Flora

Cnidarians

Research

* Ou ''et al.'' (2017) consider early

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...

species '' Galeaplumosus abilus'' and '' Chengjiangopenna wangii'' to be

junior synonyms The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linn ...

of ''

Xianguangia ''Xianguangia'' is a soft-bodied sea anemone-like fossil animal from the Chengjiang Biota of China. Description ''Xianguangia sinica'' has a cylindrical body with a whorl of nearly 16 tentacles around the oral disc, similar to the modern antho ...

sinica'', interpret fossils attributed to members of these species as parts of the same organism and consider ''X. sinica'' to be likely

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that th ...

n. * '' Pseudooides prima'' is interpreted as a cnidarian and a senior synonym of ''Hexaconularia sichuanensis'' by Duan ''et al.'' (2017). * Fossilized

medusae Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...

are described from the

Zabriskie Quartzite The Zabriskie Quartzite is a Cambrian Period geologic formation of the northern Mojave Desert, in Inyo County, California and Nye County, Nevada.

(

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) by Sappenfield, Tarhan & Droser (2017), representing the oldest

macrofossil Macrofossils, also known as megafossils, are preserved organic remains large enough to be visible without a microscope. The term ''macrofossil'' stands in opposition to the term microfossil. Microfossils, by contrast, require substantial magnifica ...

evidence of cnidarian medusae from the

Phanerozoic The Phanerozoic Eon is the current geologic eon in the geologic time scale, and the one during which abundant animal and plant life has existed. It covers 538.8 million years to the present, and it began with the Cambrian Period, when anima ...

reported so far. * A study on the

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

of phosphatic tubes of ''

Sphenothallus ''Sphenothallus'' is a problematic extinct genus lately attributed to the conulariids. It was widespread in shallow marine environments during the Paleozoic. Occurrence ''Sphenothallus'' is represented in the Cambrian period in the Kaili biot ...

'' from the Early

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start ...

Fenxiang Formation (

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

), as well as the

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozo ...

and Early

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...

(

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

), and its implications for the evolution of symmetry in the body plan of

ns is published by Dzik, Baliński & Sun (2017). * A study on the succession of

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

assemblages through the

–

transition in South

is published by Wang ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the extant and fossil stony corals, intending to determine whether fossil corals lived in

symbiosis Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

with

photosynthesizing Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in ...

dinoflagellate The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος ''dinos'' "whirling" and Latin ''flagellum'' "whip, scourge") are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered algae. Dinoflagellates are ...

s, is published by Tornabene ''et al.'' (2017).

New taxa

Arthropods

Bryozoans

Research

Epizoic An epibiont (from the Ancient Greek meaning "living on top of") is an organism that lives on the surface of another living organism, called the basibiont ("living underneath"). The interaction between the two organisms is called epibiosis. An ep ...

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...

ns are reported on fossil

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

s from the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

Mishan Formation (

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

) by Key ''et al.'' (2017).

New taxa

Brachiopods

Research

* A study on the selectivity of

brachiopod Brachiopods (), phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of trochozoan animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, w ...

extinctions during the

Ordovician–Silurian extinction events The Late Ordovician mass extinction (LOME), sometimes known as the end-Ordovician mass extinction or the Ordovician-Silurian extinction, is the first of the "big five" major Extinction event, mass extinction events in Earth's history, occurring ro ...

is published by Finnegan, Rasmussen & Harper (2017). * A study on the patterns of

biomineralization Biomineralization, also written biomineralisation, is the process by which living organisms produce minerals, often to harden or stiffen existing tissues. Such tissues are called mineralized tissues. It is an extremely widespread phenomenon; ...

of Late

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...

brachiopod shells and on their implications for inferring the environmental disruptions associated with the

Permian–Triassic extinction event The Permian–Triassic (P–T, P–Tr) extinction event, also known as the Latest Permian extinction event, the End-Permian Extinction and colloquially as the Great Dying, formed the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods, as ...

is published by Garbelli, Angiolini & Shen (2017).

New taxa

Molluscs

Echinoderms

Research

* Systematic revision of the North American members of the

diploporita Diploporita is an extinct class of blastozoan that ranged from the Ordovician to the Devonian. These echinoderms are identified by a specialized respiratory structure, called diplopores. Diplopores are a double pore system that sit within a depr ...

n family Holocystitidae is published by Sheffield & Sumrall (2017). *

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...

members of the otherwise

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

groups of

sea urchin Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) of ...

s (the family Proterocidaridae),

brittle star Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (; ; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomo ...

s (the family Eospondylidae) and

starfish Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish ...

are reported by Thuy, Hagdorn & Gale (2017). * Phylogenetic analysis and systematic revision of early to middle Paleozoic non-camerate

crinoids Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...

published by Wright (2017). * Systematic revision of

camerate

published by Cole (2017). * Major revision to the classification of fossil and extant

Crinoidea Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...

by Wright ''et al.'' (2017), including the presentation of new phylogeny-based and rank-based classifications. * A study on large-scale patterns of morphologic evolution in the

radiation of eucladid crinoids is published by Wright (2017). * A study on the internal morphology of the

water vascular system The water vascular system is a hydraulic system used by echinoderms, such as sea stars and sea urchins, for locomotion, food and waste transportation, and respiration. The system is composed of canals connecting numerous tube feet. Echinoderms mov ...

in a specimen of a

ophiuroid Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (; ; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomot ...

species '' Protasterina flexuosa'' from the

(

Katian The Katian is the second stage of the Upper Ordovician. It is preceded by the Sandbian and succeeded by the Hirnantian Stage. The Katian began million years ago and lasted for about 7.8 million years until the beginning of the Hirnantian millio ...

) Kope Formation (

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

) is published by Clark ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the paleoecology of the echinoderm species known from the upper

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campanian s ...

Pierre Shale The Pierre Shale is a geologic formation or series in the Upper Cretaceous which occurs east of the Rocky Mountains in the Great Plains, from Pembina Valley in Canada to New Mexico. The Pierre Shale was described by Meek and Hayden in 1862 in th ...

(including the crinoid '' Lakotacrinus brezinai''), especially on their adaptations to the

cold seep A cold seep (sometimes called a cold vent) is an area of the ocean floor where hydrogen sulfide, methane and other hydrocarbon-rich fluid seepage occurs, often in the form of a brine pool. ''Cold'' does not mean that the temperature of the see ...

environment, is published by Kato, Oji & Shirai (2017).

New taxa

Conodonts

Research

* A study on the

conodont Conodonts (Greek ''kōnos'', "cone", + ''odont'', "tooth") are an extinct group of agnathan (jawless) vertebrates resembling eels, classified in the class Conodonta. For many years, they were known only from their tooth-like oral elements, which ...

assemblage from the

(

Homerian In the geologic timescale, the Homerian is an age of the Wenlock Epoch of the Silurian Period of the Paleozoic Era of the Phanerozoic Eon that is comprehended between 430.5 ± 0.7 Ma and 427.4 ± 0.5 Ma (million years ago), approximately. Th ...

) Rootsiküla Formation (

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

), interpreted as occurring in the

evaporite An evaporite () is a water-soluble sedimentary mineral deposit that results from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporite deposits: marine, which can also be described as ocea ...

-bearing strata, and on the conodont diversity in various environments, is published by Jarochowska ''et al.'' (2017). * Articulated skeletal remains of ''

Hindeodus ''Hindeodus'' is an extinct genus of conodonts in the family Anchignathodontidae. The generic name ''Hindeodus'' is a tribute to George Jennings Hinde, a British geologist and paleontologist from the 1800s and early 1900s. The suffix -odus typi ...

parvus'', providing direct evidence of the number and arrangement of elements in the apparatus, are described from the Lower Triassic of

by Zhang ''et al.'' (2017).

