List of the prehistoric life of West Virginia

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

Precambrian[]

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

Paleozoic[]

Main article: List of the Paleozoic life of West Virginia

Selected Paleozoic taxa of West Virginia[]

  • Fossilized fronds of the Carboniferous-Early Cretaceous seed fern Alethopteris
    †Alethopteris
    • †Alethopteris decurrens
    • †Alethopteris gigas
    • †Alethopteris grandini
    • †Alethopteris parva
    • †Alethopteris serlii
    • †Alethopteris sternberg
    • †Alethopteris virginiana
  • †Aneurophyton – or unidentified related form
  • †Annularia
    • †Annularia asteris
    • †Annularia galoides
    • †Annularia mucronata
    • †Annularia radiata
    • †Annularia sphenophylloides
    • †Annularia stellata
  • Restoration of the Late Devonian-Carboniferous tree Archaeopteris with insets detailing its anatomy
    †Archaeopteris
    • †Archaeopteris halliana
    • †Archaeopteris hibernica
    • †Archaeopteris macilenta
    • †Archaeopteris obusa
    • †Archaeopteris sphenophyllifolia
  • †Artisia
  • †Athyris
  • †Atrypa
    • †Atrypa reticularis – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
  • †Aulopora
  • †Aviculopecten
    • †Aviculopecten batesvillensis
    • †Aviculopecten crenistriatus – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Baiera
  • †Barinophyton
  • †Bassipterus
  • †Calamites
    • †Calamites cistii
    • †Calamites suckowi
    • †Calamites suckowii
  • Fossilized fronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Callipteridium
    †Callipteridium
    • †Callipteridium dawsonianum
    • †Callipteridium grandifolium
    • †Callipteridium oblongifolium
    • †Callipteridium odontopteroides
    • †Callipteridium unitum
  • †Callipteris
    • †Callipteris conferta
    • †Callipteris currettiensis
    • †Callipteris diabolica
    • †Callipteris lyratifolia
  • †Callixylon
    • †Callixylon erianum
  • †Calymene
  • †Camarotoechia
    • †Camarotoechia andrewsi
    • †Camarotoechia limitare
    • †Camarotoechia litchfieldensis
    • †Camarotoechia tonolowayensis
  • †Cardiocarpus
  • †Carniodus
  • †Chonetes
    • †Chonetes novascoticus
  • †Cordaites
    • †Cordaites principalis
  • †Cornulites
  • †Crassigyrinus
  • †Cyclopteris
  • †Dalmanites
    • †Dalmanites limulurus
  • †Diploceraspis
    • †Diploceraspis burkei
  • †Distomodus
  • †Drepanopterus
  • Life restoration of the Permian synapsid (mammal precursor) Edaphosaurus
    †Edaphosaurus
    • †Edaphosaurus colohistion – type locality for species
  • †
  • †Eucalyptocrinites
  • †Eurypterus
  • †Favosites
  • †Greererpeton
    • †Greererpeton burkemorani
  • †Gyracanthus
  • †Holopea
  • †Hughmilleria
  • Restoration of the Carboniferous-Late Triassic club moss relative Lepidodendron. (1911).
    †Lepidodendron
    • †Lepidodendron aculeatum
    • †Lepidodendron dichotomum
    • †Lepidodendron obovatum
  • †Limnopus
    • †Limnopus glenshawensis
  • †Lingula
  • †Lithostrotion
  • †Lyginopteris
    • †Lyginopteris bermudensiformis
    • †Lyginopteris fragilis
    • †Lyginopteris hoeninghausi
  • †Modiolus
  • †Mucrospirifer
    • †Mucrospirifer mucronatus
  • †Murchisonia
  • Fronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris
    †Neuropteris
    • †Neuropteris auriculata
    • †Neuropteris cordata
    • †Neuropteris fimbriata
    • †Neuropteris flexuosa
    • †Neuropteris gigantea
    • †Neuropteris heterophylla
    • †Neuropteris hirsuta
    • †Neuropteris loschii
    • †Neuropteris odontopteroides
    • †Neuropteris ovata
    • †Neuropteris scheuchzeri
    • †Neuropteris sternberg
  • Life restoration of the Middle-Late Devonian lobe-finned fish Onychodus
    †Onychodus
  • †Orthacanthus – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Orthoceras – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
  • †Parahughmilleria
  • †Pecopteris
    • †Pecopteris arborescens
    • †Pecopteris elliptica
    • †Pecopteris feminaeformis
    • †Pecopteris hemitelioides
    • †Pecopteris hemiteloides
    • †Pecopteris pennaeformis – or unidentified comparable form
    • †Pecopteris unita
  • †Periechocrinus
  • †Petalodus
  • †Phacops
    • †Phacops cristata
  • †Pinna
  • †Platyceras
    • †Platyceras gebharti
    • †Platyceras magnificum
  • †Proterogyrinus
    • †Proterogyrinus scheelei
  • Life restoration of the Permian reptile Protorothyris
    †Protorothyris – type locality for genus
    • †Protorothyris morani – type locality for species
  • †Rhodea
  • †Sagenodus – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Sigillaria
    • †Sigillaria approximata
    • †Sigillaria brardii
  • †Solenomorpha
  • †Sphenophyllum
    • †Sphenophyllum angustifolium
    • †Sphenophyllum cornutum
    • †Sphenophyllum cuneifolium
    • †Sphenophyllum emarginatum
    • †Sphenophyllum majus
    • †Sphenophyllum oblongifolia
    • †Sphenophyllum subtenerrimmum
    • †Sphenophyllum tenuifolium
  • †Sphenopteris
    • †Sphenopteris coriacea
  • Fossilized shell of the Late Ordovician-Late Triassic brachiopod Spirifer
    †Spirifer – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
    • †Spirifer corallinensis
    • †Spirifer keyserensis
    • †Spirifer mackenzicus
    • †Spirifer vanuxemi
  • †Stigmaria
  • †Tentaculites
  • †Tetracystis
  • †Tetrameroceras
  • †Trimerus
  • †Waeringopterus
  • †Wilkingia
  • †Wurmiella
    • †Wurmiella excavata
  • Life restoration of the Permian amphibian Zatrachys
    †Zatrachys

