1852 in paleontology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 |  | |
| 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) |  France |
A possible camarasaurid. |  | |
| 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]