New taxa

Fishes

Amphibians

Research

* A study on the evolution of eye size in early

tetrapod Tetrapods (; ) are four-limbed vertebrate animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda (). It includes extant and extinct amphibians, sauropsids ( reptiles, including dinosaurs and therefore birds) and synapsids (pelycosaurs, extinct theraps ...

s and in fish belonging to the lineage that gave rise to tetrapods, as well as on the impact of the eye size on the eye performance while viewing objects through water and through air is published by MacIver ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the evolution of forelimb musculature from the

lobe-finned fish Sarcopterygii (; ) — sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii () — is a taxon (traditionally a class or subclass) of the bony fishes known as the lobe-finned fishes. The group Tetrapoda, a mostly terrestrial superclass includ ...

to early tetrapods is published online by Molnar ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the influence of habitat traits on the persistence length of living and fossil amphibian species is published by Tietje & Rödel (2017). * A study on the development of the

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

l intercentrum and pleurocentrum in fossil amphibians is published by Danto ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the probable function of the interpterygoid vacuities (holes in the

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sepa ...

) in

temnospondyls Temnospondyli (from Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') is a diverse order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carbo ...

as the site of muscle attachment is published by Witzmann & Werneburg (2017). * A study on the earliest larval development in temnospondyls, as indicated by specimens from the

(

Sakmarian In the geologic timescale, the Sakmarian is an age or stage of the Permian. It is a subdivision of the Cisuralian Epoch or Series. The Sakmarian lasted between 293.52 and million years ago (Ma). It was preceded by the Asselian and followed by t ...

) lake sediments near Obermoschel ( Saar–Nahe Basin,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

), is published by Werneburg (2017). * A study on the

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...

of the small palatal plates and their denticles in a

dissorophoid Dissorophoideans are a clade of medium-sized, temnospondyl amphibians that appeared during the Moscovian in Euramerica, and continued through to the Late Permian and the Early Triassic of Gondwana. They are distinguished by various details of the ...

temnospondyl from the Dolese Brothers Limestone Quarry near Richards Spur (

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

) is published by Gee, Haridy & Reisz (2017). * Taxonomic revision of all described rhinesuchids and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of members of Rhinesuchidae is published by Marsicano ''et al.'' (2017), who transfer the species ''"

Rhinesuchus ''Rhinesuchus'' (meaning "rasp crocodile" for the ridged surface texture on its skull bones) is a large temnospondyl amphibian. Remains of the genus are known from the Permian of the South African Karoo Basin's ''Tapinocephalus'' and ''Cistec ...

" capensis'' Haughton (1925) to the genus ''

Rhinesuchoides ''Rhinesuchoides'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric temnospondyl in the family Rhinesuchidae. It contains two species, ''R. tenuiceps'' and ''R. capensis'', both from the Karoo Supergroup of South Africa. The latter was formerly a species of '' ...

''. * New specimen of the rhinesuchid ''

Australerpeton ''Australerpeton'' is an extinct genus of stereospondylomorph temnospondyl currently believed to belong to the family Rhinesuchidae. When first named in 1998, the genus was placed within the new family Australerpetontidae. However, studies pub ...

cosgriffi'' (a skull and

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

) is described from the

Rio do Rasto Formation The Rio do Rasto Formation is a Late Permian sedimentary geological formation in the South Region of Brazil. The official name is Rio do Rasto, although in some publications it appears as ''Rio do Rastro''. Geography It is found mainly in the B ...

(

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

) by Azevedo, Vega & Soares (2017). * A description of the anatomy of the braincase and

middle ear The middle ear is the portion of the ear medial to the eardrum, and distal to the oval window of the cochlea (of the inner ear). The mammalian middle ear contains three ossicles, which transfer the vibrations of the eardrum into waves in the ...

regions of an exceptionally well-preserved skull of '' Stanocephalosaurus amenasensis'' from the

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

is published by Arbez, Dahoumane & Steyer (2017). * A study on the anatomy of the skulls of

metoposaurid Metoposauridae is an extinct family of trematosaurian temnospondyls. The family is known from the Triassic period. Most members are large, approximately long and could reach 3 m long.Brusatte, S. L., Butler R. J., Mateus O., & Steyer S. J. (20 ...

species '' Metoposaurus krasiejowensis'' and '' Apachesaurus gregorii'', as well as its implications for establishing whether metoposaurids were active or

ambush predator Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey us ...

s is published by Fortuny, Marcé-Nogué & Konietzko-Meier (2017). * An analysis of the

microanatomy Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...

and

of metoposaurid vertebra from the

Petrified Forest National Park Petrified Forest National Park is an American national park in Navajo County, Arizona, Navajo and Apache County, Arizona, Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. Named for its large deposits of petrified wood, the park covers about , encompassin ...

is published by Gee, Parker & Marsh (2017), who interpret ''Apachesaurus gregorii'' as more likely to be an early ontogenetic stage of a large metoposaurid, such as ''

Koskinonodon ''Anaschisma'' is an extinct genus of large temnospondyl amphibians. These animals were part of the family called Metoposauridae, which filled the crocodile-like predatory niches in the late Triassic. It had large skull about long, and possi ...

perfectus'' rather than a distinct species. * A juvenile specimen of ''Koskinonodon perfectus'' is described from the

Norian The Norian is a division of the Triassic Period. It has the rank of an age (geochronology) or stage (chronostratigraphy). It lasted from ~227 to million years ago. It was preceded by the Carnian and succeeded by the Rhaetian. Stratigraphic defi ...

Petrified Forest Member of the

Late Triassic The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch (geology), epoch of the Triassic geologic time scale, Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between annum, Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch ...

Chinle Formation (

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

) by Gee & Parker (2017). * A study on the

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

(especially metabolic rate, body temperature, breathing, feeding, digestion,

osmoregulation Osmoregulation is the active regulation of the osmotic pressure of an organism's body fluids, detected by osmoreceptors, to maintain the homeostasis of the organism's water content; that is, it maintains the fluid balance and the concentration o ...

and

excretion Excretion is a process in which metabolic waste is eliminated from an organism. In vertebrates this is primarily carried out by the lungs, kidneys, and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substance may have specific tasks after ...

) of ''

Archegosaurus ''Archegosaurus'' is a genus of temnospondyl amphibian which lived during the Asselian to Wuchiapingian stages of the Permian, around 299-253 million years ago. The remains of this animal, consisting of at least 90 partial skeletons (mostly sk ...

decheni'' is published by Witzmann & Brainerd (2017). * A study on the

of the

dermal The dermis or corium is a layer of skin between the epidermis (with which it makes up the cutis) and subcutaneous tissues, that primarily consists of dense irregular connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. It is divided ...

skull roof The skull roof, or the roofing bones of the skull, are a set of bones covering the brain, eyes and nostrils in bony fishes and all land-living vertebrates. The bones are derived from dermal bone and are part of the dermatocranium. In comparati ...

bones in ''

Kokartus ''Kokartus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric stem-group salamander (Caudata) from the Middle Jurassic Balabansai Formation of Kyrgyzstan. The absence of clear lines of arrested growth and annuli in long bones suggests that the animals lived ...

honorarius'' is published by Skutschas & Boitsova (2017). * Fossilized soft tissues preserved with the type specimen of the salamander '' Phosphotriton sigei'' are described by Tissier, Rage &

Laurin Laurin is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Anna-Lena Laurin (born 1962), Swedish composer * Camille Laurin (1922–1999), psychiatrist and politician in Quebec, Canada * Dan Laurin (born 1960), Swe ...

(2017). * A study on the bite force in extant Cranwell's horned frog (''Ceratophrys cranwelli'') and its implications for estimating the bite force in the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...

species ''

Beelzebufo ''Beelzebufo ampinga'' ( or ) was a particularly large species of prehistoric frog described in 2008. Common names assigned by the popular media include devil frog, devil toad, and the frog from hell. Fossils of ''Beelzebufo'' have been recover ...

ampinga'' is published by Lappin ''et al.'' (2017). * Frog fossils, including the first known fossils of

shovelnose frog The shovelnose frogs are the species of frogs in the genus, ''Hemisus'', the only genus in the family Hemisotidae. They are found in tropical and subtropical sub-Saharan Africa. The shovelnose frogs are moderate-sized frogs, reaching a length o ...

s, are described from the early

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Kanapoi Kanapoi is a paleontological site in the Kenyan Rift Valley, to the southwest of Lake Turkana. Fossils were first found at Kanapoi in the 1960s by a Harvard expedition, and later by expeditions from the National Museums of Kenya. Fossils at Kanap ...

