1920 in paleontology

Template:Short description Template:Year topic navigation 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 Template:Show by date published in the year 1920.

Arthropods

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Dolichoderus vectensis^[2]	Sp nov	valid	Donisthorpe	Late Eocene	Bembridge Marls	File:Flag of England.svg England	A dolichoderine ant	File:Dolichoderus vectensis BMNHP9198 close up.jpg Dolichoderus vectensis
Emplastus emeryi^[2]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Donisthorpe	Late Eocene	Bembridge Marls	File:Flag of England.svg England	A dolichoderine ant jr synonym of Emplastus britannicus	File:Emplastus britannicus BMNHP24367 whole.jpg Emplastus britannicus ("E. emeryi" holotype)
Dolichoderus gurnetensis^[2]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Donisthorpe	Late Eocene	Bembridge Marls	File:Flag of England.svg England	A dolichoderine ant jr synonym of Emplastus gurnetensis	File:Emplastus gurnetensis BMNHP9082 whole.jpg E. gurnetensis queen

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Tomistoma dowsoni^[3]	Sp. nov	Valid	Fourtau	Burdigalian	Moghra Formation	File:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt	A member of the Gavialoidea. It was later placed in a distinct genus, Sutekhsuchus, by Burke et al. in 2024.	File:Sutekhsuchus syntype.jpg

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Aristosaurus^[4]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	van Hoepen	Pliensbachian	Clarens Formation	File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa	A prosauropod sometimes synonymized with Massospondylus	File:Aristosaurus slab dorsal.jpg
Dromicosaurus^[5]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	van Hoepen	Late Triassic-Early Jurassic	Elliot Formation	File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa	A prosauropod sometimes synonymized with Massospondylus	File:Dromicosaurus type vanHoepen 1920 4.jpg
Elaphrosaurus^[6]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Janensch	Kimmeridgian	Tendaguru Formation	File:Flag of Tanzania.svg Tanzania	A slender theropod	File:Elaphrosaurus.jpg
Eucnemesaurus^[5]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	van Hoepen	Norian	Elliot Formation	File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa	A prosauropod
Kritosaurus incurvimanus^[7]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Parks	Campanian	Dinosaur Park Formation	File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada File:Flag of Alberta.svg Alberta	A species of Kritosaurus	File:Gryposaurus incurvimanus.jpg
Procheneosaurus^[8]	Gen. nov.?	Jr. synonym	Matthew	Campanian	Dinosaur Park Formation	File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada File:Flag of Alberta.svg Alberta	A genus lacking a species name, sometimes considered a nomen nudum. A synonym of Lambeosaurus	File:Procheneosaurus.jpg

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Location	Images
Alopecopsis	Valid	Broom	257 Millions of years ago.	File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
Broomisaurus	Valid	Joleaud
Moschorhinus	Valid	Broom	250 Millions of years ago.	File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa	File:Moschorhinus DB.jpg Moschorhinus
Protacmon	Valid	Watson	245 Millions of years ago.	File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa

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↑ Janensch, W. 1920. Uber Elaphrosaurus bambergi und die Megalosaurier aus den Tendaguru-Schichten Deutsch-Ostafricas. Sitzungsberichte Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde Berlin 8: pp. 225-235.
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