Paleontology & Deep Time: Mass Extinctions, Dinosaurs & Fossil Evolution
Encyclopedia/1. The Cosmos & The Natural World/4. Earth Sciences/01. Oceanography & Marine Geosciences • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
From Mary Anning's ichthyosaurs to the Chicxulub impact, the field of paleontology has revealed Earth's deep history through fossil discoveries. This timeline highlights key events in the study of mass extinctions, dinosaur evolution, and the fossil record.
Chronological Storyline (42 Milestones)
1801 CE
Cuvier Publishes Comparative Anatomy
Georges Cuvier's work establishes extinction as a scientific fact, laying the foundation for vertebrate paleontology. #paleontology #extinction
Cuvier Publishes Comparative Anatomy By Georges_Cuvier.jpg: Unknown derivative work: Beao - Georges_Cuvier.jpg, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9710381
1811 CE
Mary Anning Discovers Ichthyosaurus
Mary Anning finds the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton in Lyme Regis, England, a pivotal marine reptile fossil. #paleontology #fossil
Mary Anning Discovers Ichthyosaurus By Credited to 'Mr. Grey' in Crispin Tickell's book 'Mary Anning of Lyme Regis' (1996) - Two versions side by side, Sedgwick Museum. Also see here. According to the Sedgwick Museum, there are two versions. The earlier version is by an unknown artist, dated before 1842 and is preserved in the Natural History Museum, London. The later version is a copy by B.J. M. Donne in 1847 or 1850, and is credited to the Geological Society, London. Also see here., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3824696
1822 CE
Mantell Discovers Iguanodon Tooth
Gideon Mantell's wife Mary finds a large fossil tooth, leading to the description of Iguanodon, one of the first dinosaurs recognized. #dinosaur #paleontology
Mantell Discovers Iguanodon Tooth By Ben2 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3166764
1824 CE
Buckland Describes Megalosaurus
William Buckland presents the first scientifically described dinosaur, Megalosaurus, based on a jaw and limb bones. #dinosaur #paleontology
Buckland Describes Megalosaurus By Ballista at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by FunkMonk using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6327707
1828 CE
Anning Discovers Plesiosaurus
Mary Anning uncovers the first complete plesiosaur skeleton, a long-necked marine reptile from the Jurassic. #paleontology #marinereptile
Anning Discovers Plesiosaurus By the paleobear - https://www.flickr.com/photos/paleo_bear/25337926128/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75685659
1829 CE
Anning Discovers Pterosaur
Mary Anning discovers a pterosaur fossil (Dimorphodon), the first of its kind in England, expanding knowledge of flying reptiles. #paleontology #flyingreptile
Anning Discovers Pterosaur By MCDinosaurhunter - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32897578
1832 CE
Mantell Describes Hylaeosaurus
Richard Owen later includes Hylaeosaurus as one of the three original dinosaur genera alongside Iguanodon and Megalosaurus. #dinosaur
Mantell Describes Hylaeosaurus By Sven Sachs, Jahn J. Hornung - http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0060571, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25444914
1842 CE
Owen Coins Dinosauria
Richard Owen formally defines the group Dinosauria, recognizing dinosaurs as a distinct taxonomic category. #dinosaur #paleontology
Owen Coins Dinosauria By Sam / Olai Ose / Skjaervoy from Zhangjiagang, China - Dinosaurs!, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4209411
1854 CE
Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
The first life-sized dinosaur models are built at the Crystal Palace in London, sparking public fascination with prehistoric life. #paleontology #history
Crystal Palace Dinosaurs By Ian Wright - 088 - Dinosaurs in Crystal Palace Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36823807
1861 CE
Archaeopteryx Discovered
The first Archaeopteryx fossil is found in Solnhofen, Germany, providing transitional evidence between dinosaurs and birds. #paleontology #evolution
Archaeopteryx Discovered By H. Raab (User: Vesta) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8066320
1868 CE
Hadrosaurus Mounted
The first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton, Hadrosaurus, is mounted for display at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. #dinosaur #paleontology