Mesozoic[]

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

Cenozoic[]

  • Agkistrodon
    • A living Agkistrodon contortrix, or copperhead
      †Agkistrodon contortrix
  • †
    • †
  • †Ambystoma
    • †Ambystoma jeffersonianum
    • †Ambystoma maculatum
    • †Ambystoma tigrinum
  • †
    • †
  • Blarina
    • †
    • A living Blarina brevicauda, or northern short-tailed shrew
      †Blarina brevicauda
    • †
  • †
    • †
  • †Bootherium
    • †Bootherium bombifrons
  • †Brachyprotoma
    • †Brachyprotoma obtusata
  • Bufo
    • †Bufo americanus
    • †Bufo woodhousei
  • Canis
    • Skeletons look identical
      Modern mounted skeleton of Canis lupus, the grey wolf, to scale with a fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene wolf Canis dirus, or dire wolf
      †Canis dirus
    • †Canis latrans
  • Carphophis
  • Castor
    • †Castor canadensis
  • †
    • †
  • Cervus
    • †Cervus elaphus
  • Clethrionomys
    • †Clethrionomys gapperi
  • Coluber
    • A living Coluber constrictor, or eastern racer
      †Coluber constrictor
  • Condylura
    • †Condylura cristata
    • †
  • Crotalus
    • †Crotalus horridus
  • Cryptobranchus
    • †Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
    • †
  • Cryptotis
    • †Cryptotis parva
    • †
  • A living Desmodus, or vampire bat
    Desmodus
    • †Desmodus stocki
  • Desmognathus
  • Dicrostonyx
    • †Dicrostonyx hudsonius
  • †Dipoides
  • †Ectopistes
    • Taxidermied male Ectopistes migratorius, or passenger pigeon
      †Ectopistes migratorius
  • Elaphe
    • †Elaphe vulpina
  • Eptesicus
    • †Eptesicus fuscus
  • Equus
  • Erethizon
    • †Erethizon dorsatum
  • Eumeces
    • †Eumeces fasciatus
    • †Eumeces laticeps
  • Eutamias
    • †Eutamias minimus – or unidentified comparable form
  • Geomys
    • †Geomys bursarius – or unidentified comparable form
  • Glaucomys
    • †Glaucomys sabrinus
  • Gyrinophilus
    • A living Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, or Spring salamander
      †Gyrinophilus porphyriticus
  • Heterodon
    • †Heterodon platyrhinos
  • Hyla
    • †Hyla chrysoscelis
    • †Hyla crucifer
  • Ictalurus
  • Lampropeltis
    • †Lampropeltis triangulum
  • Lasiopodomys
    • †
  • Lasiurus
    • †Lasiurus borealis
  • Lepus
    • A living Lepus americanus, or snowshoe hare
      †Lepus americanus
  • Lynx
    • †Lynx rufus
  • †Mammut
    • †Mammut americanum
  • †Mammuthus
  • Marmota
    • †Marmota monax
  • †Megalonyx
    • Claws of M. jeffersonii
      †Megalonyx jeffersonii
    • † – or unidentified comparable form
  • Mephitis
    • †Mephitis mephitis
  • Microtus
    • †Microtus chrotorrhinus
    • †
    • †
    • †Microtus ochrogaster – or unidentified comparable form
    • †
    • †Microtus pennsylvanicus
    • †Microtus pinetorum
    • †Microtus xanthognathus
    • †
  • †Mimomys
    • †
  • Restoration of the Pliocene-Pleistocene Miracinonyx, or American cheetah
    †Miracinonyx
    • †Miracinonyx inexpectatus