(

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

) by Delfino (2017). * A study on the

of the skull of ''

Lethiscus ''Lethiscus'' is the earliest known representative of the Aistopoda, a group of very specialised snake-like amphibians known from the early Carboniferous ( Mississippian). ''Lethiscus'' is known from only a single specimen from the Holkerian ...

stocki'' and on the phylogenetic relationships of early tetrapods, recovering lepospondyls as a

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

group, is published by Pardo ''et al.'' (2017).

New taxa

Temnospondyls

Lissamphibians

Other amphibians

Reptiles

Synapsids

Non-mammalian synapsids

Research

* ''

Phreatophasma ''Phreatophasma'' is an extinct genus of synapsids from the Middle Permian of European Russia. It includes only one species, ''Phreatophasma aenigmatum'', which is itself known from a single femur found in a mine near the town of Belebei in Bashk ...

aenigmaticum'' is argued to be a member of

Caseidae Caseidae are an extinct family of basal synapsids that lived from the Late Carboniferous to Middle Permian between about 300 and 265 million years ago. Fossils of these animals come from the south-central part of the United States (Texas, Oklaho ...

by Brocklehurst & Fröbisch (2017). * New fossil material of the caseid '' Alierasaurus ronchii'' is described from the

deposits of Cala del Vino Formation (

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

) by Romano ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the

of the

humeri The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a round ...

of ''

Ophiacodon ''Ophiacodon'' (meaning "snake tooth") is an extinct genus of synapsid belonging to the family Ophiacodontidae that lived from the Late Carboniferous to the Early Permian in North America and Europe. The genus was named along with its type spec ...

'', revealing the existence of fibrolamellar bone in the postcranial bones of this taxon, is published by Shelton & Sander (2017). * A study on the body size evolution of

edaphosaurids Edaphosauridae is a family of mostly large (up to 3 meters or more) Late Carboniferous to Early Permian synapsids. Edaphosaur fossils are so far known only from North America and Europe. Characteristics They were the earliest known herbivorous a ...

and sphenacodontids is published by Brocklehurst & Brink (2017). * A study on the evolution of the

endotherm An endotherm (from Greek ἔνδον ''endon'' "within" and θέρμη ''thermē'' "heat") is an organism that maintains its body at a metabolically favorable temperature, largely by the use of heat released by its internal bodily functions inste ...

y in non-mammalian

therapsid Therapsida is a major group of eupelycosaurian synapsids that includes mammals, their ancestors and relatives. Many of the traits today seen as unique to mammals had their origin within early therapsids, including limbs that were oriented more ...

s as indicated by oxygen isotope composition of bone and tooth

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...

and

therapsids is published by Rey ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the brain morphology of non-

mammaliaform Mammaliaformes ("mammalian forms") is a clade that contains the crown group mammals and their closest extinct relatives; the group radiated from earlier probainognathian cynodonts. It is defined as the clade originating from the most recent com ...

therapsids based on

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...

endocast An endocast is the internal cast of a hollow object, often referring to the cranial vault in the study of brain development in humans and other organisms. Endocasts can be artificially made for examining the properties of a hollow, inaccessible sp ...

s of ''

Moschops ''Moschops'' (Greek for "calf face") is an extinct genus of therapsids that lived in the Guadalupian epoch, around 265–260 million years ago. They were heavily built plant eaters, and they may have lived partly in water, as hippopotamuses do. ...

capensis'' and a number of

biarmosuchia Biarmosuchians are an extinct clade of non-mammalian synapsids from the Permian. They are the most basal group of the therapsids. All of them were moderately-sized, lightly-built carnivores, intermediate in form between basal sphenacodont "pelyc ...

ns (including ''

Herpetoskylax ''Herpetoskylax'' is an extinct genus of biarmosuchians which existed in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that s ...

hopsoni'' and members of the genera '' Hipposaurus'' and ''

Lemurosaurus ''Lemurosaurus'' is a genus of extinct biarmosuchian therapsids from the Late Permian of South Africa. The generic epithet ''Lemursaurus'' is a mix of Latin, lemures “ghosts, spirits”, and Greek, sauros, “lizard”. ''Lemurosaurus'' is easi ...

'') is published by Benoit ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the

of the

bony labyrinth The bony labyrinth (also osseous labyrinth or otic capsule) is the rigid, bony outer wall of the inner ear in the temporal bone. It consists of three parts: the vestibule, semicircular canals, and cochlea. These are cavities hollowed out of the su ...

of five

n specimens is published by Benoit ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the anatomy of the skull of ''

capensis'', revealing adaptations of the central nervous system related to head-to-head fighting, is published by Benoit ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the

resting metabolic rate Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is whole-body mammal (and other vertebrate) metabolism during a time period of strict and steady ''resting conditions'' that are defined by a combination of assumptions of physiological homeostasis and biological equili ...

in '' Moghreberia nmachouensis'' is published by Olivier ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the contents of the depression known as the "unossified zone" in the brain cavity of ''

Diictodon ''Diictodon'' is an extinct genus of pylaecephalid dicynodont. These mammal-like synapsids lived during the Late Permian period, approximately 255 million years ago. Fossils have been found in the ''Cistecephalus'' Assemblage Zone of the Mad ...

feliceps'' is published by Laaß, Schillinger & Kaestner (2017). * A reassessment of the skull morphology and phylogenetic position of ''

Compsodon ''Compsodon'' is an extinct genus of dicynodont belonging to the superfamily Emydopoidea. Fossils have been found in the Balfour Formation of South Africa and the Madumabisa Mudstone of Zambia. Description ''Compsodon helmoedi'' was original ...

helmoedi'' is published by Angielczyk & Kammerer (2017). * A skeleton of ''

Lystrosaurus ''Lystrosaurus'' (; 'shovel lizard'; proper Greek is λίστρον ''lístron'' ‘tool for leveling or smoothing, shovel, spade, hoe’) is an extinct genus of herbivorous dicynodont therapsids from the late Permian and Early Triassic epochs ( ...

curvatus'' in a fossilized burrow, preserved with

taphonomic Taphonomy is the study of how organisms decay and become fossilized or preserved in the paleontological record. The term ''taphonomy'' (from Greek , 'burial' and , 'law') was introduced to paleontology in 1940 by Soviet scientist Ivan Efremov t ...

evidence indicating that this individual was the burrow maker, is described from the

Lower Triassic The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which is a un ...

of the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Karoo Basin The Karoo Supergroup is the most widespread stratigraphy, stratigraphic unit in Africa south of the Kalahari Desert. The group (stratigraphy), supergroup consists of a sequence of units, mostly of nonmarine origin, deposited between the Pennsylvan ...

by Botha-Brink (2017). * A structure analogous to the mammalian

neocortex The neocortex, also called the neopallium, isocortex, or the six-layered cortex, is a set of layers of the mammalian cerebral cortex involved in higher-order brain functions such as sensory perception, cognition, generation of motor commands, sp ...

is reported in '' Kawingasaurus fossilis'' by Laaß & Kaestner (2017). * A

gorgonopsia Gorgonopsia (from the Greek Gorgon, a mythological beast, and 'aspect') is an extinct clade of sabre-toothed therapsids from the Middle to Upper Permian roughly 265 to 252 million years ago. They are characterised by a long and narrow skull, a ...

dentary In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

affected by a condition closely resembling compound

odontoma An odontoma, also known as an odontome, is a benign tumour linked to tooth development. Specifically, it is a dental hamartoma, meaning that it is composed of normal dental tissue that has grown in an irregular way. It includes both odontogenic h ...

is reported from the Upper

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

by Whitney, Mose & Sidor (2017). * A detailed description of the braincase of two gorgonopsian specimens (a probable specimen of '' Aelurosaurus wilmanae'' from

and a possible specimen of ''

Arctognathus ''Arctognathus'' is an extinct genus of gorgonopsids that throve during the Late Permian in the Karoo basin of what is now South Africa. Discovery A carnivore, like all gorgonopsid, ''Arctognathus'' was given its name ("Bear jaw") in referen ...

