extant: *H. alosoides* and *H. tergisus*. *H. alosoides* (the goldeneye) is known to be widespread across eastern North America. They have a golden iris, prefer slow turbid lakes and rivers and eat crustaceans, small fish, insects and molluscs. They are usually 52 centimeters (20 inches) long. *H. tergisus* (the mooneye) is a common widespread fish across eastern North America. This mooneye lives in clear lakes, ponds and rivers, and preys upon insects, invertebrates and fish. They are commonly 47 centimeters (19 inches) long.

## Species

* *H. alosoides*
* *H. tergisus*
* †*H. consteniorum*
* †*H. falcatus*
* †*H. rosei*
* †*H. woodruffi*
* †*H. shuyangensis*

## Synonyms

* *Amphiodon*
* *Clodalus*
* *Glossodon*
Paleoparadoxia

Credit: Matsui et al. (2018).

*Paleoparadoxia* is an extinct genus of aquatic mammals that lived in Asia and North America during the Miocene.

## Description

*Paleoparadoxia* is known from several skeletons. It's jaws and angled teeth somewhat resemble the bucket of a backhoe. *P. tabatai* was originally named *Corwallius*, before being conjoined into a single genus, with *P. media*. *Paleoparadoxia* has a large, plump body, with webbed feet for easy propulsion, likely a small tail and large gaping jaws.

## Classification

Material named *"P." weltoni* attributed to the Skooner Gulch Formation was reassigned to a new genus, *Archaeoparadoxia*, by Clark (1991).

## Paleobiology

*Paleoparadoxia* was originally thought to have been amphibious, but it is more likely that it was fully aquatic, like modern sirenians. They likely walked along the seafloor like hippos. *Paleoparadoxia* likely preferred deep and offshore waters to browse in, uprooting large clumps of seaweed and grasses. Its body was well adapted for its lifestyle, but not for extended deep diving or deep-sea diving. *Paleoparadoxia* likely stayed in the water, only surfacing to breathe.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleoparadoxia
* https://prehistoric-fauna.com/Paleoparadoxia-tabatai
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicCollectionSearch?collection\_no=58899&is\_real\_user=
Myliobatis monnieri

*Myliobatis monnieri* is an extinct species of ray that lived in Morocco during the Early Eocene.

## Description

Remains are known from Ouled Abdoun Basin Recette 4; Ypresian marine phosphates. Generally, the teeth are quite short lengthwise, 3-4 times as wide as they are long, an upper crown surface that is finely ornamented by costules that face labio-lingually and a central depression near the crown. Irregular and broad lobes, and narrow, shallow grooves are found on the lower root. Some species of *Myliobatis* do bear these traits, but the combination of traits in *M. monnieri* suggests that it may be transitional of *Myliobatis llopisi* and *Myliobatis mokattamensis*.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=417690
2. ↑ https://www.nhbs.com/palaeontos-24-generic-assessment-and-reallocation-of-cenozoic-myliobatins-based-on-new-information-of-tooth-tooth-plate-and-caudal-spine-morphology-of-extant-taxa-book
Ourasphaira

*Ourasphaira* is an extinct genus of process-bearing multicellular eukaryotic microorganism that lived in Canada during the Archean.

## Description

*Ourasphaira* is the oldest fungus specimens that may have existed long before plants did. *Ourasphaira* was discovered in the Canadian arctic. *O. giraldae* was named alongside *Nunatsiaquus*, *Daedalosphaera*, *Herisphaera arbovela*, *Herisphaera triangula* and three unnamed taxa in February 2019. This represents the first investigation of the Lower Shaler Supergroup, and reports of earlier eukaryote diversification and extended stratigraphic range of known taxa.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ourasphaira\_giraldae
* https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030192681830216X?via%3Dihub
Ornatops

Credit: Cisiopurple on DeviantArt.

*Ornatops* is an extinct genus of saurolophine hadrosaur that lived in New Mexico during the Late Cretaceous.

