Harman Patil (Editor)

1977 in paleontology

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1977 in paleontology

Paleontology or palaeontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. 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 1977.

Contents

Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries

  • Trexler found hadrosaur remains west of Choteau, Montana in Two Medicine Formation strata.

    • Conodont paleozoology

    German paleontologist and stratigrapher Heinz Walter Kozur (1942-2013) described the conodont genus Vjalovognathus

    Vertebrate paleozoology

    Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.

  • Colin J. O Harrison and Cyril Walker described and named 16 fossils from the Early Eocene from very small fragments. It is not possible to describe taxa so old from those fragments, given the fact that in the Eocene many birds with a mix of characters existed (mosaics).

    • Literature

  • The Year of the Dinosaur Edwin H. Colbert and illustrated by his wife, Margaret was published. This story describes a year in the life of a "brontosaur" and was an attempt to educate the reader about prehistory through a fictional portrayal of it.

    • References

    1977 in paleontology Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA