List of the prehistoric life of North Dakota

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

Precambrian[]

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

Paleozoic[]

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  • † – or unidentified comparable form
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• †Benthamaspis
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  • † – or unidentified related form
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  • † – or unidentified comparable form
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  Illustration of a fossilized shell of the Cambrian-Late Ordovician brachiopod Lingulella
  †Lingulella
  • † – or unidentified comparable form
• †Lloydia
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• † – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
  • † – type locality for species
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Mesozoic[]

• Acipenser
• †Adocus
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• 

  Restorative model of the Late Cretaceous mammal Alphadon
  †Alphadon
  • †Alphadon marshi
• †Altacreodus
  • †Altacreodus magnus
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  • † – informal
  • † – informal
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  • † – informal
  • † – informal
• †Ampelopsis
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• †Anomia
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• †Anzu
  • †Anzu wyliei
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• 

  Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Late Cretaceous sea turtle Archelon
  †Archelon
• †Artocarpus
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• †Asimina
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• Aspideretes
• Atractosteus
• †Avisaurus – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Avisaurus archibaldi
• †Axestemys
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• Azolla
  • † – type locality for species
• †Basilemys
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• †Belonostomus
  • †Belonostomus longirostris
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  Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Late Cretaceous crocodilian Borealosuchus
  †Borealosuchus
  • †Borealosuchus sternbergii
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• †Brachychampsa
  • †Brachychampsa montana
• Campeloma
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• Carcharias
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• †Cedrobaena
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• †Celastrus
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• †Ceratophyllum
  • † – informal
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  • † – informal
• Cercidiphyllum
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  • † – informal
• 

  Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous-Eocene choristoderan reptile Champsosaurus
  †Champsosaurus
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• †Cimolodon
  • †Cimolodon nitidus
• Cinnamomum
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• †Cissites
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• †Cocculus
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• †Compsemys – type locality for genus
  • †Compsemys victa – type locality for species
• †Corbulamella
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• †Coriops
  • †Coriops amnicolus – or unidentified comparable form
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• Cornus – or unidentified related form
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  Fossilized shell of the Cretaceous-modern oyster Crassostrea
  Crassostrea
• †Crenella
  • †Crenella elegantula
• Cucullaea
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• †Cuspidaria
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• † – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
• † – or unidentified related form
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  • † – informal
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  Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous marsupial relative Didelphodon
  †Didelphodon
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• †Edmontosaurus
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    Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens
    †Edmontosaurus annectens
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• †Emarginachelys
  • †Emarginachelys cretacea
• †Enchodus
• †Equisetum
  • † – informal
  • † – informal
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• †Essonodon
  • †Essonodon browni
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• Ficus
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• †Gamerabaena – type locality for genus
  • †Gamerabaena sonsalla – type locality for species
• †Gilmoremys
  • †Gilmoremys lancensis
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  Fossilized leaf of the Permian-modern tree Ginkgo
  Ginkgo
  • †Ginkgo adiantoides
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• Glyptostrobus
  • †Glyptostrobus europaeus
  • † – informal
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• †Gypsonictops
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• †Habrosaurus
  • †Habrosaurus dilatus
• †Harmsia
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• †Hoplochelys
  • † – type locality for species
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  Fossilized shell of the Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod Hoploscaphites
  †Hoploscaphites
  • †Hoploscaphites nicolletii
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• †Humulus
  • † – informal
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• †Inoceramus – tentative report
• †Ischyodus
  • †Ischyodus rayhaasi – type locality for species
• †Ischyrhiza
  • †Ischyrhiza avonicola
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• Juglans – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
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  A modern Lamna mackerel shark
  Lamna
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• †Lemnaceae
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• Lepisosteus
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• Limopsis
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• †Liriodendrites
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  Foliage and flower of a living Liriodendron tulipifera, or American Tulip-tree
  †Liriodendron – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
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• †Lisserpeton
  • †Lisserpeton bairdi – or unidentified comparable form
• †Lonchidion
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• † – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
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• Marchantia
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• †Melvius
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  Fossilized skull of the Late Cretaceous multituberculate mammal Meniscoessus
  †Meniscoessus
  • †Meniscoessus robustus
• †Mesocyparis
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• †Mesodma
  • †Mesodma thompsoni
• Metasequoia
  • † – informal
  • † – informal
  • †Metasequoia occidentalis
• †Modiolus
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• †Myledaphus
  • †Myledaphus bipartitus
• Myliobatis
• Myrica
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  A living Nelumbo lotus
  †Nelumbo
  • † – informal
  • † – informal
  • † – informal
  • † – informal
• †Neurankylus
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  Interior of a fossilized shell of the Early Ordovician-modern marine bivalve Nucula
  Nucula
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• Nuculana
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• Odontaspis
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• †Ophiomorpha
• †Opisthotriton
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• †Osmunda
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  Fossilized skeleton of the Late Cretaceous dome-headed dinosaur Pachycephalosaurus
  †Pachycephalosaurus
  • †Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis
• †Palaeosaniwa
  • †Palaeosaniwa canadensis
• †Palatobaena
  • † – type locality for species
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• Panopea
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  Electron micrograph of the fossilized teeth in multiple views of the Late Cretaceous theropod dinosaur Paronychodon
  †Paronychodon
  • †Paronychodon lacustris
• Periploma
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• †Philodendron
  • † – informal
• Physa
• †Piceoerpeton
• †Pistia
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• Platanus
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  Restoration of the Late Cretaceous mosasaur Platecarpus
  †Platecarpus
• †Plesiobaena
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• †Plioplatecarpus
• Populus
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• †Protocardia
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• †Protochelydra
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• †Rhamnus
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• †Richardoestesia
  • †Richardoestesia isosceles
• †Salvinia
  • † – informal
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  Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous dromaeosaurid Saurornitholestes preying upon a multituberculate mammal
  †Saurornitholestes
• †Scapanorhynchus – tentative report
• †Scapherpeton
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• †Scaphites
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• †Sequoia
  • † – informal
  • † – informal
  • † – or unidentified comparable form
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  Shells in differing orientations of Sphaerium freshwater clams
  Sphaerium
• †Squatirhina
  • †Squatirhina americana
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• Taxodium
  • † – informal
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  Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous herbivorous dinosaur Thescelosaurus
  †Thescelosaurus
  • †Thescelosaurus neglectus
• †Thoracosaurus
  • †Thoracosaurus neocesariensis
• †Torosaurus
  • †Torosaurus latus
• †Trachodon
• †Triceratops
  • †Triceratops horridus
  • †Triceratops prorsus
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• †Troodon
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  Fossilized skeleton of the Late Cretaceous tyrannosaur Tyrannosaurus
  †Tyrannosaurus
  • †Tyrannosaurus rex
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• Vitis
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• Ziziphus
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Cenozoic[]

Selected Cenozoic taxa of North Dakota[]

• Acer
• †Aesculus
• †Agnotocastor
• †Aletodon
• 

  Fossilized skeleton of the Late Cretaceous-Oligocene Alligator relative Allognathosuchus
  †Allognathosuchus – type locality for genus
• Amia
• †Ampelopsis
• †Archaeocyon
• †Archaeotherium
• †Arctocyon
• Azolla
• †Batrachosauroides
• Betula
• †Bisonalveus
• †Borealosuchus
  • †Borealosuchus formidabilis – type locality for species
• †Bothriodon
• 

  Restorative portrait of the Miocene oreodont mammal Brachycrus
  †Brachycrus
• †Cabomba
• †Cantius
  • †Cantius frugivorus
• Carya
• Celtis
• †Ceratophyllum
• Cercidiphyllum
• †Champsosaurus
• Cocculus
• †Coniophis
• Cornus
• 

