1960 in paleontology

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 occurred or were published in the year 1960.

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Eucommia brownii[2]	Species	jr synonym	Becker	Late Eocene	Passamari Formation	USA ( Montana)	Eucommia species, jr syn of Eucommia montana

Arthropods

Crustaceans

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Eocypridina[3]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Kesling & Ploch	Upper Devonian	Blackiston Formation	US Indiana	An ostracod, type species is E. campbelli

Molluscs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Ctenodonta spjeldnaesi.[4]	Sp nov	synonym	Soot-Reyn & Soot-Reyn	Late Ordovician	Upper Chasmops Shale	Norway	transferred to Similodonta in 1964

Archosaurmopha

Dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[5]

Name	Status	Authors		Location	Notes	Images
Inosaurus[6]	Nomen dubium.	Albert-Félix de Lapparent		Egypt	A dubious Theropod.
Lophorhothon[7]	Valid taxon.	Langston		USA ( Alabama)
Silvisaurus[8]	Valid taxon.	Eaton		USA ( Kansas)	A Nodosaur.

Plesiosaurs Name Status Authors Notes Woolungasaurus Valid Persson

Birds

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Anas pachyscelus [9]	Sp. nov.	valid	Wetmore	Pleistocene	H. Bernard Wilkinson Quarry	USA Bermuda	An Anatidae.
Baeopteryx latipes [9]	Sp. nov.	synonym	Wetmore	Pleistocene	H. Bernard Wilkinson Quarry	USA Bermuda	A Gruid, moved to Grus latipes.
Ergilornis rapidus [10]	Gen. et Sp. nov.	valid	Kozlova	Early Oligocene	Hoyer-Dzan	Inner Mongolia	An Eogruid, type species E. rapidus
Palaeospheniscus novaezealandiae [11]	Sp. nov.	synonym	Marples	Late Pliocene - Waitotaran		New Zealand	A Spheniscidae, moved to Marplesornis novaezealandiae.
Proergilornis minor[10]	Gen. et Sp. nov.	synonym	Kozlova	Early Oligocene	Hoyer-Dzan	Inner Mongolia	An Eogruid, moved to Ergilornis minor.

Popular culture

Literature

• Pataud, le petit dinosaure was published. This was the first book about dinosaurs intended for an audience of children young enough to be new to reading. Paleontologist William A. S. Sarjeant has called it a "charmin[g]" book and "remarkable" that the earliest dinosaur book aimed at children was French since "French children do not share North American children's fascination" with dinosaurs.^[12]