List of the prehistoric life of Michigan

This list of the prehistoric life of Michigan contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of Michigan.

Precambrian[]

The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in Michigan.

Paleozoic[]

Selected Paleozoic taxa of Michigan[]

• †Acidaspis
• †Actinoceras
• †Alethopteris
  • †Alethopteris decurrens
• 

  Fossil of the Carboniferous horsetail relative Annularia
  †Annularia
  • †Annularia asteris
  • †Annularia sphenophylloides
• †Athyris
• †Atrypa
  • †Atrypa traversensis
• †Aulopora
  • †Aulopora microbuccinata
• †Bellerophon
• †Calamites
  • †Calamites carinatus
  • †Calamites cistii
  • †Calamites ramosus
  • †Calamites schutzeiformis
  • †Calamites suckowii
  • †Calamites undulatus
• †Callixylon
• †Calymene
• †Camarotoechia
• 

  Fossil of the Middle-Late Ordovician trilobite Ceraurus
  †Ceraurus
• †Chonetes
  • †Chonetes ensicosta
  • †Chonetes hybus
  • †Chonetes pachyactis
• †Climacograptus
• †Columnaria
  • †Columnaria alveolata
  • †Columnaria calicina
  • †Columnaria stokesi
• †Cordaites
  • †Cordaites borassifolius
  • †Cordaites crassinervis
  • †Cordaites michiganensis
  • †Cordaites palmaeformis
  • †Cordaites principalis
• †Cornulites
  • †Cornulites corrugatus
  • †Cornulites flexuosus
  • †Cornulites sterlingensis – or unidentified comparable form
• †Cyclonema
• †Cyrtolites
• †Eldredgeops
  • †Eldredgeops rana
• †Encrinurus
• †Endoceras
• †Erieopterus
• †Favosites
• 

  Flexicalymene enrolled
  †Flexicalymene
  • †Flexicalymene croneisi
  • †Flexicalymene magnipapilla – type locality for species
  • †Flexicalymene meeki – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Flexicalymene planilabra – type locality for species
  • †Flexicalymene praelongicephala – type locality for species
  • †Flexicalymene quadricapita – type locality for species
  • †Flexicalymene senaria
• †Gilbertsocrinus
• †Girvanella
• †Grewingkia
  • †Grewingkia canadensis
• †Hallopora
  • †Hallopora subnodosa
• †Halysites
• 

  Fossil of the Devonian colonial rugose coral Hexagonaria, also known as a Petoskey stone
  †Hexagonaria
  • †Hexagonaria pericarinata
• †Hindia
• †Holopea
• †Icriodus
• †Isotelus
  • †Isotelus gigas
• †Lepidodendron
  • †Lepidodendron aculeatum
  • †Lepidodendron Brittsii
  • †Lepidodendron dichotomum
  • †Lepidodendron lanceolatum
  • †Lepidodendron lycopodiodes
  • †Lepidodendron obovatum
  • †Lepidodendron obvatum
  • †Lepidodendron ophiurioides
  • †Lepidodendron vestitum
• †Lepidostrobus
• †Lingula
• †Maelonoceras
• †Meristella
• 

  Fossilized shell of the Devonian brachiopod Mucrospirifer
  †Mucrospirifer
  • †Mucrospirifer attenuatus
  • †Mucrospirifer grabaui
  • †Mucrospirifer latus
  • †Mucrospirifer mucronatus
  • †Mucrospirifer profundus
  • †Mucrospirifer prolificus
  • †Mucrospirifer thedfordensis
• †Murchisonia
• †Naticopsis
  • †Naticopsis manitobensis
• 

  Fronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris
  †Neuropteris
  • †Neuropteris caudata
  • †Neuropteris dilitata
  • †Neuropteris flexuosa
  • †Neuropteris gigntea – tentative report
  • †Neuropteris harrisi – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Neuropteris heterophylla – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Neuropteris obliqua
  • †Neuropteris rarinervis
  • †Neuropteris saginawensis
  • †Neuropteris scheuchzeri
  • †Neuropteris Schlehani
  • †Neuropteris tenuifolia
• †Nodonema
• †Nowakia
• †Nuculoidea
• †Ogygites
• †Oncoceras
• †Orthoceras
• †Panenka
• †Paraspirifer
• †Pecopteris
• †Pentamerus
• †Phragmolites
• †Plaesiomys
• 

  Fossilized shell of the Silurian-Early Triassic sea snail Platyceras
  †Platyceras
  • †Platyceras bucculentum
  • †Platyceras carinatum
  • †Platyceras rarispinum
• †Platystrophia
  • †Platystrophia acutilirata
  • †Platystrophia annieana
  • †Platystrophia clarkesvillensis
  • †Platystrophia clarksvillensis
  • †Platystrophia cypha – or unidentified related form
  • †Platystrophia moritura
• †Pleurodictyum
• †Polygnathus
• 

  Restoration of the Silurian trilobite Proetus
  †Proetus
  • †Proetus chambliensis
• †Samaropsis
• †Scenella – tentative report
• †Scutellum
• †Sigillaria
• †Sphenophyllum
  • †Sphenophyllum bifurcatum
  • †Sphenophyllum cuneifolium
  • †Sphenophyllum emarginatum
  • †Sphenophyllum majus
  • †Sphenophyllum saxifragaefolium
• †Sphenopteris
• †Spirifer – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
• †Spyroceras
• 