  • Mustela
    • †
    • †
    • † – or unidentified comparable form
    • †Mustela frenata – or unidentified comparable form
    • †Mustela nivalis
    • †Mustela vison
  • Fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Holocene peccary Mylohyus
    †Mylohyus
    • †Mylohyus fossilis
  • Myodes
    • †
  • Myotis
    • †Myotis grisescens – tentative report
    • †
    • †Myotis keenii
    • †
    • †Myotis leibii
  • Napaeozapus
    • †Napaeozapus insignis
  • Neofiber
    • †Neofiber alleni – or unidentified comparable form
    • †
  • Neotoma
    • Close-up of a Neotoma floridana, or eastern woodrat
      †Neotoma floridana
    • †
  • Nerodia
    • †Nerodia sipedon
  • Notophthalmus
    • †Notophthalmus viridescens
  • Ochotona
  • †
  • Odocoileus
    • †Odocoileus virginianus
  • †
    • †
  • Ondatra
    • †
    • †Ondatra zibethicus
  • Opheodrys
    • †Opheodrys vernalis
  • Panthera
    • A living Panthera onca, or jaguar
      †Panthera onca
  • †
    • †
  • Parascalops
    • †Parascalops breweri
  • †
    • †
  • Pekania
    • †Pekania pennanti
  • Peromyscus
    • †
    • †Peromyscus maniculatus – or unidentified comparable form
  • Phenacomys
    • †
    • †
    • †Phenacomys intermedius
  • Pipistrellus
    • †Pipistrellus subflavus
  • Pitymys
    • †
  • Restoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus. Charles R. Knight (1922).
    †Platygonus
  • Plecotus
  • †
  • Procyon
    • †Procyon lotor
  • †Rana
    • †
    • †Rana clamitans
    • †Rana pipiens
    • †Rana sylvatica
  • Rangifer
    • A living Rangifer tarandus, or reindeer
      †Rangifer tarandus
  • Salamandra
    • †
  • Sceloporus
    • †Sceloporus undulatus
    • †
  • Sciurus
    • †Sciurus carolinensis – or unidentified comparable form
    • †
    • †
  • Sistrurus
    • †Sistrurus catenatus
  • Life restoration of the Pleistocene-Holocene saber-tooth cat Smilodon
    †Smilodon
    • †Smilodon fatalis
    • †Smilodon gracilis
  • Sorex
    • †Sorex arcticus
    • †Sorex cinereus
    • †
    • †Sorex dispar
    • †Sorex fumeus
    • †Sorex hoyi
    • †Sorex palustris
  • Spermophilus
    • †Spermophilus tridecemlineatus
  • Spilogale
    • A living Spilogale putorius, or eastern spotted skunk
      †Spilogale putorius – or unidentified comparable form
  • Storeria
  • Sylvilagus
  • † – or unidentified comparable form
  • Synaptomys
    • †Synaptomys cooperi
  • Tadarida
    • †Tadarida brasiliensis – or unidentified comparable form
  • Tamias
    • †Tamias striatus
  • Tamiasciurus
    • †Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
  • †
    • †
  • A living Tapirus, or tapir
    Tapirus
  • Taxidea
    • †Taxidea taxus
  • Thamnophis
  • Thomomys
    • †
  • Urocyon
    • †Urocyon cinereoargenteus
  • Ursus
    • †Ursus americanus
  • Vulpes
    • A living Vulpes vulpes, or red fox
      †Vulpes vulpes
  • Zapus
    • †Zapus hudsonius

References[]

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