? nasuta'' from

) is published by Araújo ''et al.'' (2017). * A redescription and revision of the gorgonopsian genus '' Arctops'' is published by Kammerer (2017). * Rediscovered

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

of the gorgonopsian species '' Clelandina major'' is described by Kammerer (2017), who considers this species to be a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of ''Clelandina rubidgei''. * A study on the anatomy of the teeth and

maxilla The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The t ...

of ''

Euchambersia ''Euchambersia'' is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsids that lived during the Late Permian in what is now South Africa and China. The genus contains two species. The type species ''E. mirabilis'' was named by paleontologist Robert Broo ...

mirabilis'' and its implications for the hypothesis that venom gland were present in this species is published by Benoit ''et al.'' (2017). * A redescription and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of ''

Silphoictidoides ''Silphictidoides'' is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsids from the Late Permian of Tanzania. The type species ''Silphictidoides ruhuhuensis'' was named by German paleontologist Friedrich von Huene in 1950 from the ''Tropidostoma'' Ass ...

ruhuhuensis'' is published by Maisch (2017), who considers the species to be a basal member of

Baurioidea Baurioidea is a superfamily of therocephalian therapsids. It includes advanced therocephalians such as ''Regisaurus'' and ''Bauria''. The superfamily was named by South African paleontologist Robert Broom in 1911. Bauriamorpha, named by D. M. ...

. * A study on the internal

of the

interorbital region The interorbital region of the skull is located between the eyes, anterior to the braincase. The form of the interorbital region may exhibit significant variation between taxonomic groups. In oryzomyine rodents, for example, the width, form, an ...

of the skull of basal

cynodont The cynodonts () (clade Cynodontia) are a clade of eutheriodont therapsids that first appeared in the Late Permian (approximately 260 mya), and extensively diversified after the Permian–Triassic extinction event. Cynodonts had a wide variety ...

s, including rarely fossilized

orbitosphenoid The lesser wings of the sphenoid or orbito-sphenoids are two thin triangular plates, which arise from the upper and anterior parts of the body, and, projecting lateralward, end in sharp points ig. 1 In some animals they remain as separate bones c ...

elements, is published by Benoit ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the anatomy of the nasal regions of the non-mammalian

s '' Massetognathus'', ''

Probainognathus ''Probainognathus'' meaning “progressive jaw” is an extinct genus of cynodonts that lived around 235 to 221.5 million years ago, during the Late Triassic in what is now South America. ''Probainognathus'' is a member of the family Probainogna ...

'' and '' Elliotherium'', comparing it to the nasal regions of fossil

mammaliaforms Mammaliaformes ("mammalian forms") is a clade that contains the crown group mammals and their closest extinct relatives; the group radiated from earlier probainognathian cynodonts. It is defined as the clade originating from the most recen ...

and extant mammals, is published by Crompton ''et al.'' (2017). * A survey of the aggregations of the specimens of ''

Galesaurus ''Galesaurus'' (from the Greek roots for 'weasel' and 'lizard') is an extinct genus of carnivorous cynodont therapsid that lived between the Induan and the Olenekian stages of the Early Triassic in what is now South Africa. It was incorrectly cla ...

planiceps'' and ''

Thrinaxodon ''Thrinaxodon'' is an extinct genus of cynodonts, most commonly regarded by its species ''T. liorhinus'' which lived in what are now South Africa and Antarctica during the Early Triassic. ''Thrinaxodon'' lived just after the Permian–Triassic m ...

liorhinus'', with emphasis on whether the aggregations consist of individuals of similar age or representing a mixture of different age classes, is published by Jasinoski & Abdala (2017). * A study on the

ontogenetic Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the st ...

changes in the

and

of ''

planiceps'' is published by Jasinoski & Abdala (2017). * A description of the postcranial skeleton of '' Boreogomphodon'' from the

Pekin Formation The Pekin Formation is a Late Triassic (Carnian) geological formation in North Carolina. The Pekin Formation is specific to the Sanford Sub-Basin of the Deep River Basin of North Carolina, although it may be equivalent to the Stockton Formation o ...

(

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

) and a review of the postcranial variation across members of the family

Traversodontidae Traversodontidae is an extinct family of herbivorous cynodonts. Traversodonts were primarily Gondwanan, with many species known from Africa and South America. Recently, traversodonts have also been found from Europe and eastern North America. Tra ...

is published by Liu, Schneider & Olsen (2017). * A study on the jaw movement of ''

Exaeretodon ''Exaeretodon'' is an extinct genus of fairly large, low-slung traversodontid cynodonts from the southern parts of Pangea. Four species are known, from various formations. ''E. argentinus'' is from the Carnian-age (Late Triassic) Cancha de Boch ...

argentinus'' as indicated by its dental microwear is published by Kubo, Yamada & Kubo (2017). * A study on the

of the teeth of the cynodont ''

Candelariodon ''Candelariodon'' is an extinct genus of carnivorous probainognathian cynodonts from the Middle to Late Triassic Santa Maria Formation of the Paraná Basin in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. ''Candelariodon'' is known from a partial mandibl ...

barberenai'', as well as on the phylogenetic relationships of the species, is published by Martinelli ''et al.'' (2017). * A description of the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of '' Tritylodon longaevus'' is published by Gaetano, Abdala & Govender (2017). * A reassessment of the anatomy of the postcanine teeth of ''

Stereognathus ''Stereognathus'' is an extinct genus of tritylodontid cynodonts from the Middle Jurassic of the United Kingdom. There is a single named species: ''S. ooliticus'', named after the Great Oolite deposits of England. A second species, ''S. hebrid ...

'', based upon all available material from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, is published by Panciroli ''et al.'' (2017), who consider the species ''S. hebridicus'' to be a

of the species ''S. ooliticus''. * Cast of a burrow which was probably made by a

tritheledontid Tritheledontidae, the tritheledontids or ictidosaurs, is an extinct family of small to medium-sized (about 10 to 20 cm long) cynodonts. They were highly mammal-like, specialized cynodonts, although they still retained a few reptile-like ana ...

is described from the Early Jurassic upper

Elliot Formation The Elliot Formation is a geological formation and forms part of the Stormberg Group, the uppermost geological group that comprises the greater Karoo Supergroup. Outcrops of the Elliot Formation have been found in the northern Eastern Cape, south ...

(

) by Bordy ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the evolution of jaw muscles across the

–

transition is published by Lautenschlager ''et al.'' (2017).

New taxa

Mammals

Other animals

Research

* A study on a succession of

Ediacaran The Ediacaran Period ( ) is a geological period that spans 96 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period 635 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Cambrian Period 538.8 Mya. It marks the end of the Proterozoic Eon, and th ...

fossil assemblages from the eastern Siberian Platform (

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

) is published by Zhu ''et al.'' (2017), who argue that so-called Ediacaran and earliest Cambrian skeletal biotas overlap without notable biotic turnover. * A study on the Ediacaran taxon ''

Parvancorina ''Parvancorina'' is a genus of shield-shaped bilaterally symmetrical fossil animal that lived in the late Ediacaran seafloor. It has some superficial similarities with the Cambrian trilobite-like arthropods. Etymology The generic name is derived ...

minchami'', indicating that this animal was capable of performing

rheotaxis (Positive) Rheotaxis is a form of taxis seen in many aquatic organisms, e.g., fish, whereby they will (generally) turn to face into an oncoming current. In a flowing stream, this behavior leads them to hold their position rather than being swept d ...

, is published by Paterson ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the water flow around the body of the Ediacaran taxon ''

'' and its implications for the feeding mode and mobility of this animal is published by Darroch ''et al.'' (2017). * Fossils of members of the genus ''

Namacalathus ''Namacalathus'' is a problematic metazoan fossil occurring in the latest Ediacaran. The first, and only described species, ''N. hermanastes'', was first described in 2000 from the Nama Group of central and southern Namibia. A U–Pb zircon ag ...

'' (co-occurring with '' Cloudina'' and ''

Corumbella ''Corumbella'' is an extinct genus of terminal- Ediacaran cnidarians. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Corumbellidae, and is represented by a single species ''Corumbella werneri''. It possessed a carapace made up of thick polygonal r ...

'') are reported from the

Tagatiya Guazú Formation (Itapucumi Group,

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

) by Warren ''et al.'' (2017), extending known geographic range of the taxon. * A study on the

, growth and development of '' Dickinsonia costata'' is published by Evans, Droser & Gehling (2017). * A study on the growth and development of ''Dickinsonia'' is published by Hoekzema ''et al.'' (2017), who interpret this taxon as an animal. * A study on the anatomy of ''Dickinsonia costata'' and ''D. tenuis'' is published by Zakrevskaya & Ivantsov (2017), who interpret ''D. costata'' as probably descended from ''D. tenuis'' by

neoteny Neoteny (), also called juvenilization,Montagu, A. (1989). Growing Young. Bergin & Garvey: CT. is the delaying or slowing of the physiological, or somatic, development of an organism, typically an animal. Neoteny is found in modern humans compa ...

