List of the prehistoric life of Kentucky
This list of the prehistoric life of Kentucky contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of Kentucky.
Precambrian
The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in Kentucky.
Paleozoic
Selected Paleozoic taxa of Kentucky
†AbrotocrinusFossilized calyx of the Carboniferous crinoid ("sea lily") Abrotocrinus - †Achatella
- †Achistrum
- †Acidaspis
- † Acrophyllum
- †Actinoceras
- †Actinocrinites
- †Agaricocrinus
†Alethopteris
Fossilized fronds of the Carboniferous-Early Cretaceous seed fern Alethopteris - †Alethopteris decurrens
- †Alethopteris lonchitica – or unidentified comparable form
- †Ammonellipsites
- †Amphiscapha
- †Amplexopora
- †Amplexus
- †Anchiopella
- †Anisophyllum
- †Annularia
- †Archaeocidaris
- †Archaeopteris
†ArchimedesFossils of the Carboniferous-Permian bryozoan Archimedes †AsteracanthusFossilized teeth of the Devonian-Cretaceous shark Asteracanthus - †Athyris
- †Atrypa
- †Augustoceras
- †Aulopora
- †Aviculopecten
- †Aviculopecten germanus – or unidentified related form
- †Bellerophon
- †Beyrichoceras
- †Bisatoceras – tentative report
- †Bostonia
†Bumastus
Life restoration of the Early Ordovician-Silurian trilobite Bumastus - †Calamites
- †Callixylon
- †Calyptaulax
- †Camarotoechia
- †Cameroceras
- †Cartersoceras
- †Ceratopsis
- †Ceraurus
- †Chasmatopora
- †Chonetes
†Cincinnetina_slab_3.jpg)
Assemblage of fossilized shells of the Ordovician brachiopod Cincinnetina - †Cladochonus
- †Cleiothyridina
- †Climacograptus
- †Coenites
†Composita
Fossilized shell of the Late Devonian-Permian brachiopod Composita - †Conostoma
- †Constellaria
- †Cordaites
- †Cornulites
- †Crania – tentative report
- †Craniops
- †Cyathocrinites
- †Cyclonema
- †Cydrocrinus
- †Cyphaspis
- †Cypricardinia
†Cyrtoceras
Restoration of the Cambrian-Middle Devonian nautiloid cephalopod Cyrtoceras - †Cyrtolites
- †Cystodictya
- †Decadocrinus
- †Declinognathodus
- †Diplograptus
- †Dizygocrinus
- †Edmondia
- †Emmonsia
- †Endoceras
- Eocaudina
- †Eospirifer
- †Equisetum
- †Eretmocrinus
†Favosites
Fossil of the Late Ordovician-Permian tabulate coral Favosites - †Fenestella
†Flexicalymene
Front (left) and right side (right) views of an enrolled fossil of the Middle Ordovician-Silurian trilobite Flexicalymene - †Foerstia
- †Forbesiocrinus
- †Gastrioceras
- †Gilbertsocrinus
- †Glossina
- †Glyptocrinus
- †Glyptopleura
- †Gnathodus
- †Goniatites
- †Gravicalymene
†Grewingkia
Multiple views of a fossil of the Ordovician horn coral Grewingkia - †Hallia
- †Hallopora
- †Halysites
- †Heliophyllum
- †Helminthochiton
- †Hindia
- †Holopea
- †Hyolithes
- †Idiognathoides
- †Iocrinus
- †Isotelus
- †Kazakhstania
- †Krausella
- †Lepidodendron
- †Lepidodendron aculeatum – or unidentified comparable form
- †Lepidostrobus
†Lingulella
Illustration of a fossilized shell of the Cambrian-Late Ordovician brachiopod Lingulella - †Liroceras
- Lithophaga – tentative report
- †Maelonoceras
- †Masonoceras – type locality for genus
- †Maximites
- †Meristella
- †Meristina – tentative report
- †Michelinoceras
- †Murchisonia
- †Murrayoceras
- †Neospirifer
†Neuropteris
Fronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris - †Neuropteris gigantea
- †Neuropteris heterophylla
- †Neuropteris tenuifolia – or unidentified comparable form
- †Oncoceras
- †Onychocrinus
- †Ormoceras
- †Orthoceras
- †Pattersonia
- †Pecopteris
- †Pecopteris plumosa – or unidentified comparable form
- †Pentagonia
- †Pentamerus
- †Pentremites
- †Periastron
- †Phillipsia
- †Phragmolites
- †Pitys
- †Plaesiomys
- †Platyceras
- †Platycrinites
†Platystrophia
Fossilized shell of the Middle Ordovician-Silurian brachiopod Platystrophia - †Plectoceras
- †Pleurodictyum
- Pleurotomaria
- †Polygnathus
- †Polygrammoceras
†Proetus
Restoration of the Silurian trilobite Proetus - †Protosalvinia
- †Prototaxites
- †Pseudopolygnathus
- †Pterotheca
- †Quadratia
- †Scytalocrinus
- †Similodonta
- †Solenopora
- †Sowerbyella
- †Sphenophyllum
- †Sphenopteris
- †Sphenothallus
- †Spirifer
- †Spiriferina
- †Stenaster
- †Stigmaria
- †Stigmatella
†Strophomena
Fossilized shell of the Ordovician-Silurian brachiopod Strophomena - †Strophomena concordensis
- †Strophomena costellata – or unidentified comparable form
- †Strophomena neglecta
- †Strophomena planumbona
- †Strophomena sulcata
- †Subulites
- †Syringopora
- †Taxocrinus
- †Tetradium
- †Theelia
- †Treptoceras
†Triarthrus
Restoration showing the top (left) and underside of the Late Ordovician trilobite Triarthrus - †Triendoceras – tentative report
- †Trocholites
- †Ulrichicrinus
- †Whiteavesia
- †Worthenia
- †Zadelsdorfia – tentative report
Mesozoic
The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Mesozoic fossils in Kentucky.
Cenozoic
- †Berhamniphyllum – type locality for genus
- †Berhamniphyllum claibornense – type locality for species
- Canis
- †Diplotropis
- †Diplotropis claibornensis – type locality for species
- Equus
†MammuthusFossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Holocene elephant relative Mammuthus, or mammoth - Microtus
- †Microtus xanthognathus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Platygonus
- Spermophilus
- †Spermophilus tridecemlineatus – or unidentified comparable form
- Taxidea
- Ursus
References
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved December 17, 2021.