List of the prehistoric life of Minnesota
This list of the prehistoric life of Minnesota contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of Minnesota.
Precambrian
The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in Minnesota.
Paleozoic
Selected Paleozoic taxa of Minnesota
- †Actinoceras
- †Actinodiscus
- †Amorphognathus
- †Armenoceras
†Bothriocidaris
Reconstructive diagram (left) of a fossil (right) of the Ordovician sea urchin Bothriocidaris. The short spines which were attached to the tubercles are not drawn. - †Bumastus
- †Calymene
- †Cameroceras
- †Ceratopsis
- †Ceraurinella
- †Ceraurinus
- †Ceraurus
- †Charactoceras
- †Chasmatopora
- †Chidleyenoceras
- †Chirognathus
†Cincinnetina_slab_3.jpg)
Assemblage of fossilized shells of the Ordovician brachiopod Cincinnetina - †Cincinnetina minnesotensis – type locality for species
- †Constellaria
- †Cordylodus
- †Cotteroceras
- †Crania
- †Craniops
- †Culumbodina
- †Curtognathus
- †Cyclonema
- †Cyptendoceras
- †Cyrtolites
- †Diplograptus
- †Ellesmeroceras
†EndocerasFossilized shells and restored appearances of the Middle-Late Ordovician nautiloid cephalopod Endoceras - †Erratencrinurus
- †Fayettoceras – tentative report
- †Flexicalymene
- †Gabriceraurus
- †Geisonoceras
- †Glyptocrinus
- †Gonioceras
- †Grewingkia
- †Hallopora
- †Helcionopsis
- †Hindia
- †Holopea
- †Hypseloconus – type locality for genus
- †Icriodus
- †Illaenus
†IsotelusFossil of the Middle-Late Ordovician giant trilobite Isotelus. - †Kentlandoceras
- †Kionoceras
- †Kirengella
- †Krausella
- †Lambeoceras
- †Lingula
- †Manitoulinoceras
- †Michelinoceras
- †Nanno
- †Ormoceras – tentative report
- †Orthoceras
- †Oulodus
- †Ozarkodina
- †Periodon
- †Phragmolites
- †Plaesiomys
- †Platystrophia
- †Plectoceras
†Pleurocystites
Fossil of the Late Ordovician cystoid echinoderm Pleurocystites - †Polygnathus
- †Polygrammoceras
- †Pterotheca
- †Reedsoceras
- †Reteocrinus
- †Rigidella
- †Rioceras
†Scenella
Fossils of the Cambrian mollusc Scenella - †Similodonta
- †Skenidioides
- †Sowerbyella
- †Spyroceras
- †Stigmatella
- †Strepsodiscus
- †Strophomena
- †Strophomena billingsi
- †Strophomena filitexta
- †Strophomena incurvata
- †Strophomena plattinensis – or unidentified comparable form
- †Subulites
- †Teichertoceras
- †Tryblidium
- †Ulrichoceras
†Urasterella
Fossil of the Ordovician-Devonian sea star Urasterella - †Valcouroceras
- †Vellamo
- †Westonoceras
- †Whiteavesia
- †Zittelloceras
Mesozoic
- †Acanthoceras
†Acteon
A living Acteon barrel bubble sea snail - †Acteon propinquus
- †Amphidonte – tentative report
- †Anatimya
- †Anatimya plicata
- Anatina
- †Anatina marblensis
- †Anchura
- †Anchura grouti
†Anomia
Interior and exterior of a shell of an Anomia, or jingle shell - †Anomia propatoris
- Aporrhais
- †Aporrhais nuptialis
- †Arcellites
- †Arcellites disciformis
- †Ariadnaesporites
- †Ariadnaesporites varius
- Azolla – or unidentified comparable form
- Barbatia
- †Barbatia micronema
- Brachidontes
- †Brachidontes arcturusensis
- †Calliomphalus – tentative report
- †Calliomphalus colerainensis
†Calycoceras – tentative reportFossilized shell of the Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod Calycoceras - Carcharias
- †Carcharias amonensis
- †Cenocarcharias
- †Cenocarcharias tenuiplicatus
- †Collignoniceras
- Coptothyris
- †Coptothyris dakotaensis
- Corbula
- †Corbula kanabensis
- †Costatheca
- †Cretodus