. * Description of newly discovered disc-shaped, soft-bodied fossils from the early

Carrara Formation The Carrara Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in Nevada. It preserves fossils dating back to the Cambrian Period (geology), period.Lieberman et al. 2017, Disc-shaped fossils resembling porpitids or eldonids from the early Cam ...

(

), tentatively assigned to the genus '' Discophyllum'' (an animal of uncertain phylogenetic placement, might be a

chondrophore The chondrophores or porpitids are a small group of hydrozoans in the family Porpitidae. Though it derives from an outdated name for this lineage (see below), some still find the term "chondrophore" useful as a synonym to "porpitid" in discussi ...

or an eldoniid) is published by Lieberman ''et al.'' (2017). * Specimens of '' Cloudina'' associated with

microbial mat A microbial mat is a multi-layered sheet of microorganisms, mainly bacteria and archaea, or bacteria alone. Microbial mats grow at interfaces between different types of material, mostly on submerged or moist surfaces, but a few survive in deserts ...

textures are reported from the

Tamengo Formation (

) by Becker-Kerber ''et al.'' (2017). * An assemblage of

trace fossil A trace fossil, also known as an ichnofossil (; from el, ἴχνος ''ikhnos'' "trace, track"), is a fossil record of biological activity but not the preserved remains of the plant or animal itself. Trace fossils contrast with body fossils, ...

s from

–

siltstone Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility.Blatt ''et al.'' 1980, p ...

s in

, probably produced by a nematoid-like organism, is described by Parry ''et al.'' (2017). * A diverse fauna dominated by

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...

s living immediately after the Hirnantian extinction is described from

by Botting ''et al.'' (2017). * A diverse

Early Triassic The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which is a un ...

(

Olenekian In the geologic timescale, the Olenekian is an age in the Early Triassic epoch; in chronostratigraphy, it is a stage in the Lower Triassic series. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). The Olenekian is sometimes divided i ...

) marine fauna, including leptomitid protomonaxonid

s (a group otherwise known only from

and

), new forms of the

crinoid Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...

order Holocrinida displaying advanced characters, a probable basal ophiodermatid and

gladius ''Gladius'' () is a Latin word meaning "sword" (of any type), but in its narrow sense it refers to the sword of ancient Roman foot soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those of the Greeks, called '' xiphe'' (plural; singular ''xi ...

-bearing coleoids (previously unknown in Early Triassic strata) is reported from

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

(

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

) by Brayard ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the muscle anatomy of ''

Pambdelurion ''Pambdelurion'' is an extinct genus of panarthropod from the Cambrian aged Sirius Passet site in northern Greenland. Like the morphologically similar ''Kerygmachela'' from the same locality, ''Pambdelurion'' is thought to be closely related to ar ...

whittingtoni'' is published by Young & Vinther (2017). * Cambrian species '' Zhenghecaris shankouensis'', originally classified as a bivalved

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

, is reinterpreted as a member of

Radiodonta Radiodonta is an extinct Order (biology), order of stem-group arthropods that was successful worldwide during the Cambrian period. They may be referred to as radiodonts, radiodontans, radiodontids, anomalocarids, or anomalocaridids, although the ...

by Zeng ''et al.'' (2017). * The

specimen of a putative

lobopodia The lobopodians, members of the informal group Lobopodia (from the Greek language, Greek, meaning "blunt feet"), or the formally erected phylum Lobopoda Cavalier-Smith (1998), are panarthropods with stubby legs called lobopods, a term which may ...

n species ''

Aysheaia ''Aysheaia'' is an extinct genus of soft-bodied lobopod, known from the middle Cambrian of North America, with an average body length of 1–6 cm. Anatomy ''Aysheaia'' has ten body segments, each of which has a pair of spiked, annulate ...

prolata'' is reinterpreted as an isolated frontal appendage of a

radiodonta Radiodonta is an extinct Order (biology), order of stem-group arthropods that was successful worldwide during the Cambrian period. They may be referred to as radiodonts, radiodontans, radiodontids, anomalocarids, or anomalocaridids, although the ...

n belonging to the genus ''

Stanleycaris ''Stanleycaris'' is an extinct, monotypic genus of hurdiid radiodont from the middle Cambrian (Miaolingian). The type species is ''Stanleycaris hirpex''. ''Stanleycaris'' was described from the Stephen Formation near the Stanley Glacier and Bu ...

'' by Pates, Daley & Ortega-Hernández (2017). * A revision of the radiodontan genus '' Caryosyntrips'' is published by Pates & Daley (2017), who interpret the holotype specimen of a putative lobopodian species '' Mureropodia apae'' as a partial isolated appendage of a member of the genus ''Caryosyntrips''. * Description of the

of ''

Amplectobelua ''Amplectobelua'' (meaning "embracing beast") is an extinct genus of late Early Cambrian amplectobeluid radiodont, a group of stem arthropods that mostly lived as free-swimming predators during the first half of the Paleozoic Era. Anatomy ...

symbrachiata'', with a focus on its head region, is published by Cong ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the anatomy of the

hyolith Hyoliths are animals with small conical surface, conical animal shell, shells, known as fossils from the Palaeozoic era. They are at least considered as lophotrochozoan, and possibly being lophophorates, a group which includes the brachiopods, w ...

Haplophrentis ''Haplophrentis'' is a genus of tiny shelled hyolithid which lived in the Cambrian Period. Its shell was long and conical, with the open end protected by an operculum, from which two fleshy arms called ''helens'' protruded at the sides. These a ...

'', as well as on the phylogenetic relationships of the hyoliths, is published by Moysiuk, Smith &

Caron A caron (), háček or haček (, or ; plural ''háčeks'' or ''háčky'') also known as a hachek, wedge, check, kvačica, strešica, mäkčeň, varnelė, inverted circumflex, inverted hat, flying bird, inverted chevron, is a diacritic mark (� ...

(2017). * A study on the phylogenetic relationships of '' Tullimonstrum gregarium'', challenging its interpretation as a vertebrate, is published by Sallan ''et al.'' (2017). * New exceptionally preserved fossils of ''

Vetulicola ''Vetulicola'' is an extinct genus of marine animal from the Cambrian of China. It is the eponymous member of the enigmatic phylum Vetulicolia, which is of uncertain affinities but may belong to the deuterostomes. Description The type species ...

longbaoshanensis'' are described from the Lower

Wulongqing Formation (

) by Li, Liu & Ou (2017). * Putative

trematode Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive host ...

metacercariae Trematodes are parasitic flatworms of the class ''Trematoda'', specifically parasitic flukes with two suckers: one ventral and the other oral. Trematodes are covered by a tegument, that protects the organism from the environment by providing secr ...

preserved at the base of the

femora The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with t ...

of an

agamid Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Overview Phylogenetically, they may be sister to the ...

lizard are described from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...

(

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

) by Poinar ''et al.'' (2017).

New taxa

Other organisms

Research

Eoarchean The Eoarchean (; also spelled Eoarchaean) is the first era of the Archean Eon of the geologic record. It spans 400 million years, from the end of the Hadean Eon 4 billion years ago (4000 Mya) to the start of the Paleoarchean Era 3600 Mya. Th ...

(over 3,700 million years old) organic residues are reported from Isua, West

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

by Hassenkam ''et al.'' (2017). * Putative fossilized

microorganism A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

s that are at least 3,770 million and possibly 4,280 million years old are described from the Nuvvuagittuq belt (

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

) by Dodd ''et al.'' (2017). * Organic carbon contents are reported from the oldest

metasedimentary rock In geology, metasedimentary rock is a type of metamorphic rock. Such a rock was first formed through the deposition and solidification of sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and ...

s from northern

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

(

) by Tashiro ''et al.'' (2017), who interpret the finding as the oldest evidence of organisms greater than 3.95 Ga; the study is subsequently criticized by Whitehouse ''et al.'' (2019). * Potential

biosignature A biosignature (sometimes called chemical fossil or molecular fossil) is any substance – such as an element, isotope, or molecule – or phenomenon that provides scientific evidence of past or present life. Measurable attribute ...

s, including

stromatolite Stromatolites () or stromatoliths () are layered sedimentary formations (microbialite) that are created mainly by photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and Pseudomonadota (formerly proteobacteria). The ...

s, are reported from the newly discovered rocks recovered from ca. 3.48 billion years old

Dresser Formation The Pilbara Craton is an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Pilbara Craton is one of only two pristine Archean, Archaean 3.6–2.7 Gigaannum, Ga (billion years ago) crusts ...

