List of the prehistoric life of Minnesota

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

Precambrian

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

Paleozoic

Selected Paleozoic taxa of Minnesota

†Actinoceras
†Actinodiscus
†Amorphognathus
†Armenoceras
Reconstructive diagram (left) of a fossil (right) of the Ordovician sea urchin Bothriocidaris. The short spines which were attached to the tubercles are not drawn.
†Bothriocidaris
†Bumastus
- †Bumastus orbicaudatus
†Calymene
†Cameroceras
†Ceratopsis
†Ceraurinella
†Ceraurinus
†Ceraurus
†Charactoceras
†Chasmatopora
†Chidleyenoceras
†Chirognathus
Assemblage of fossilized shells of the Ordovician brachiopod Cincinnetina
†Cincinnetina
- †Cincinnetina minnesotensis – type locality for species
†Constellaria
†Cordylodus
†Cotteroceras
†Crania
†Craniops
†Culumbodina
†Curtognathus
†Cyclonema
†Cyptendoceras
†Cyrtolites
†Diplograptus
†Ellesmeroceras
Fossilized shells and restored appearances of the Middle-Late Ordovician nautiloid cephalopod Endoceras
†Endoceras
†Erratencrinurus
†Fayettoceras – tentative report
†Flexicalymene
- †Flexicalymene senaria
†Gabriceraurus
†Geisonoceras
†Glyptocrinus
†Gonioceras
†Grewingkia
†Hallopora
†Helcionopsis
†Hindia
†Holopea
†Hypseloconus – type locality for genus
†Icriodus
†Illaenus
Fossil of the Middle-Late Ordovician giant trilobite Isotelus.
†Isotelus
- †Isotelus gigas
†Kentlandoceras
†Kionoceras
†Kirengella
†Krausella
†Lambeoceras
†Lingula
†Manitoulinoceras
†Michelinoceras
†Nanno
†Ormoceras – tentative report
†Orthoceras
†Oulodus
†Ozarkodina
†Periodon
†Phragmolites
†Plaesiomys
†Platystrophia
†Plectoceras
Fossil of the Late Ordovician cystoid echinoderm Pleurocystites
†Pleurocystites
†Polygnathus
- †Polygnathus linguiformis
- †Polygnathus parawebbi
†Polygrammoceras
†Pterotheca
†Reedsoceras
†Reteocrinus
†Rigidella
†Rioceras
Fossils of the Cambrian mollusc Scenella
†Scenella
- †Scenella compressa
- †Scenella obtusa
†Similodonta
†Skenidioides
†Sowerbyella
†Spyroceras
†Stigmatella
†Strepsodiscus
†Strophomena
- †Strophomena billingsi
- †Strophomena filitexta
- †Strophomena incurvata
- †Strophomena plattinensis – or unidentified comparable form
†Subulites
†Teichertoceras
†Tryblidium
†Ulrichoceras
Fossil of the Ordovician-Devonian sea star Urasterella
†Urasterella
†Valcouroceras
†Vellamo
†Westonoceras
†Whiteavesia
†Zittelloceras

