1852 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 1852.

Reptiles

Non-dinosaurs

Name	Authors	Age	Location	Images
Tanystropheus	von Meyer	237 Millions of years ago	China France Germany Israel Switzerland UK
Brachytrachelus	Preoccupied.	Geibel		preoccupied name; now known as Scaphognathus
Ctenochasma	Valid	von Meyer		Pterosaur
Macrotrachelus	Jr. synonym.	Giebel		Jr. synonym of Pterodactylus.

Dinosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Aepisaurus^[2]	Nomen dubium	Gervais	Early Cretaceous (Albian)	Grès vert	France	A possible camarasaurid.
Oplosaurus^[2]	Nomen dubium	Gervais	Early Cretaceous (Barremian)	Wessex Formation	England	A sauropod of unknown affinities.

Death

Gideon Algernon Mantell died.

Literature

Bleak House by Charles Dickens was published. The story told by this novel is unrelated to paleontology, but it does briefly mention a Megalosaurus, which happened to be the first reference made to dinosaurs in fiction.^[3]

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.
^ ^a ^b Gervais, P. 1852. Zoologie et paleontology francaise (animauz vertebras): Paris v. 1, iv + 271 (text), v. 2, explanation of plates, v. 3, Plates;
^ Sarjeant, W. A. S., 2001, Dinosaurs in fiction: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, pp. 504-529.

[1] 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.

[gervais1852-2] Gervais, P. 1852. Zoologie et paleontology francaise (animauz vertebras): Paris v. 1, iv + 271 (text), v. 2, explanation of plates, v. 3, Plates;

[sarjeant-fic-3] Sarjeant, W. A. S., 2001, Dinosaurs in fiction: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, pp. 504-529.

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