This list of the prehistoric life of Tennessee contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of Tennessee.
Precambrian
editThe Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in Alabama.
Paleozoic
editSelected Paleozoic taxa of Tennessee
edit- †Acodus
- †Actinoceras
- †Actinocrinites
- †Agaricocrinus
Fossilized calyx of the Carboniferous crinoid ("sea lily") Agaricocrinus americanus, or the mushroom crinoid
- †Amplexopora
- †Amplexus
- †Ampyx
- †Aphetoceras
- †Atrypa
- †Atrypa reticularis – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
- †Aulopora
- †Bellerophon
- †Bembexia
- †Bimuria
- †Bumastus
- †Calymene
- †Calyptaulax
- †Camarotoechia
- †Cartersoceras – type locality for genus
- †Ceratopsis
- †Ceraurinus
- †Ceraurus
- †Chasmatopora
- †Cheirurus
- †Chonetes
- †Chonetes glenparkensis – or unidentified related form
- †Christiania
Assemblage of fossilized shells of the Ordovician brachiopod Cincinnetina - †Cladochonus
- †Cleiothyridina
- †Columnaria
- †Conocardium
- †Constellaria
- †Coolinia
- †Cornulites
- Costellirostra
- Crania
- †Craniops
- †Crepicephalus
- †Crepipora
- †Cruziana
- †Ctenostoma
- †Cyathocrinites
- †Cyclonema
- †Cyphaspis
- †Cypricardinia
Restoration of the Cambrian-Middle Devonian nautiloid cephalopod Cyrtoceras - †Cyrtolites
- †Cystodictya
- †Dalmanites
- †Dicoelosia
- †Dimerocrinites
- †Distomodus
- Dunkleosteus
- †Eatonia
- †Echinosphaerites
- †Eospirifer
- †Eretmocrinus
- '
Fossilized calyx of the Silurian-Middle Devonian crinoid ("sea lily") Eucalyptocrinites - †Favositella
- †Favosites
- †Fenestella
- †Fletcheria
- †Flexicalymene
- †Foerstia
- †Forbesiocrinus
Fossilized calyx and partial stem of the Devonian-Carboniferous crinoid ("sea lily") Gilbertsocrinus - †Girvanella
- †Glyptocrinus
- †Gonioceras
- †Gravicalymene
- †Grewingkia
- †Hallopora
- †Hedstroemia
- †Helcionopsis
- †Hibbertia
- †Hindia
- †Holopea
- †Hyolithes
- †Illaenus
Fossil of the Middle-Late Ordovician giant trilobite Isotelus. - †Kockelella
- †Krausella
- †Lingulella
- †Lonchodomas
- †Marsupiocrinus
- †Meristella
- †Meristina
- †Monomorphichnus
- †Orthoceras
- †Ozarkodina
- †Paciphacops
Fossilized theca of the Carboniferous blastoid echinoderm ("sea bud") Pentremites - †Phragmolites
- †Phycodes
- †Phylloporina
- †Plaesiomys
- †Planolites
- †Platyceras – type locality for genus
- †Platycrinites
- †Platystrophia
- †Plectoceras
- †Pleurodictyum
- †Plumulites
- †Proetus
- †Protosalvinia
- †Pterotheca
- †Quadratia
Fossil of the arthropod burrow ichnogenus Rusophycus - †Sagenocrinites
- †Salterella
- †Siphonotreta
- †Skenidioides
- †Skolithos
- †Solenopora
- †Sowerbyella
- †Sphaerocodium – tentative report
- †Spirifer
- Spirorbis
- †Spyroceras
- †Stigmatella
Fossilized shell of the Ordovician-Silurian brachiopod Strophomena - †Subulites
- †Taxocrinus
- †Tentaculites
- †Tetradium
- †Tricrepicephalus
- †Trimerus
- †Westonia
- †Whiteavesia
- †Wurmiella
Mesozoic
editSelected Mesozoic taxa of Tennessee
edit- Acirsa
- Acmaea
A living Acteon barrel bubble sea snail - †Aenona
- Amauropsis
- †Ampullina
- †Ancilla
- †Anomia
- †Anomoeodus
- †Arca
- Arctica
Fossil of the Late Cretaceous crab Avitelmessus - †Baculites
- Barbatia
- Brachidontes
- Cadulus
- Caestocorbula
- Callianassa
- †Calliomphalus
- †Calliomphalus americanus – type locality for species
Shell of a Cancellaria nutmeg sea snail - Capulus
- †Caveola
- Cerithiopsis
- Cerithium
- Charonia
- Chiton
- Clavagella
- Cliona
- †Conorbis
- Corbula