Hadrosaurus Mounted By Jim, the Photographer from Springfield PA, United States of America - Hadrosaurus foulkii Dinosaur Uploaded by FunkMonk, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26762800
1877 CE
Bone Wars Begin
Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh start a fierce rivalry leading to the discovery of many new dinosaur species. #paleontology #history
Bone Wars Begin By Frederick Gutekunst - File:Othniel Charles Marsh - Brady-Handy.jpg and File:Cope Edward Drinker 1840-1897.png, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61508381
1877 CE
Titanosaurus Described
The first dinosaur fossil from India, Titanosaurus, is described by Richard Lydekker. #dinosaur #india
Titanosaurus Described By Hugh Falconer - A revision of Titanosaurus Lydekker (Dinosauria – Sauropoda), the first dinosaur genus with a ‘Gondwanan’ distributio, 2003, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21234324
1884 CE
Diplodocus Discovered
A partial Diplodocus skeleton is found in Wyoming by Marshall's team, leading to future reconstructions of this long-necked dinosaur. #dinosaur
Diplodocus Discovered By ScottRobertAnselmo - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19249988
1889 CE
Triceratops Described
Othniel Charles Marsh names the iconic horned dinosaur Triceratops from specimens found in Wyoming. #dinosaur #cretaceous
Triceratops Described By Source: Allie_Caulfield Derivative: User:MathKnight - File:LA-Triceratops mount-1.jpg (by Allie_Caulfield ), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38858643
1891 CE
Coelophysis Discovered
A quarry of Coelophysis, an early Triassic dinosaur, is found in New Mexico, providing insight into early dinosaur evolution. #dinosaur #triassic
Coelophysis Discovered By James St. John - Coelophysis bauri theropod dinosaur (Chinle Formation, Upper Triassic; Coelophysis Quarry, Ghost Ranch, Rio Arriba County, northern New Mexico, USA) 1, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35757187
1902 CE
T. rex Discovered
Barnum Brown discovers the first Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. #dinosaur #cretaceous
T. rex Discovered By ScottRobertAnselmo - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19248777
1905 CE
T. rex Named
Henry Fairfield Osborn formally describes and names Tyrannosaurus rex. #dinosaur #paleontology
1909 CE
Burgess Shale Discovered
Charles Walcott discovers the Burgess Shale in British Columbia, a Lagerstätte preserving soft-bodied Cambrian organisms. #paleontology #cambrian
Burgess Shale Discovered By Martin R. Smith - Smith MR, Harvey THP, Butterfield NJ (2015) Data from: The macro- and microfossil record of the middle Cambrian priapulid Ottoia. Dryad Digital Repository. https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.km109, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40128882
1915 CE
Spinosaurus Discovered
Fossils of Spinosaurus, a large predatory dinosaur with a sail back, are found in Egypt. #dinosaur #africa
Spinosaurus Discovered By 3blindMies - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133051681
1922 CE
Velociraptor Discovered
The first Velociraptor fossil is found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. #dinosaur #cretaceous
Velociraptor Discovered By Eduard Solà Vázquez - File:Velociraptor skeleton.jpg, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38691471
1923 CE
First Dinosaur Eggs Found
Roy Chapman Andrews' expedition discovers the first known dinosaur eggs in the Gobi Desert, attributed to Oviraptor. #paleontology #dinosaur
First Dinosaur Eggs Found By Sballal - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4988689
1938 CE
Coelacanth Caught
A living coelacanth is caught off the coast of South Africa, a species previously thought extinct for 66 million years. #paleontology #livingfossil
John Ostrom describes Deinonychus, a predatory dinosaur with a large sickle claw, leading to the dinosaur renaissance. #dinosaur #paleontology
Deinonychus Described By Jonathan Chen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72960596
1969 CE
Deinonychus Published
Ostrom's paper argues that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and active, linking them more closely to birds. #dinosaur #paleontology
1980 CE
Alvarez Impact Hypothesis
Luis Alvarez and colleagues propose that an asteroid impact caused the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. #paleontology #extinction
Alvarez Impact Hypothesis By U S Government - Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64226981
1984 CE
End-Permian Extinction Study
Research identifies the Permian–Triassic extinction event at 252 million years ago, the largest mass extinction in Earth's history. #paleontology #extinction
End-Permian Extinction Study By Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4084669
1989 CE
Argentinosaurus Discovered
Fossils of Argentinosaurus, one of the largest sauropods, are unearthed in Argentina. #dinosaur #southamerica
Argentinosaurus Discovered By William Irvin Sellers, Lee Margetts, Rodolfo Aníbal Coria, Phillip Lars Manning - http://www.ploscollections.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0078733;jsessionid=441A913F8D576BBA46BF0960D01599FD, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30527003
1991 CE
Chicxulub Crater Identified
The Chicxulub crater in Mexico is identified as the impact site for the K–Pg extinction event. #paleontology #extinction
Chicxulub Crater Identified By NASA/JPL-Caltech, modified b - Modified NASA image, with scale and labels to increase clarity by David Fuchs. Original: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03379, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4229567
1996 CE
Sinosauropteryx Discovered
The first feathered dinosaur, Sinosauropteryx, is discovered in Liaoning, China. #dinosaur #china #feathers
1999 CE
Majungasaurus Discovered
A plethora of Majungasaurus fossils are found in Madagascar, including evidence of cannibalism. #dinosaur #madagascar
Majungasaurus Discovered By Skye McDavid - Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122542075
2003 CE
Microraptor Described
Microraptor, a four-winged paravian dinosaur from China, is described, providing strong evidence for dinosaur-bird evolution. #dinosaur #china #feathers
Microraptor Described By David W. E. Hone, Helmut Tischlinger, Xing Xu, Fucheng Zhang - Hone DWE, Tischlinger H, Xu X, Zhang F (2010) The Extent of the Preserved Feathers on the Four-Winged Dinosaur Microraptor gui under Ultraviolet Light. PLoS ONE 5(2): e9223. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009223, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9487242
2005 CE
T. rex Soft Tissue Found
Mary Schweitzer announces discovery of soft tissue, including blood vessels, in a Tyrannosaurus rex bone. #paleontology #dinosaur
2007 CE
Dinosaur-Bird Link Confirmed
Several studies combine fossil and genetic evidence to confirm that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs. #paleontology #evolution
2009 CE
New Burgess Shale Fossils
Reclassification of Hallucigenia and discovery of new fossils from the Burgess Shale revise understanding of Cambrian diversity. #paleontology #cambrian
New Burgess Shale Fossils By Han Zeng - http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3908098df-4e21-46f7-931a-61fa3787dc80, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132294399
2012 CE
Xixianykus Discovered
A new alvarezsauroid dinosaur with feathers, Xixianykus, is described from China. #dinosaur #china
2014 CE
Anzu Wyliei Described
Anzu wyliei, a large oviraptorosaur from the Hell Creek Formation, is named the 'chicken from hell'. #dinosaur #cretaceous )
Anzu Wyliei Described By LittleLazyLass - Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=194993551
2016 CE
Spinosaurus Aquatic Adaptation
A tail fin fossil from Spinosaurus suggests it was an aquatic, swimming dinosaur. #dinosaur #cretaceous
2017 CE
Patagotitan Described
Patagotitan mayorum, one of the largest known dinosaurs, is formally described from Argentina. #dinosaur #southamerica
Patagotitan Described By Zissoudisctrucker - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70130320
2020 CE
Dinosaur Embryo Found in Egg
An exquisitely preserved dinosaur embryo of an oviraptorosaur is discovered in Cretaceous sediments. #paleontology #dinosaur
2022 CE
First Dinosaur Feather Colors
Analysis of melanosomes from feathered dinosaurs reveals their original colors. #paleontology #feathers
First Dinosaur Feather Colors By Robert Nicholls, published by Angus D. Croudace, Caizhi Shen, Junchang Lü, Stephen L. Brusatte and Jakob Vinther - https://app.pan.pl/article/item/app010042022.html?fbclid=IwAR0jUKTQpXvEK0Sm09HTBwVWmsTO2CN9CqxoZa-G_0j4aTeApxhGKZ2b6IA, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133066383
2023 CE
New Mass Extinction Evidence
A study links the end-Permian extinction to ultra-low oxygen levels and intense volcanic eruptions. #paleontology #extinction