- †Cretodus semiplicatus
†Cretolamna
Fossil of the Early Cretaceous-Eocene shark Cretolamna - †Cymbophora
- †Cymbophora emmonsi
- †Cymbophora utahensis – tentative report
- †Dentalium
- Discradisca
- †Dunveganoceras
- †Dunveganoceras hagei
- †Epitonium
- †Etea – tentative report
†ExogyraInterior of a fossilized shell of the Jurassic-Cretaceous foam oyster Exogyra - †Exogyra boveyensis
- †Exogyra lamellosa
- †Exogyra mesabiensis
- †Exogyra suborbiculata
- †Gervillia
- †Gervillia propleura – tentative report
- †Goolandia
- †Goolandia minnesotensis
- Granocardium
- †Granocardium enstromi [1]
- Gyrodes
- †Gyrodes conradi
- †Hybodus
- †Hybodus rajkovichi – type locality for species
†Inoceramus
Fossilized shell of the Early Jurassic-Late Cretaceous marine bivalve Inoceramus with a human indicating its size - †Ischyodus
- †Legumen
- †Legumen planulatum – or unidentified comparable form
- †Leptosolen
- †Leptosolen biplicatus
- Lima
- †Lima utahensis
- †Lingula
- †Lingula subspatulata – tentative report
- †Mesozoisynangia
- †Mesozoisynangia trilobus
- †Metengonoceras
- †Metengonoceras acutum
- †Metengonoceras dumblei – or unidentified comparable form
- †Metengonoceras dumbli
- †Metoicoceras
- †Metoicoceras bergquisti
- †Metoicoceras swallovi – or unidentified related form
- †Minerisporites
- †Minerisporites mirabilis
- †Molaspora
- †Molaspora rugosa
- †Mytiloides
- †Mytiloides labiatus
- †Mytiloides mytiloides
- Nerita – tentative report
- †Nerita minnesotensis
- Nucula
- †Nucula coloradoensis
†OnchopristisFossilized tooth of the Late Cretaceous giant sawfish Onchopristis - †Onchopristis dunklei
- Ostrea
- †Ostrea gilei
- †Ostrea prudentia
- †Ostrea soleniscus
- †Ostrea staufferi
- Parapholas
- †Parapholas sphenoideus
- †Pecten
- †Pecten platessus
- Pholadomya
- †Pholadomya coloradensis
- †Pholadomya coloradoensis
- †Pinna
†Placenticeras
Fossilized shell of the Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod Placenticeras - Polinices
- †Polinices concinna
- †Prionocyclus
- †Prionocyclus novimexicanus
- †Protolamna
- †Protolamna gigantea – type locality for species
- †Pseudoperna
- †Pteria
- †Pteria gastrodes
- Rostellaria
- †Rostellaria shumardi
- †Sanoarca
- †Sanoarca siouxensis
- †Scaphites
- †Scaphites corvensis
- †Scaphites preventricosus
- Serpula
- †Serpula bicarinata
- Siliqua
- †Siliqua huerfanensis
- †Spermatites
Squalicorax
Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous shark Squalicorax - †Squalicorax baharijensis
- Tapes (bivalve)
- †Tapes cyprimeriformis
- Tellina
- †Tellina calumetensis
- †Tenellisporites
- †Tenellisporites spinatus
- Teredolites – tentative report
†TerminonarisFossilized skull of the Late Cretaceous crocodilian relative Terminonaris - †Terminonaris robusta – type locality for species
- †Volutoderma
- †Volutoderma dalli
- Vulsella
- †Watinoceras
- Yoldia
- †Yoldia calumetensis
Cenozoic
- Bison
- †Mammut
†Mammut americanum
Restoration of a Mammut americanum, or American mastodon
- †Mammuthus
- Castoroides
- Megalonyx
References
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Cobban, William Aubrey (1977). "Characteristic marine molluscan fossils from the Dakota sandstone and intertongued Mancos Shale, west-central New Mexico". United States Geological Survey. Professional Paper. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office: 21. doi:10.3133/pp1009. Report 1009 PDF. Retrieved November 6, 2021.