Cambrian to Permian life-forms

[Morose]

Name: Acleistorhinus
Pronunciation: Ak-lees-tor-hi-nus
Meaning of name: "Unclosed nose"
Species: A. pteroticus
Size: Uncertain due to a lack of fossils.
Family: Acleistorhinidae
Diet: Insectivore
First fossils found: Known only from a skull discovered by Eleanor Daly in the Hennessey Formation of Oklahoma in 1969. Named by Ms. Daly in the same year.
Lived: 179.5 to 172.5 million years ago from the Kungurian stage of the Early Permian through to the Roadian stage of the Middle Permian in what is now the south central United States.

[Morose]

Name: Biarmosuchus
Pronunciation: Bee-arm-oh-soo-kuss
Meaning of name: "Biarma crocodile"
Species: B. tchudinovii, B. tener
Size: Depending on species, measured between 1.5 and 2 metres long.
Family: Biarmosuchidae
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens including complete skeletons discovered in the Perm region of Russia. B. tener named by P. K. Tchudinov in 1960. B. tchudinovii named in 1999.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 268.8 and 265.1 million years ago during the Wordian stage of the Middle Permian in what is now western Russia.

[Morose]

Name: Pholidogaster
Pronunciation: Fol-e-do-gas-ter
Meaning of name: "Scaly stomach"
Species: P. pisciformis
Size: 1 metre long
Family: Colosteidae
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known only from two specimens discovered in Scotland. Named by English biologist, Thomas Henry Huxley, in 1862.
Lived: 336 to 326.4 million years ago from the Viséan stage of the Early Carboniferous through to the Serpukhovian stage of the Middle Carboniferous in what is now Scotland.

[Morose]

Name: Eusthenopteron
Pronunciation: You-sten-op-teh-ron
Meaning of name: "Strength wing", in reference to its well-developed fins.
Species: E. foordi, E. jenkinsi, E. savesoderberghi
Size: Depending on species, measured up to 1.8 metres long
Family: Tristichopteridae
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from thousands of specimens discovered in eastern Canada. E. foordi named by British palaeontologist, Joseph Frederick Whiteaves, in 1881. E. savesoderberghi named in 1937. Uncertain of when E. jenkinsi was named.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 385 to 376.1 million years ago from the Givetian stage of the Middle Devonian through to the Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian in the oceans surrounding what is now eastern Canada.

[Morose]

Name: Dipnorhynchus
Pronunciation: Dip-no-rin-kus
Meaning of name: "Double snout"
Species: D. sussmilchi
Size: 1 metre long
Family: Dipnorhynchidae
Diet: Carnivore/Durophagovore
First fossils found: Known only from a small number of specimens discovered in Australia and Germany. Named by German palaeontologist, Otto Max Johannes Jaekel, in 1927.
Lived: 410.8 to 393.3 million years ago during the Pragian and Emsian stages of the Early Devonian in the oceans that once surrounded and covered what is now Australia and Germany.

[Morose]

Name: Anthracosaurus
Pronunciation: An-thra-coe-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Coal lizard"
Species: A. russelli
Size: Uncertain due to a lack of fossils.
Family: Anthracosauridae
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known only from skull fragments discovered in England and Scotland. Named by English biologist, Thomas Henry Huxley, in 1863.
Lived: 310 million years ago during the Moscovian stage of the Late Carboniferous in the lakes, swamps and rivers covering what is now England and Scotland.