## History

It was discovered in 2018 from the Menefee Formation by staff and volunteers from the Western Science Center, Zuni Dinosaur Institute for Geosciences and Southwest Paleontological Society. The holotype, WSC 10058, is a well-preserved articulated skeleton without maxillae, mandible, 2 dorsals, a rib, ossified tendons, a right scapula, the majority if the right humerus, an ulna, the second and third right metacarpals, parts of the ilium, parts of the ischium and a radius. This makes it, by decription in 2021, the most complete dinosaur fossil from this formation. It's name means "ornate face" from Latin, and the specific epithet means "enchanted" after New Mexico's moniker ("Land of Enchantment").

## Description

**Credit: Connor Ashbridge on the Wikimedia Commons.**

The naming paper only examined the cranial skeleton, leaving the remainder undescribed, announcing a follow-up publication. The expanded nasofrontal suture bears a pair of protrusions that are autopomorphous, suggesting a type of head crest that is potentially intermediate of and likely related to *Probrachylophosaurus* and *Brachylophosaurus*. It was the first crested brachylophosaurin found deep in southern Laramidia, which suggests much diversity of this clade in the Campanian.

## Classification

It sits firmly within Brachysaurolophini.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornatops
Notoscyphus grollei

A and E=N. lutescens, B-D and F=N. grollei.

*Notoscyphus grollei* is an extinct species of liverwort that lived in Germany during the Miocene.

## Description

*N. grollei* were first assigned to *N. lutescens* from specimens in Bitterfeld amber, Germany. In 2015, Alexander R. Schmidt, Julia Bechteler, Alfons Schaefer-Verwimp and Jiri Vana reassigned BHU-Palaeo inv. no. SB.M.10.4 (the holotype) to a new, extinct species based on its mammillose-papillose leaf cells, which are not present in other species.

## References

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280941853\_Notoscyphus\_grollei\_sp\_nov\_in\_Bitterfeld\_amber\_rather\_than\_the\_extant\_Notoscyphus\_lutescens\_Lehm\_Lindenb\_Mitt
Neilpeartia

*Neilpeartia* is an extinct genus of frogfish that lived in Italy during the Early Eocene.

## Description

*Neilpeartia* is known from a single well-articulated skeleton. The fossil shows evidence of early bottom-dwelling anglerfish. The genus is differentiated from others alike, based on several derived features; fins and their placement and scutes and scales on the fishes body. It is known from the Monte Bolca Lagerstätten

## History

The fishes' name may be a reference to Neil Peart, a famous musician, drummer, songwriter and author. It was named in 2020.

## References

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2020.1778711?journalCode=ujvp20
Placodus

*Placodus* is an extinct genus of Placodontian that lived in Europe and Asia during the Middle Triassic.

## Decription

Placodus has a stocky body, a stocky neck, a heavy skull and long tail. *Placodus* and relative were not well adapted to aquatic life. Their flat tails and short legs, the latter of which probably had webbed toes, were used for propulsion. A parietal eye sat at the top of the head. This primitive character probably aided in orientation. The vertebral processes dove-tail into one-another, firmly connecting so that the trunk is rigid. The abdomen was covered by special armour that is formed by bent, right-angled abdominal ribs. It was heavily-built, having dense bones with heavy gastralia and a pair of bony knobs above the vertebral column. Thus, it was negatively buoyant, likely having trouble staying close to the seafloor to feed. However, this armour would have protected it from predators, but, in turn, hampered terrestrial mobility. It was slow and clumsy out of water. Thus, it was likely a terrestrial animal that became sea-bound  in search of edible molluscs, brachiopods, crustaceans and other seabed-inhabiting organisms.

## Paleobiology

### Diet

Placodus is specialized for a durophagous diet of shellfish such as bivalves. Its incisors are chisel-like, erupting from the rostral anterior margin. They were probably utilized to snatch hard-shelled benthic prey from substrate. The back teeth are broad and flattened, adapted to crushing hard shells. Before other material was discovered, teeth were regarded as from a fish. Similar, smaller, teeth are seen in the palatine.