  A living Corylus, or hazel
  †Corylus
• †Coryphodon
• †Credneria
• Cyclocarya
• †Daphoenus
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• †Dennstaedtia
• †Diacodexis – tentative report
• †Diceratherium
• †dicot
• †Didymictis
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  Life restoration of the Eocene-Miocene false saber-toothed cat Dinictis. Robert Bruce Horsfall (1913).
  †Dinictis
• †Dissacus
• †Dombeya
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• †Echmatemys
• †Ectocion
• †Elliptio
• †Elomeryx
• †Equisetum
• †Error
• †Eucommia
• Ficus
• †Fraxinus
• Ginkgo
  • 

    Restored foliage of the Late Cretaceous-Miocene ginkgo tree Ginkgo adiantoides
    †Ginkgo adiantoides
• Glyptostrobus
  • †Glyptostrobus europaeus
• †Helodermoides
• Hemitelia
• †Herpetotherium
  • †Herpetotherium fugax – or unidentified comparable form
• †Hesperocyon
• †Homogalax
• †Hydromystria
• †Hyopsodus
• †Hypertragulus
• †Hyracodon
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  Fossilized skeleton of the Eocene-Oligocene rodent Ischyromys
  †Ischyromys
• †Joffrichthys
• Juglans
• †Kalmia – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
• †Lemnaceae
• Lepisosteus
• †Leptauchenia
• †Leptictis
• †Leptomeryx
• Lygodium
• Marchantia
• 

  Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Miocene-Pleistocene ground sloth Megalonyx
  †Megalonyx
  • †Megalonyx jeffersonii
• †Meliosma
• †Merychyus
• †Merycochoerus
• †Merycoidodon
• †Mesodma
  • †Mesodma pygmaea
• †Mesohippus
• †Metamynodon
• Metasequoia
  • †Metasequoia occidentalis
• †Miacis
• †Microcosmodon
• †Microsyops
• †Mimetodon
• †Miniochoerus
• †Miohippus
• †Nanotragulus
• 

  A living Nelumbo lotus
  †Nelumbo
  • †Nelumbo aureavallis – type locality for species
• †Neoplagiaulax
  • †Neoplagiaulax hunteri
  • †Neoplagiaulax mckennai
• †Nephrops
• †Nototeredo
• †Nyssa
• †Onoclea
• †Ophiomorpha
• †Oreithyia
• †Osbornodon
• †Osmunda
• †Oxyacodon
• †Palaeolagus
• †Palaeoryctes
• †Palaeosinopa
• †Paramys
• †Parectypodus
  • †Parectypodus lunatus
• 

  Fossilized skull of the Eocene-Oligocene lizard Peltosaurus
  †Peltosaurus – or unidentified comparable form
• †Phenacodus
• †Piceoerpeton
• Pinus
  • †Pinus peregrinus – type locality for species
• Platanus
• Platycarya
• †Plesiadapis
• †Poebrotherium
• Populus
• †Prochetodon
  • †Prochetodon foxi
• 

  Life restoration of a female (left) and male of the Oligocene-Miocene even-toed ungulate Protoceras. Charles R. Knight (1896).
  †Protoceras – tentative report
• †Protochelydra
  • †Protochelydra zangerli
• †Protungulatum
• †Psidium – tentative report
• Pterocarya
• †Ptilodus
  • †Ptilodus kummae
  • †Ptilodus montanus
  • †Ptilodus wyomingensis
• Quercus
• Rhineura – or unidentified comparable form
• Sagittaria
• †Salvinia
• †Saniwa
  • †Saniwa ensidens – or unidentified comparable form
• †Scapherpeton
• †Selaginella
• †Simoedosaurus
• †Sparganium
• †Spathorhynchus – or unidentified comparable form
• †Stillingia
• †Subhyracodon
• Taxodium
• †Teilhardina
• Thamnophis
• †Thuja
• 

  Life restoration of the Paleocene pantodont mammal Titanoides
  †Titanoides
  • †Titanoides primaevus – type locality for species
• †Trapa
• †Trigonias
• †Viburnum
• †Wannaganosuchus – type locality for genus
  • †Wannaganosuchus brachymanus – type locality for species
• †Woodwardia

References[]

• Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 7 August 2017. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)