(

Pilbara Craton The Pilbara Craton is an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Pilbara Craton is one of only two pristine Archaean 3.6–2.7 Ga (billion years ago) crusts identified on the ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

) by Djokic ''et al.'' (2017). * Lenticular structures known from the ~3.4 Ga Kromberg Formation (

Kaapvaal Craton The Kaapvaal Craton (centred on Limpopo Province in South Africa), along with the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia, are the only remaining areas of pristine 3.6–2.5 Ga (billion years ago) crust on Earth. Similarities of rock records fro ...

) are interpreted as organic

Archean The Archean Eon ( , also spelled Archaean or Archæan) is the second of four geologic eons of Earth's history, representing the time from . The Archean was preceded by the Hadean Eon and followed by the Proterozoic. The Earth Earth ...

microfossils A microfossil is a fossil that is generally between 0.001 mm and 1 mm in size, the visual study of which requires the use of light or electron microscopy. A fossil which can be studied with the naked eye or low-powered magnification, ...

by Oehler ''et al.'' (2017). * Fossils of early

eukaryote Eukaryotes () are organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms, are Eukaryotes. They belong to the group of organisms Eukaryota or Eukarya, which is one of the three domains of life. Bacte ...

s ''

Tappania ''Tappania'' is an acanthomorph acritarch found in late Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic rocks. The oldest examples are around 1630 million years old, making them the oldest known evidence of Eukaryotes in the fossil record. * ...

plana'', '' Dictyosphaera macroreticulata'' and '' Valeria lophostriata'' are described from the early

Mesoproterozoic The Mesoproterozoic Era is a geologic era that occurred from . The Mesoproterozoic was the first era of Earth's history for which a fairly definitive geological record survives. Continents existed during the preceding era (the Paleoproterozoic), ...

Greyson Formation (

Belt Supergroup The Belt Supergroup is an assemblage of primarily fine-grained sedimentary rocks and mafic intrusive rocks of late Precambrian (Mesoproterozoic) age. It is more than thick, covers an area of some 200,000 km2 (77,220 sq. mi), and is considered ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

) by Adam ''et al.'' (2017). * 2.4-billion-year-old filamentous fossils forming

mycelium Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrate (biology), substrates. A typical single ...

-like structures, considered to be either the oldest known

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

or members of an unknown branch of fungus-like mycelial organisms, are described from the Ongeluk Formation (

) by Bengtson ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the anatomy of the fossils of '' Chuaria circularis'' recovered from the

Tonian The Tonian (from grc, τόνος, tónos, meaning "stretch") is the first geologic period of the Neoproterozoic era (geology), Era. It lasted from to Mya (million years ago). Instead of being based on stratigraphy, these dates are defined by t ...

Liulaobei Formation (

) is published by Tang ''et al.'' (2017), who interpret ''Chuaria'' as most likely a simple multicellular organism (a colonial organism without cell differentiation). * A study on the apatitic scale microfossils from the Fifteenmile Group (

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

), indicating that the fossils document the existence of

eukaryotic Eukaryotes () are organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms, are Eukaryotes. They belong to the group of organisms Eukaryota or Eukarya, which is one of the three domains of life. Bacte ...

biomineralizing organisms approximately 810 million years ago, is published by Cohen ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the structure,

, and development of the large intracellular structures preserved in embryo-like

from the

Weng'an Biota (

) is published by Yin ''et al.'' (2017), who interpret these structures as likely

cell nuclei The cell nucleus (pl. nuclei; from Latin or , meaning ''kernel'' or ''seed'') is a membrane-bound organelle found in eukaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells usually have a single nucleus, but a few cell types, such as mammalian red blood cells, ha ...

. * A study testing the suggested link between the appearance of large body size in

rangeomorph The rangeomorphs are a form taxon of frondose Ediacaran fossils that are united by a similarity to ''Rangea''. Some researchers, such as Pflug and Narbonne, suggest that a natural taxon Rangeomorpha may include all similar-looking fossils. R ...

s (organisms of uncertain phylogenetic placement, likely animals) in the

and postulated regional increases in environmental

nutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

levels is published by Hoyal Cuthill & Conway Morris (2017). * A study on the internal

of ''

Rangea ''Rangea'' is a frond-like Ediacaran fossil with six-fold radial symmetry. It is the type genus of the rangeomorphs. ''Rangea'' was the first complex Precambrian macrofossil named and described anywhere in the world. ''Rangea'' was a centimetre- ...

'' from the

Nama Group The Nama Group is a megaregional Vendian to Cambrian group of stratigraphic sequences deposited in the Nama foreland basin in central and southern Namibia. The Nama Basin is a peripheral foreland basin, and the Nama Group was deposited in two e ...

(

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

), based on data obtained using X-ray micro-computed tomography, is published by Sharp ''et al.'' (2017). * Smith ''et al.'' (2017) report the discovery of fossils of '' Gaojiashania'' from the

strata of the Nama Group (

) and a new fossil assemblage from the Ediacaran strata of the Wood Canyon Formation (

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

), including

erniettomorph The Erniettomorphs are a form of Ediacaran fossil consisting of rows of airbed-like tubes arranged along a midline with a glide symmetry. Representative genera include '' Ernietta'', '' Phyllozoon'', ''Pteridinium'', ''Swartpuntia''. Undisputed ...

s and a variety of tubular body fossils. * A study on the well-preserved

calcareous nanicellid

foraminifera Foraminifera (; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of amoeboid protists characterized by streaming granular Ectoplasm (cell biology), ectoplasm for catching food and ot ...

ns from the

Świętokrzyskie Mountains The Świętokrzyskie Mountains ( pl, Góry Świętokrzyskie, ), often anglicized to Holy Cross Mountains, are a mountain range in central Poland, near the city of Kielce. The Świętokrzyskie Mountains are some of the oldest mountains in Europ ...

(

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

) and their implications for the

style and affinities of

fusulinid The Fusulinida is an extinct order within the Foraminifera in which the tests are traditionally considered to have been composed of microgranular calcite. Like all forams, they were single-celled organisms. In advanced forms the test wall was di ...

foraminiferans is published by Dubicka & Gorzelak (2017). * Four forms of modern-looking

gilled mushrooms The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms (for their distinctive gills) or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13,000 described species, along ...

, including two taxa belonging to the family

Marasmiaceae The Marasmiaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi which have white spores. They mostly have tough stems and the capability of shrivelling up during a dry period and later recovering. The widely consumed edible fungus ''Lentinula edodes'', th ...

, are described from the

by Cai ''et al.'' (2017).

New taxa

General paleontology

Research related to paleontology that either does not concern any of the groups of the organisms listed above, or concerns multiple groups. * A study on the links between changes in the composition of exposed continental crust and oxygenation of the atmosphere in the

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

is published by Smit & Mezger (2017). * A review of the progress in modeling the Snowball Earth atmosphere,

cryosphere ] The cryosphere (from the Ancient Greek, Greek ''kryos'', "cold", "frost" or "ice" and ''sphaira'', "globe, ball") is an all-encompassing term for those portions of Earth's surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, ri ...

hydrosphere The hydrosphere () is the combined mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of a planet, minor planet, or natural satellite. Although Earth's hydrosphere has been around for about 4 billion years, it continues to change in shape. This ...

and

lithosphere A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust (geology), crust and the portion of the upper mantle (geology), mantle that behaves elastically on time sca ...

, specifically as it pertains to

Cryogenian The Cryogenian (from grc, κρύος, krýos, meaning "cold" and , romanized: , meaning "birth") is a geologic period that lasted from . It forms the second geologic period of the Neoproterozoic Era, preceded by the Tonian Period and followed by ...

geology and geobiology, is published by

Hoffman Hoffman is a surname of German and Jewish origin. The original meaning in medieval times was "steward", i.e. one who manages the property of another. In English and other European languages, including Yiddish and Dutch, the name can also be spelle ...