- †Crania – tentative report
- †Crenella
- Cucullaea
- Cylichna
- †Dentalium
- †Discoscaphites
- †Dolicholatirus
- †Ecphora
- Edmontosaurus
- Edmontosaurus regalis - report made of unidentified related form
Restoration of the Early Cretaceous-Eocene bony fish Enchodus, or the "saber-toothed herring" - †Eothoracosaurus
- †Eulima
- †Euspira
- †Eutrephoceras
- †Exilia
- †Exogyra
- Fasciolaria – tentative report
A Gastrochaena marine bivalve - †Gegania
- Gemmula
- Glossus
- Glycymeris
- †Hamulus
- †Helicoceras
- †Hoploparia
Fossilized shell of the Early Jurassic-Late Cretaceous marine bivalve Inoceramus with a human indicating its size - †Ischyrhiza
- Latiaxis
- Limatula
- †Linearis
- Lithophaga
- Littorina
- Lopha
- †Lucina
- †Mammila
- Martesia
- †Mathilda
- Melanatria
- Membranipora
- Meretrix
- †Metopaster
- Micropora
- †Morea
Life restoration of two of the Late Cretaceous Mosasaurus - †Neithea
- Nucula
- †Obeliscus
- †Odostomia
- †Odostomia plicata – type locality for species
- Opalia
- Ostrea
- Panopea
- † Paranomia
- †Pecten
- †Pedalion
- †Peneus
- Pholadomya
- †Plioplatecarpus
- Polinices
Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous mosasaur Prognathodon preying upon an ammonoid cephalopod - †Protocardia
- †Pteria
- †Pterotrigonia
- Pycnodonte
- Ringicula
- Rissoina
- Rostellaria – tentative report
- †Sargana
- †Saurodon – tentative report
- † Scala
Shells in multiple views of a Scaphander canoe bubble sea snail - †Scaphites
- †Schizobasis
- Seila
- †Seminola
- Serpula
- Serpulorbis
- †Siphonaria
- Teinostoma
- Tellina
- †Tenea
- †Teredo
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Late Cretaceous sea turtle Toxochelys - Trichotropis
- †Trigonia
- Trochus
- †Tuba
- Turbinella
- †Turricula
- Turris
- Turritella
- Yoldia
Cenozoic
edit- Aegolius
- Alligator
- Alnus
- †Ambystoma
- †Androglandula – type locality for genus
- †Androglandula tennessensis – type locality for species
- †Arctomeles
- †Arctomeles dimolodontus – type locality for species
- Athleta
Life restoration of the Eocene whale Basilosaurus - †Basilosaurus cetoides – or unidentified comparable form
- †Berhamniphyllum – type locality for genus
- †Berhamniphyllum claibornense – type locality for species
- Betula
- †Blattotermes
- †Blattotermes wheeleri – type locality for species
- Bonasa
- Brachidontes – or unidentified comparable form
- †Caesalpinia
- †Caesalpinia claibornensis – type locality for species
- Canis
Modern mounted skeleton of Canis lupus, the grey wolf, to scale with a fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene wolf Canis dirus, or dire wolf
- Capella
- Carduelis
- Carpodacus
- Carya
- †Castaneoidea – type locality for genus
- †Castaneoidea puryearensis – type locality for species
- †Castanopsoidea – type locality for genus
- †Castanopsoidea columbiana – type locality for species
- Castor
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene giant beaver Castoroides - Celtis
- Cervus
- Chaetura
- Chrysemys
- Clethrionomys
- Colaptes
- Coluber
- Corbula
Fossilized skeleton preserved in situ (upper left, 2) of the Miocene-Pliocene horse Cormohipparion - Coturnicops
- Crassatella
- Crotalus
- Cucullaea
- Cyanocitta
- Desmognathus
- Didelphis
- †Diplotropis
- †Diplotropis claybornensis – type locality for species
- †Ectopistes
Taxidermied male Ectopistes migratorius, or passenger pigeon
- †Elater
- †Elater berryi – type locality for species
- †Eoglandulosa – type locality for genus
- †Eoglandulosa warmanensis – type locality for species
- †Eomimosoidea – type locality for genus
- †Eomimosoidea plumosa – type locality for species
- Eptesicus
- Equus
- Eremophila
- Erethizon
- Falco
A living Falco sparverius, or American kestrel
- †Folindusia
- †Formicium – type locality for genus
- †Formicium berryi – type locality for species
- †Fraxinus
- Geomys
- Glaucomys
- Glycymeris
- Glyptemys
- †Hippomaneoidea – type locality for genus
- †Hippomaneoidea warmanensis – type locality for species
- Hyla
- †Knightiophyllum
- †Laevibuccinum
- Lepus
- Lontra
- Lynx
- †Lynx rufus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Machairodus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Mammut
- †Mammuthus
Life restorations of a Mammut americanum, or American mastodon (right), and a Mammuthus primigenius, or wooly mammoth (left)
- Marmota
- †Mazzalina – or unidentified comparable form
- †Megatylopus – or unidentified comparable form
- Melanerpes
- †Melolonthites
- †Melolonthites collinsi – type locality for species
- Mephitis
A living Mephitis mephitis, or striped skunk
- Mesalia
- Microtus
- †Mylohyus
- Natica – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
- Neotoma
- Notophthalmus
- Nuculana
- Odocoileus
A living Odocoileus virginianus, or white-tailed deer
- Ondatra
- Orthoyoldia
- Ostrea
- †Otiorhynchites
- †Ovibovini
- Paleofroeschnerius – type locality for genus
- †Paleofroeschnerius magnus – type locality for species
- †Paleojulacea – type locality for genus
- †Paleojulacea laxa – type locality for species
- Panthera
Fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene ground sloth Paramylodon - Pedioecetes
- Perisoreus
- Phenacomys
- Pholadomya
- Picoides
- Pinicola
- Pinus
- Pipilo
- Pitar – tentative report
- Pituophis
- Plethodon
- †Plionarctos
Life restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene red panda Pristinailurus, or Bristol's panda - †Pristinailurus bristoli – type locality for species
- Procyon
- Quercus
- †Regina – or unidentified comparable form
- Salix
- Sayornis
- Sciurus
- Scolopax
- Sistrurus – or unidentified comparable form
- Sitta
Life restoration of the Pleistocene-Holocene saber-tooth cat Smilodon - Sorex
- Spermophilus
- Sternotherus
- Strix
A living Sturnella magna, or eastern meadowlark - Surnia
- Sylvilagus
- †Sylvilagus aquaticus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Sylvilagus floridanus
- Tamias
- Tamiasciurus
- Tapirus
Restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene rhinoceros Teleoceras - †Teleoceras aepysoma – type locality for species[2]
- Tellina
- †Tornatellaea
- Trachemys
- †Trigonobalanoidea – type locality for genus
- †Trigonobalanoidea americana – type locality for species
- †Tsuga
- Turdus
- Turritella
- Tympanuchus
- Ulmus
- Ursus
A living Ursus americanus, or American black bear
- Venericardia
- Zonotrichia
References
edit- Citations
- ^ Rachel A. Short; Steven C. Wallace; Laura G. Emmert (2019). "A new species of Teleoceras (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from the late Hemphillian of Tennessee" (PDF). Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History. 56 (5): 183–260.
- ^ Rachel A. Short; Steven C. Wallace; Laura G. Emmert (2019). "A new species of Teleoceras (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from the late Hemphillian of Tennessee" (PDF). Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History. 56 (5): 183–260.
- Bibliography
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.