### Ontogeny

In 2022, two then recently discovered dentaries were described from Lower Muschelkalk of Winterswijk, the Netherlands. They are 4 centimeters long, much smaller than adult dentaries and highlight ontogenetic change. These were assigned to *P.* cf. *gigas*, with MHI 2179 being the smallest dentary of the genus.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placodus
* https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12542-022-00614-w#Sec11
Pentaceratops

Credit: Sergey Krasovskiy.

*Pentaceratops* is an extinct genus of ceratopsid that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Pentaceratops* is known from many specimens, most notably skulls. Skull lengths range, though usually being around 2 meters long. *Pentaceratops* has a small, backwards curving horn, on the tip of its snout. Each brow horn curves forward in front of the eyes strongly. The animals skull tilts vertically at a slight angle, has two massive parietal fenestrae, is rectangular in shape and is lined with large triangular osteoderms. There are 12 episquamosals at the squamosal bone and 3 epiparietals at the parietal bone. These reach their largest at the corners of the frill, shrinking in size near the U-shaped depression on the midline. Within the midlines depression, the epiparietals point forward. Possibly an autapomorphy, the thickened jugal and the squamosal do not touch. *Pentaceratops* bears a tall and wide torso. The rear dorsal vertebrae bear high spines, where ligaments likely attached to balance the weight of the skull. The prepubis is long, while the ischium is also long, but curves forward. In immature *Pentaceratops*, the thigh bone bows forward.

## Paleobiology

*Pentaceratops* had an affinity for ferns, conifers and cycads. It would snip branches off of the plant, leaves, needles, twigs and all. It would then grind the food between its teeth. The plant matter was then digested by the animals massive gut. This process ensures that both the top and lower jaw beaks remained a sharp cutting edge.

## Paleoecology

*Pentaceratops* lived during the Late Cretaceous in North America. It lived prominently in the Kirtland Formation, alongside *Parasaurolophus*, *Sphaerotholus* and the apex predator *Bistahieversor*.

## Synonyms

* *P. fenestratus*
* *P. aquilonius*?
* *C. sternbergii*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentaceratops
* https://archive.org/details/g.s.paul2016theprincetonfieldguidetodinosaurs/page/n258/mode/1up
Nebraska Man

## Hesperopithecus

Credit: Amédée Forestier.

The Nebraska Man (*Hesperopithecus*) is a dubious genus of ape that lived in Nebraska during the Middle Miocene.

## History

Harold Cook (1922) wrote Henry Osborn, informing him of a tooth he had possessed for some time. It had been found years before in Upper Snake Creek, Nebraska, collected among many other typical fossils. In March 1922, Osborn received the tooth, setting to identify it. William D. Matthew found it was an anthropoid ape, passing it then to William K. Gregory and Milo Hellman, who agreed it was an anthropoid ape closer to humans than other apes. Months later, an article in Science was published, announcing a manlike ape from North America, named *Hesperopithecus haroldcooki*, meaning "Harold Cook's ape of the western world". Amédée Forestier illustrated two *Hesperopithecus* for the London News based on the proportions of *Pithecanthropus* (the "Java ape-man"). However, Osborn was not impressed. He called it "a figment of the imagination of no scientific value", and "undoubtedly inaccurate".

*H. haroldcookii* was found an inconclusive find upon initial description by many in the scientific community. Many analyses took place, and many found the same connection. Field work in the summers of 1925 and 1926 uncovered more of the skeleton, revealing the tooth was of the extinct peccary *Prosthennops serus*, likely misidentified due to heavy weathering. In 1927, the identification as an ape was retracted from Science.

### Evolution vs. Creationism

Although it was not accepted by the scientific community, it took half a decade for the original description to be retracted. Creationists promote this as an example of scientific error, used to undermine both paleontology and human evolution theories and how it is peer-reviewed and accepted as mainstream knowledge.

During the time the tooth was under examination, teaching evolution in public schools was targeted by the Scopes trial. Prosecution was led by William Jennings Bryan. Osborn and Bryan, leading up to the trial, had a back-and-forth discussion challenging each other's beliefs. During the trial, however, Osborn was quiet about the Nebraska Man, since evidence against it was starting to accumulate, and Osborn did not want to risk the defense's loss.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska\_Man
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displayCollResults?collection\_no=18197
Neochoerus

Credit: Tuxemperor on DeviantArt.