''et al.'' (2017). * A revised record of fossil

steroids during the

Neoproterozoic The Neoproterozoic Era is the unit of geologic time from 1 billion to 538.8 million years ago. It is the last era of the Precambrian Supereon and the Proterozoic Eon; it is subdivided into the Tonian, Cryogenian, and Ediacaran periods. It is ...

is presented by Brocks ''et al.'' (2017), who argue that

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

were the only notable

primary producers An autotroph or primary producer is an organism that produces complex organic compounds (such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) using carbon from simple substances such as carbon dioxide,Morris, J. et al. (2019). "Biology: How Life Work ...

in the oceans before the

, and that rapid rise of marine

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

to domination occurred in the narrow time interval between the

Sturtian The Sturtian glaciation was a Snowball Earth glaciation, or perhaps multiple glaciations, during the Cryogenian Period when the Earth experienced repeated large-scale glaciations. The duration of the Sturtian glaciation has been variously defined, ...

and

Marinoan glaciation The Marinoan glaciation, sometimes also known as the Varanger glaciation, was a period of worldwide glaciation that lasted from approximately 650 to 632.3 ± 5.9 Ma (million years ago) during the Cryogenian period. This glaciation possibly cover ...

s, 659–645 million years ago, likely driving the subsequent radiation of animals in the

period. * A study evaluating whether mass

extinction event An extinction event (also known as a mass extinction or biotic crisis) is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms. I ...

s over the last 500 million year were caused by astronomical phenomena is published by Erlykin ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the water column geochemistry of the Yangtze Sea during the

transition and its implications for the relationship between ocean oxygenation and Early Cambrian animal diversification is published by Zhang ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the links between the expansion of

siliceous sponge The siliceous sponges form a major group of the phylum Porifera, consisting of classes Demospongiae and Hexactinellida. They are characterized by spicules made out of silicon dioxide, unlike calcareous sponges. Individual siliachoates (silica sk ...

s and seawater oxygenation during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition is published by Tatzel ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the factors influencing marine invertebrate diversity dynamics through the

is published by Cermeño ''et al.'' (2017). * Edwards ''et al.'' (2017) identify a strong temporal link between the rising atmospheric oxygen levels and the

Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE), was an evolutionary radiation of animal life throughout the Ordovician period, 40 million years after the Cambrian explosion, whereby the distinctive Cambrian fauna fizzled out to be replaced ...

. * A study on the impact of the drawdown of atmospheric

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

(caused by burial of organic

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with o ...

leading to the formation of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

) on the climate around the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...

boundary is published by Feulner (2017). * A comprehensive reconstruction of the

(

Lopingian The Lopingian is the uppermost series/last epoch of the Permian. It is the last epoch of the Paleozoic. The Lopingian was preceded by the Guadalupian and followed by the Early Triassic. The Lopingian is often synonymous with the informal terms l ...

) Bletterbach Biota (

) and a review of other best-known Lopingian terrestrial associations containing both vertebrate and plant remains is published by Bernardi ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the causal connection between the

Siberian Traps The Siberian Traps (russian: Сибирские траппы, Sibirskiye trappy) is a large region of volcanic rock, known as a large igneous province, in Siberia, Russia. The massive eruptive event that formed the trap rock, traps is one of th ...

large igneous province A large igneous province (LIP) is an extremely large accumulation of igneous rocks, including intrusive (sills, dikes) and extrusive (lava flows, tephra deposits), arising when magma travels through the crust towards the surface. The formation ...

magmatism Magmatism is the emplacement of magma within and at the surface of the outer layers of a terrestrial planet, which solidifies as igneous rocks. It does so through magmatic activity or igneous activity, the production, intrusion and extrusion of ...

and

, identifying the initial emplacement pulse as likely to have triggered mass extinction, is published by Burgess, Muirhead & Bowring (2017). * Viglietti, Rubidge & Smith (2017) review the tectonic setting of the Late

(

), provide an updated basin development model, and interpret their findings as indicating that the climatic changes associated with the Permian–Triassic extinction event were occurring much lower in the

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock (geology), rock layers (Stratum, strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary rock, sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigrap ...

(and thus earlier) than previously documented. * A summary of knowledge of the impact of Permian-Triassic mass extinction on reef ecosystems, and on their recovery after this extinction, is presented by Martindale, Foster & Velledits (2017). * A study on

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

invertebrate communities from the

Werfen Formation The Werfen Formation is a geologic formation in the Southern Limestone Alps and Dinaric Alps of Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy. It preserves fossils dating back to the Triassic period.Central Atlantic magmatic province The Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP) is the Earth's largest continental large igneous province, covering an area of roughly 11 million km2. It is composed mainly of basalt that formed before Pangaea broke up in the Mesozoic Era, near the ...

on the

Triassic–Jurassic extinction event The Triassic–Jurassic (Tr-J) extinction event, often called the end-Triassic extinction, marks the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic periods, , and is one of the top five major extinction events of the Phanerozoic eon, profoundly affect ...

is published by Davies ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the volcanic activity at the end of the

as indicated by

mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

concentrations in sediments from around the world is published by Percival ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the oxygen levels in Earth's oceans during and after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event as indicated by uranium isotopes in shallow-marine limestones in the Lombardy Basin (northern

) is published by Jost ''et al.'' (2017). * A high-resolution

stratigraphic Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostra ...

chart for terrestrial Late Cretaceous units of North America and a study on the stratigraphic ranges of North American dinosaurs is published by Fowler (2017). * A study on the impact that large amounts of

soot Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolysed ...

injected into the atmosphere during the

Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event (also known as the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction) was a sudden mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, approximately 66 million years ago. With the ...

(probably caused by global wildfires) had on the climate is published by Bardeen ''et al.'' (2017). * A study estimating the decrease of the air temperature and the duration of the climate cooling caused by

Chicxulub impact The Chicxulub crater () is an impact crater buried underneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Its center is offshore near the community of Chicxulub, after which it is named. It was formed slightly over 66 million years ago when a large a ...

at the end of the Cretaceous is published by Brugger, Feulner & Petri (2017). * A study on the volume of the climate-active gases released from sedimentary rocks as a result of the Chicxulub impact, as well as on their effect on the global climate, is published by Artemieva, Morgan & Expedition 364 Science Party (2017). * Kaiho & Oshima (2017) calculate the amounts of stratospheric soot and

sulfate The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ar ...

formed by a virtual asteroid impact at various global locations, and conclude that the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was caused by the Chicxulub impact happening at the

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

-rich, sulfate-dominated area on the Earth's surface, and that an impact at a low–medium hydrocarbon area on Earth would be unlikely to cause mass extinction. * A study on the data sets of

mollusca Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

n fossils from the Cretaceous–Paleogene of the

Seymour Island Seymour Island or Marambio Island, is an island in the chain of 16 major islands around the tip of the Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. Graham Land is the closest part of Antarctica to South America. It lies within the section of the isla ...

(

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

) is published by Tobin (2017), who identifies possible evidence of two separate extinction events, one prior to the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, and one simultaneous with the bolide impact at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. * A study on the behavioral and ecological diversification of animals that colonized land as indicated by

s is published by Minter ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the age of the Cowie Harbour Fish Bed (

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

), containing

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

and

fossils (including the

millipede Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a resu ...

'' Pneumodesmus newmani''), is published by Suarez ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the preservation of skin and keratinous integumentary structures in

fossils through time is published by Eliason ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the differences between the

faunas at different latitudes during the early and middle

, as well as their implications for establishing whether the

Olson's Extinction Olson's Extinction was a mass extinction that occurred in the late Cisuralian or early Guadalupian of the Permian period and which predated the Permian–Triassic extinction event. It is named after Everett C. Olson. There was a sudden change b ...

was a genuine event, is published by Brocklehurst ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the non-flying terrestrial tetrapod species richness through the Mesozoic and early Palaeogene is published by Close ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the evolution of the shape of brain and skull roof during the transition from early reptiles through

archosauromorphs Archosauromorpha (Greek for "ruling lizard forms") is a clade of diapsid reptiles containing all reptiles more closely related to archosaurs (such as crocodilians and dinosaurs, including birds) rather than lepidosaurs (such as tuataras, liz ...

, including nonavian dinosaurs, to birds is published by Fabbri ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the structure and vulnerability of the

food web A food web is the natural interconnection of food chains and a graphical representation of what-eats-what in an ecological community. Another name for food web is consumer-resource system. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one ...

in marine vertebrate assemblages prior to the

as indicated by calcium isotope data from plesiosaurs and mosasaurs is published by Martin ''et al.'' (2017). * Qvarnström ''et al.'' (2017) reconstruct fossil inclusions in two

coprolite A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour (in this case, diet) rather than morphology. The name is de ...

s (produced by an insectivorous animal and a large aquatic predator) from the

locality of Krasiejów (

) using propagation phase-contrast synchrotron microtomography. * A study on the fossil inclusions in coprolite fragments (produced by medium to large-sized carnivores, possibly

therocephalia Therocephalia is an extinct suborder of eutheriodont therapsids (mammals and their close relatives) from the Permian and Triassic. The therocephalians ("beast-heads") are named after their large skulls, which, along with the structure of their ...

s or early

archosauriforms Archosauriformes (Greek for 'ruling lizards', and Latin for 'form') is a clade of diapsid reptiles that developed from archosauromorph ancestors some time in the Latest Permian (roughly 252 million years ago). It was defined by Jacques Gauthi ...

) recovered from the Late

locality of Vyazniki (

) is published by Bajdek ''et al.'' (2017). * A new

assemblage from the lowermost levels of the

Chañares Formation The Chañares Formation is a Carnian-age geologic formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin, located in La Rioja Province, Argentina. It is characterized by drab-colored fine-grained volcaniclastic claystones, siltstones, and sandstone ...

(

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

), dominated by fossils of '' Tarjadia ruthae'',

dicynodont Dicynodontia is an extinct clade of anomodonts, an extinct type of non-mammalian therapsid. Dicynodonts were herbivorous animals with a pair of tusks, hence their name, which means 'two dog tooth'. Members of the group possessed a horny, typicall ...

s and

s, and also including fossils of other

pseudosuchia Pseudosuchia is one of two major divisions of Archosauria, including living crocodilians and all archosaurs more closely related to crocodilians than to birds. Pseudosuchians are also informally known as "crocodilian-line archosaurs". Prior to ...

ns and

rhynchosaur Rhynchosaurs are a group of extinct herbivorous Triassic archosauromorph reptiles, belonging to the order Rhynchosauria. Members of the group are distinguished by their triangular skulls and elongated, beak like premaxillary bones. Rhynchosaurs ...

s, is described by Ezcurra ''et al.'' (2017), who also reinterpret ''Tarjadia ruthae'' and ''

Archeopelta ''Archeopelta'' is an extinct genus of carnivorous archosaur from the late Middle or early Late Triassic period (late Ladinian to early Carnian stage). It was a 2 m (6 ft) long predator which lived in what is now southern Brazil. Its ...

arborensis'' as

erpetosuchid Erpetosuchidae is an extinct family of pseudosuchian archosaurs. Erpetosuchidae was named by D. M. S. Watson in 1917 to include ''Erpetosuchus''. It includes the type species ''Erpetosuchus granti'' from the Late Triassic of Scotland, ''Erpetosu ...

archosaur Archosauria () is a clade of diapsids, with birds and crocodilians as the only living representatives. Archosaurs are broadly classified as reptiles, in the cladistic sense of the term which includes birds. Extinct archosaurs include non-avian d ...

s. * A study on the

cosmopolitanism Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizens ...

of terrestrial

amniote Amniotes are a clade of tetrapod vertebrates that comprises sauropsids (including all reptiles and birds, and extinct parareptiles and non-avian dinosaurs) and synapsids (including pelycosaurs and therapsids such as mammals). They are disti ...

faunas in the aftermath of the

and

is published by Button ''et al.'' (2017). * Frese ''et al.'' (2017) determine the mineral and elemental composition of a range of fossils from the

Talbragar fossil site The Talbragar fossil site is a paleontology, paleontological site of Late Jurassic (Tithonian) age in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. It lies about north-east of the town of Gulgong, New South Wales, Gulgong, and north-west of ...

(

) and their rock matrices using ultraviolet light-induced fluorescence/photoluminescence, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffractometry, and use those techniques to reveal anatomical details of animals and plants fossils that weren't discernible otherwise. * A study on changes of the size of fossil marine shells and predatory drill holes in those shells during the

, as well as their implications for changes of predator-prey size ratio throughout the Phanerozoic, is published by Klompmaker ''et al.'' (2017). * A study evaluating the utility of oxygen-isotope compositions of fossilised foraminifera

tests Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

as proxies for surface- and deep-ocean paleotemperatures, and its implications for inferring Late Cretaceous and Paleogene deep-ocean and high-latitude surface-ocean temperatures, is published by Bernard ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the

glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...

development and environmental changes in the Aurora Subglacial Basin (

) throughout the Cenozoic based on geophysical and geological evidence is published by Gulick ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the onset duration of the

Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum The Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), alternatively (ETM1), and formerly known as the "Initial Eocene" or "", was a time period with a more than 5–8 °C global average temperature rise across the event. This climate event o ...

is published by Kirtland Turner ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the relationship between volcanic activity in the

North Atlantic Igneous Province The North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) is a large igneous province in the North Atlantic, centered on Iceland. In the Paleogene, the province formed the Thulean Plateau, a large basaltic lava plain, which extended over at least in area and in ...

and the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum is published by Gutjahr ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the environment in the area corresponding to the present-day

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

in the

as indicated by data from the shark and ray fossils from the Pirabas Formation (

) is published by Aguilera ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the impact of the

Messinian salinity crisis The Messinian salinity crisis (MSC), also referred to as the Messinian event, and in its latest stage as the Lago Mare event, was a geological event during which the Mediterranean Sea went into a cycle of partial or nearly complete desiccation (dr ...

on Mediterranean

is published by Sternai ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the changes of

ice sheet In glaciology, an ice sheet, also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than . The only current ice sheets are in Antarctica and Greenland; during the Last Glacial Period at Las ...

s volume and sea level during the late

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58extinction event An extinction event (also known as a mass extinction or biotic crisis) is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms. I ...

among marine

megafauna In terrestrial zoology, the megafauna (from Greek μέγας ''megas'' "large" and New Latin ''fauna'' "animal life") comprises the large or giant animals of an area, habitat, or geological period, extinct and/or extant. The most common threshold ...

at the end of the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58tooth enamel Tooth enamel is one of the four major Tissue (biology), tissues that make up the tooth in humans and many other animals, including some species of fish. It makes up the normally visible part of the tooth, covering the Crown (tooth), crown. The ...

, and on its implications for inferring the role of climate in shaping early hominin environments, is published by Blumenthal ''et al.'' (2017). * Tierney, deMenocal & Zander (2017) reconstruct temperature and aridity in the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

region spanning the past 200,000 years. * A vertebrate fauna from the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

and

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

Sumba Sumba ( id, Pulau Sumba) is an island in eastern Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of , and the population was 779,049 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as a ...

(

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

) is described by Turvey ''et al.'' (2017). * A study on the modified mammalian bones from the Plio–Pleistocene of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

is published by Sahle, El Zaatari & White (2017), who interpret the marks on some of these bones as more likely to be produced by crocodiles than by

hominids The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the ...

using

stone tool A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric (particularly Stone Ag ...

s. * Hagstrum ''et al.'' (2017) report impact-related microspherules and elevated

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

concentrations found in fine-grained sediments retained within Late Pleistocene bison and mammoth skull fragments from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and

, and interpret the findings as evidence of repeated airbursts and ground/ice impacts associated with multiple episodes of cosmic impact. * A study on changes in landscape moisture in the

rangeland Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas ...

s in Europe, Siberia and the Americas during the late

as indicated by data from the bones of

megaherbivore Megaherbivores (Greek μέγας megas "large" and Latin ''herbivora'' "herbivore") are large terrestrial herbivores that can exceed in weight. This polyphyletic group of megafauna includes elephants, rhinos, hippos, and giraffes. The largest ...

s is published by Rabanus-Wallace ''et al.'' (2017).

References

{{reflist, 30em 2010s in paleontology 2017 in science