Mesozoic

†Acanthoceras
A living Acteon barrel bubble sea snail
†Acteon
- †Acteon propinquus
†Amphidonte – tentative report
†Anatimya
- †Anatimya plicata
Anatina
- †Anatina marblensis
†Anchura
- †Anchura grouti
Interior and exterior of a shell of an Anomia, or jingle shell
†Anomia
- †Anomia propatoris
Aporrhais
- †Aporrhais nuptialis
†Arcellites
- †Arcellites disciformis
†Ariadnaesporites
- †Ariadnaesporites varius
Azolla – or unidentified comparable form
Barbatia
- †Barbatia micronema
Brachidontes
- †Brachidontes arcturusensis
†Calliomphalus – tentative report
- †Calliomphalus colerainensis
Fossilized shell of the Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod Calycoceras
†Calycoceras – tentative report
Carcharias
- †Carcharias amonensis
†Cenocarcharias
- †Cenocarcharias tenuiplicatus
†Collignoniceras
- †Collignoniceras percarinatum
Coptothyris
- †Coptothyris dakotaensis
Corbula
- †Corbula kanabensis
†Costatheca
†Cretodus
- †Cretodus semiplicatus
Fossil of the Early Cretaceous-Eocene shark Cretolamna
†Cretolamna
- †Cretolamna appendiculata
†Cymbophora
- †Cymbophora emmonsi
- †Cymbophora utahensis – tentative report
†Dentalium
Discradisca
†Dunveganoceras
- †Dunveganoceras hagei
†Epitonium
†Etea – tentative report
Interior of a fossilized shell of the Jurassic-Cretaceous foam oyster Exogyra
†Exogyra
- †Exogyra boveyensis
- †Exogyra lamellosa
- †Exogyra mesabiensis
- †Exogyra suborbiculata
†Gervillia
- †Gervillia propleura – tentative report
†Goolandia
- †Goolandia minnesotensis
Granocardium
- †Granocardium enstromi ^[1]
Gyrodes
- †Gyrodes conradi
†Hybodus
- †Hybodus rajkovichi – type locality for species
Fossilized shell of the Early Jurassic-Late Cretaceous marine bivalve Inoceramus with a human indicating its size
†Inoceramus
- †Inoceramus apicalis
- †Inoceramus fragilis
- †Inoceramus mesabiensis
†Ischyodus
†Legumen
- †Legumen planulatum – or unidentified comparable form
†Leptosolen
- †Leptosolen biplicatus
Lima
- †Lima utahensis
†Lingula
- †Lingula subspatulata – tentative report
†Mesozoisynangia
- †Mesozoisynangia trilobus
†Metengonoceras
- †Metengonoceras acutum
- †Metengonoceras dumblei – or unidentified comparable form
- †Metengonoceras dumbli
†Metoicoceras
- †Metoicoceras bergquisti
- †Metoicoceras swallovi – or unidentified related form
†Minerisporites
- †Minerisporites mirabilis
†Molaspora
- †Molaspora rugosa
†Mytiloides
- †Mytiloides labiatus
- †Mytiloides mytiloides
Nerita – tentative report
- †Nerita minnesotensis
Nucula
- †Nucula coloradoensis
Fossilized tooth of the Late Cretaceous giant sawfish Onchopristis
†Onchopristis
- †Onchopristis dunklei
Ostrea
- †Ostrea gilei
- †Ostrea prudentia
- †Ostrea soleniscus
- †Ostrea staufferi
Parapholas
- †Parapholas sphenoideus
†Pecten
- †Pecten platessus
Pholadomya
- †Pholadomya coloradensis
- †Pholadomya coloradoensis
†Pinna
Fossilized shell of the Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod Placenticeras
†Placenticeras
- †Placenticeras pseudoplacenta
Polinices
- †Polinices concinna
†Prionocyclus
- †Prionocyclus novimexicanus
†Protolamna
- †Protolamna gigantea – type locality for species
†Pseudoperna
- †Pseudoperna congesta
†Pteria
- †Pteria gastrodes
Rostellaria
- †Rostellaria shumardi
†Sanoarca
- †Sanoarca siouxensis
†Scaphites
- †Scaphites corvensis
- †Scaphites preventricosus
Serpula
- †Serpula bicarinata
Siliqua
- †Siliqua huerfanensis
†Spermatites
Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous shark Squalicorax
Squalicorax
- †Squalicorax baharijensis
Tapes (bivalve)
- †Tapes cyprimeriformis
Tellina
- †Tellina calumetensis
†Tenellisporites
- †Tenellisporites spinatus
Teredolites – tentative report
Fossilized skull of the Late Cretaceous crocodilian relative Terminonaris
†Terminonaris
- †Terminonaris robusta – type locality for species
†Volutoderma
- †Volutoderma dalli
Vulsella
†Watinoceras
- †Watinoceras coloradoense
Yoldia
- †Yoldia calumetensis

Cenozoic

Bison
- †Bison antiquus
- †Bison bison
†Mammut
- Restoration of a Mammut americanum, or American mastodon
  †Mammut americanum
†Mammuthus
- †Mammuthus columbi

References

Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.

^ Cobban, William Aubrey (1977). "Characteristic marine molluscan fossils from the Dakota sandstone and intertongued Mancos Shale, west-central New Mexico". United States Geological Survey. Professional Paper. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office: 21. doi:10.3133/pp1009. Report 1009 PDF. Retrieved 6 November 2021.

[1] Cobban, William Aubrey (1977). "Characteristic marine molluscan fossils from the Dakota sandstone and intertongued Mancos Shale, west-central New Mexico". United States Geological Survey. Professional Paper. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office: 21. doi:10.3133/pp1009. Report 1009 PDF. Retrieved 6 November 2021.

[1]