*Neochoerus* is an extinct genus of caviid rodents that lived in North and South America during the Pleistocene.

## Distribution

Neochoerus fossils are found in Mexico, the United States and in Colombia. The fossils date back to the Pleistocene.

## Classification

*Neochoerus* is closely related to living capybaras.

## Species

* *N. aesopi*
* *N. occidentalis*
* *N. cordobai*
* *N. pinckneyi*
* *N. sirasakae*
* *N. sulcidens*
* *N. tarijensis*

## Gallery

*Neochoerus pinckneyi* skull from Florida, specimen AMNH 26830.
**Credit: Skye McDavid.****Credit: Skye McDavid.***N. pinckneyi* premolar from Charleston harbor.*N. pickneyi* tooth at the Royal Ontario Museum.
**Credit: Clumsystiggy on DeviantArt.**
## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neochoerus
* https://twitter.com/CoastalPaleo/status/1471911034160312320/photo/4
Phragmoteuthis

*Phragmoteuthis* is an extinct genus of cephalopod that lived in Europe during from the Late Triassic to the Early Jurassic.

## Description

Many specimens of *Phragmoteuthis* include soft tissues, including the ink sacs, all ten tentacles, other organs, gills and the internal phragmocone.

## Species

* *P. bisinuata*
* *P. conocauda*
* *P. huxleyi*
* *P. montefiorei*
* *?P. ticinensis*

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phragmoteuthis
Mieridduryn

Credit: Franz Anthony.

*Mieridduryn* is an extinct genus of possible opabiniid that lived in the British Isles during the Middle Ordovician.

## History

The holotype was discovered in Castle Bank and named "bramble snout" in 2022. The Welsh genus name reflects its morphology, while the specific name honours Bonnie Douel, niece of the landowners whose family heavily supported in research of the fauna. Most studies of this locality focus on fossil sponges, but it bears a considerable arthropod fauna. The specimen was excavated from a quarry on private land near Llandrindod Wells, and part of the Gilwern Volcanic Formation. Graptolites date this area to the Darriwilian.

## Description

It bears features similar to dinocaridids, including tetraradial mouthparts, flapping trunk appendages and legs reminiscent of lobopods. The holotype is ~13 millimeters long along the dorsal margin. The proboscis was fused, with slender protruding spines, and may have been tipped in a claw-like appendage. The dorsal sclerite on the head was disc-shaped, like radiodonts, and the oral cone was 0.4 millimeters long and had several lightly-sclerotized plates. The trunk had lobopod-like 'legs' and dorsolateral flaps, which is unique to opabiniids and radiodonts. NMW.2021.3 G.8, from the same site, has morphology similar to this taxon and opabiniids. The describers chose not to give this specimen a new name because it may be a larval stage (since it shares some traits with larval arthropods), although it is noted that the specimen may be a new taxon after all.

## Classification

It bears morphology very similar to opabiniids and recovers as such on phylogenetic tests, which may suggest that *Mieridduryn* was either a late-surviving opabiniid or that the bauplan was more widespread than thought. It may also be an example of convergent evolution as a euarthropod. The naming paper leaves this vague, as either are equally possible. Previously, hurdiids were thought to be the only Cambrian lineages to survive into the Ordovician, but this find may suggest that fossil diversity has been undersold.