  Life restorations of a male (foreground) and female (background) of the Late Devonian-Carboniferous Chimaera relative Stethacanthus
  †Stethacanthus
• †Stigmaria
• †Stigmatella
• †Strophomena
  • †Strophomena alpenensis
  • †Strophomena costata
  • †Strophomena crassa
  • †Strophomena elongata
  • †Strophomena erratica
  • †Strophomena extenuata
  • †Strophomena heteromys
  • †Strophomena huronensis
  • †Strophomena inaequiradiata
  • †Strophomena levidensa
  • †Strophomena neglecta
  • †Strophomena nutans – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Strophomena parvula
  • †Strophomena pentagonia
  • †Strophomena planumbona
  • †Strophomena potterensis
  • †Strophomena sulcata
  • †Strophomena tenuicosta
  • †Strophomena titan
• †Syringopora
• †Tentaculites
• †Tetradium
• 

  Restoration showing the top (left) and underside of the Late Ordovician trilobite Triarthrus
  †Triarthrus
  • †Triarthrus eatoni

Mesozoic[]

The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Mesozoic fossils in Michigan.

Cenozoic[]

• Abies
  • †Abies balsamea
• Acer
• †Achnanthes
  • †
  • †
• 

  A living Alces, or moose
  Alces
  • †Alces alces
• Alnus
• †Ambrosia
• Amnicola
  • †
  • †Amnicola limosa
• †Amphora
  • †
• Anodonta
  • † – or unidentified comparable form
• Aplodinotus
  • †Aplodinotus grunniens – or unidentified comparable form
• †Armiger
  • †Armiger crista
• †Artemesia
• †Artemisia
• Aythya
  • †Aythya affinis
• †
  • †
• Betula
• Bufo
  • 

    A living Anaxyrus americanus (formerly Bufo americanus), or American toad
    †Bufo americanus
• Candona
  • †
  • †
  • †
• Canis
• Carya
• Carychium
  • †Carychium exiguum
• Castor
  • †Castor canadensis
• 

  Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene giant beaver Castoroides
  †Castoroides
  • †Castoroides ohioensis
• †Catinella
• †Catostomus
  • †Catostomus commersoni
• †Cervalces
  • †Cervalces scotti
• †Cionella
  • †Cionella lubrica
• †Columella
• †Cymbella
  • †
• †Cytherissa
  • †
• Dicrostonyx
• Discus
  • †
• Dryopteris
• Esox
  • 

    Illustration of a living Esox lucius, or northern pike
    †Esox lucius
• Ferrissia
  • †Ferrissia fragilis
  • †
• Fossaria
  • †
• †Fragilaria
  • †
  • †
  • †
• †
  • †
• †Fraxinus
• Grus
  • 

    A living Grus americana, or whooping crane
    †Grus americana
• • †
• Gyraulus
  • †Gyraulus deflectus
  • †Gyraulus parvus
• Helisoma
  • †Helisoma anceps
• • †
• Juglans
• Larix
  • †Larix laricina
• Lemmus
  • †Lemmus trimucronatus – or unidentified comparable form
• Limnocythere
  • †
• Lioplax
  • † – or unidentified comparable form
• Lycopodium
• Lymnaea
  • †Lymnaea stagnalis
• †Mammut
  • †Mammut americanum
• †Mammuthus
  • †Mammuthus columbi
  • 

    Life restorations of a Mammut americanum, or American mastodon (right), and a Mammuthus primigenius, or wooly mammoth (left)
    †Mammuthus primigenius
• Meleagris
  • †Meleagris gallopavo
• Microtus
  • †Microtus pennsylvanicus
  • †Microtus xanthognathus
• • †
• Mustela
  • †Mustela richardsonii
• Myodes
• †Navicula
  • †
  • †
  • †
  • †
• Odocoileus
  • 

    A living Odocoileus virginianus, or white-tailed deer
    †Odocoileus virginianus
• Ondatra
  • †Ondatra zibethicus
• Ostrya
• †Pediastrum
• Perca
  • †Perca flavescens
• Peromyscus
• Physella
  • †Physella integra
• Picea
  • †Picea glauca
  • †Picea mariana
• Pinus
  • †Pinus banksiana
  • †Pinus resinosa
  • †Pinus strobus
• Pisidium
  • †
  • †
  • †
  • †Pisidium milium
  • †Pisidium nitidum
  • †
  • †
• †Planorbella
  • †Planorbella campanulata
• 

  Restoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus. Charles R. Knight (1922).
  †Platygonus
  • †Platygonus compressus
• †Pomoxis – or unidentified comparable form
• Populus
• †Probythinella
  • †
• Pteridium
• Pungitius
  • †Pungitius pungitius – or unidentified comparable form
• Quercus
• †Rana
  • †Rana catesbeiana
  • †Rana clamitans
• 

  Rangifer
  Rangifer
• Salix
• †Selaginella
• †Shepherdia
  • †Shepherdia argentea
• Sorex
  • †Sorex hoyi
• Sphaerium
  • †
• Sphagnum
• Stagnicola
  • †Stagnicola elodes
• †Thalictrum
• †Thuja
• Tilia
• †Tsuga
• Typha
• Ulmus
• Ursus
  • 

    A living Ursus americanus, or American black bear
    †Ursus americanus
• Vallonia
  • †Vallonia costata
• Valvata
  • †Valvata sincera
  • †Valvata tricarinata
• Vertigo
  • †Vertigo alpestris
  • †
  • † – or unidentified comparable form
  • †
  • †Vertigo modesta
  • †
  • †Vertigo ovata
  • †Vertigo paradoxa
• 

  Leaves and fruit of a living Vitis, or grapevine
  Vitis
• Zapus
  • †Zapus hudsonius – or unidentified comparable form
• Zonitoides
  • †

References[]

• Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)