1955 in paleontology
Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.[1] 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 1955.
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|---|---|---|---|
Plants
    
    Pteridophyta
    
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Comb nov  | 
 Valid  | 
 A waterfern, moved from Azollophyllum primaevum Penhallow, 1890  | 
 | |||||
Dinosaurs
    
- Massospondylus gastroliths are documented.[3]
 
Newly named dinosaurs
    
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[4]
| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majungasaurus[5] | Valid taxon | 
 Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)  | 
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| Tarbosaurus[6] | Valid taxon | 
 Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian)  | 
 
  | 
 An Asian Tyrannosaurus-looking tyrannosaurid.  | 
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Synapsids
    
    Theriodonts
    
| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Valid  | 
 Bystrow  | 
 Semen Formation  | 
 A gorgonopsian.  | 
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| 
 Valid  | 
 Crompton and Parrington  | 
 Middle Triassic  | 
 A traversodontid cynodont.  | 
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Cetaceans
    
| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Kellogg  | 
 Middle Miocene (Langhian)  | 
 Synonim of Lophocetus pappus.  | 
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| 
 Pelodelphis  | 
 Valid  | 
 Kellogg  | 
 Middle Miocene (Langhian)  | 
 An odontocete of uncertain position.  | 
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| 
 Tretosphys  | 
 Valid  | 
 Kellogg  | 
 Middle Miocene (Langhian)  | 
  | 
 An odontocete of uncertain position; new genus for "Delphinapterus" gabbi Cope (1868).  | 
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References
    
- Gini-Newman, Garfield; Graham, Elizabeth (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 9780070887398. OCLC 46769716.
 - Arnold, C.A. (1955). "A Tertiary Azolla from British Columbia" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of. Paleontology, University of Michigan. 12 (4): 37–45.
 - Bond (1955). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.
 - Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
 - Lavocat, R. 1955. Sur une portion de mandibule de thérepode provenant de Crétace supérieur de Madagascar. Bull. Musee Natl. d’Histoire Nat. (ser. 2) 27: pp. 256-259.
 - Maleev, E. A. (1955). "Гигантских плотоядных динозавров Монголии" [Gigantic carnivorous dinosaurs of Mongolia]. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR. 104: 634–637.
 
- Bond, G. 1955. A note on dinosaur remains from the Forest Sandstone (Upper Karoo). Occasional Papers of the National Museum of Rhodesia 2: 795–800.
 - Sanders F, Manley K, Carpenter K. Gastroliths from the Lower Cretaceous sauropod Cedarosaurus weiskopfae. In: Tanke D.H, Carpenter K, editors. Mesozoic vertebrate life: new research inspired by the paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Indiana University Press; Bloomington, IN: 2001. pp. 166–180.
 