## Sources

* https://novataxa.blogspot.com/2022/11/mieridduryn.html
* https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-weird-wonders-could-be-leftovers-from-the-cambrian-explosion
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXrjfq34mH0
* https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mieridduryn-bonniae-nov-gen-et-sp-from-the-Castle-Bank-Biota-NMW20213G7-a\_fig1\_365377368
* http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03FD8143EC07FFACFCBCFF07FCEC9CF0
* https://oeb.harvard.edu/news/welsh-%E2%80%9Cweird-wonder%E2%80%9D-fossils-add-piece-puzzle-arthropod-evolution
* https://scitechdaily.com/weird-wonder-fossil-discovery-adds-piece-to-puzzle-of-arthropod-evolution/
* https://museum.wales/news/1300/New-fossils-discovered-in-mid-Wales-may-be-first-species-of-their-type-in-Europe/
* https://twitter.com/jopabinia/status/1592524459730407426
* https://phys.org/news/2022-11-welsh-weird-fossils-piece-puzzle.html
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mieridduryn
Myliobatis vicomicanus

*Myliobatis vicomicanus* is an extinct species of ray that lived in Maryland during the Miocene.

## Description

*M. vicomicanus* is known only from a James T. Thomas estate. Two specimens are known, and are smaller than Cope's other ray taxa. One plate has over 12 median teeth and is antero-posteriorly flat and almost as well in the transverse. The sutures of the median teeth are bear a slight concavity that is very convex at the extremity. 2 lateral rows of teeth are found, longer than they are broad, with straight sutures. The vaso-dentinal layer is shallow, and are worn away in one specimen. Through the vascular canals, the surface is punctate. The laminae are obliquely arranged in relation to the tooth base.

## References

* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=80579
* https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4059641.pdf
Miophyseter

Credit: Kimura & Hasegawa.

*Miophyseter* is an extinct genus of physeteroid that lived in Japan during the early Miocene.

## Description

Miophyseter was discovered from the Toyohama Formation of the Chuta County, Aichi Prefecture in 1984. Adaptation for deep diving is indicated through a large depression on the ventral of the palatine and pterygoid and the robust pterygoid muscles suggest active biting, similar to dolphins and sperm whales.

## References

* http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2022/03/miophyseter.html
* https://doi.org/10.2517/PR200021
Muzaffarabadmachli

"Muzaffarabadmachli" is a naked-named agnathan fish that lived in Pakistan during the Cambrian.

## Description

"Muzaffarabadmachli" is known from fragmentary remains, based on half of the body with ribs. "Muzaffarabadmachli" is similar to most agnathan fish by having a parallel limb cross-section and coarse but straight ribs. "Muzaffarabadmachli" is known from several autapomorphies, most notably many thick segments directed lateroposteriorly each spine is roughly 2.8 centimeters long. The fish appears to have appeared at the Cambrian Explosion, close to *Haikouichthys*. Each limb is roughly 10 centimeters long, each segment 0.3 centimeters wide and 3 long.

## References

https://www.scirp.org/html/3-1211321\_96519.htm
Myliobatis girondicus

*Myliobatis girondicus* is an extinct species of ray that lived in France during the Miocene.

## Description

The stinger rays are very rounded, straight, flattened and have small serrations that are abundant on the third upper end but vanish in the middle third. The lower end has only several transverse furrows. The flat upper face has few furrows, and the lower side has rounded corners. A pair of deep, angular grooves are found on the edges, with the median furrow extending 2/3 up the stinger. The tip is very serrated. Similar to *M. toliapicus*, *M.* "lateralis" and various other taxa, it is distinguished by many features. The radius is very rounded and very wide, and many grooves, the latter being expected. The radius is quite straight and bears fairing on the lower face, unlike *M. toliapicus*. It is thus considered distinct and named after the Saucats city office, of which it was discovered in the office of a Mr. Michaud.

## References

https://ia600501.us.archive.org/0/items/mobot31753002145925/mobot31753002145925.pdf
Phiomia

Credit: Gredinia on DeviantArt

*Phiomia* is an extinct genus of basal probiscid that lived in Africa from the Late Eocene to the Early Oligocene.

## Description

*Phiomia* vaguely resembled a modern elephant. *Phiomia* has an uncharacteristically-short nasal bone, suggesting that, in life, the animals trunk was very short. Its upper jaw bore small curved tusks and its lower, a flat, shovel-like tusk. This is similar to the genera *Platybelodon*, *Archaeobelodon* and *Ambelodon*, though shorter. Their tusks were either used for gathering food, defense, or for scraping bark off of tree trunks.