[Morose]

Name: Ianthasaurus
Pronunciation: E-an-tha-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Iantha River lizard"
Species: I. hardestiorum
Size: 75cm long
Family: Edaphosauridae
Diet: Insectivore
First fossils found: Known only from a single, partial skeleton discovered in the Stanton Formation of Kansas. Named by Robert R. Reisz and David Berman in 1986.
Lived: 307 to 303.7 million years ago during the Kasimovian stage of the Late Carboniferous in what is now the midwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Eosimops
Pronunciation: E-os-sim-ops
Meaning of name: "Dawn appearance"
Species: E. newtoni
Size: 0.34 metres
Family: Pylaecephalidae
Diet: Herbivore
First fossils found: Known from several partial skeletons discovered by South African palaeontologist, Robert Broom, in the Abrahamskraal Formation of South Africa in 1921. Named by Mr. Broom in the same year.
Lived: 265.1 to 259.1 million years ago during the Capitanian stage of the Middle Permian in what is now South Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Hylonomus
Pronunciation: Hy-lo-no-mus
Meaning of name: "Forest dweller"
Species: H. lyelli
Size: Measured between 20 and 30cm long.
Family: Protorothyrididae
Diet: Carnivore/insectivore
First fossils found: Known from footprints and several skeletons discovered in the Joggins Formation of Nova Scotia, Canada. Some very well-preserved skeletons have been found inside fossilized tree stumps. Named by Canadian geologist, John William Dawson, in 1860. Hylonomus was similar in appearance to modern lizards and is thought to have been the first true reptile.
Lived: 312 million years ago during the Moscovian stage of the Late Carboniferous in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada.

[Morose]

Name: Coccosteus
Pronunciation: Co-co-stee-us
Meaning of name: "Berry bone"
Species: C. cuspidatus, C. grossi, C. orvikui, C. markae
Size: Depending on species, measured up to 40cm long.
Family: Coccosteidae
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, including complete skeletons, discovered throughout Europe and the United States. C. cuspidatus named in 1841. C. grossi and C. markae named in 1962. Uncertain of when C. orvikui was named.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 393.3 and 382.7 million years ago during the Eifelian and Givetian stages of the Middle Devonian in the oceans that surrounded and once covered parts of what is now Europe and the United States.

[Morose]

Name: Rhiodenticulatus
Pronunciation: Re-oh-den-tik-u-la-tus
Meaning of name: "Nose with small teeth"
Species: R. heatoni
Size: Uncertain due to a lack of fossils.
Family: Captorhinidae
Diet: Uncertain. Likely herbivorous.
First fossils found: Known only from an almost-complete skull and a partial skeleton discovered in the Cutler Formation of New Mexico. Named by David S. Berman and Robert R. Reisz in 1986.
Lived: 293.52 to 290.1 during the Sakmarian stage of the Early Permian in what is now the southwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Cacops
Pronunciation: Cay-cops
Meaning of name: "Ugly look", in reference to its strange appearance.
Species: C. aspidephorus, C. morrisi, C. woehri
Size: Depending on species, measured up to 40cm long and weighing 1.3kgs
Family: Dissorophidae
Diet: Carnivore/insectivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in Texas and Oklahoma. C. aspidephorus named by American palaeontologist, Samuel Wendell Williston, in 1910. C. morrisi named in 2009. C. woehri named in 2012.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 290.1 and 268 million years ago from the Artinskian stage of the Early Permian through to the Wordian stage of the Middle Permian in what is now the south-central United States.

[Morose]

Name: Onychodus
Pronunciation: On-e-ko-dus
Meaning of name: "Claw tooth"
Species: O. eriensis, O. jaekeli, O. jandemarrai, O. sigmoides, O. yassensis
Size: Depending on species, measured between 0.5 and 4 metres long
Family: Onychodontidae
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known from specimens discovered in Germany, Australia, England, Norway and the Great Lakes region of the midwestern United States. O. sigmoides named by American palaeontologist, John Strong Newberry, in 1857. O. jaekeli named in 1965. O. yassensis named in 2002. O. jandemarrai named in 2006. O. eriensis named in 2017.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 397 and 374 million years ago from the Emisan stage of the Early Devonian through to the Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian in the oceans that surrounded and once covered what is now Germany, Australia, England, Norway and the Great Lakes region of the midwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Pikaia
Pronunciation: Pik-ay-ah
Meaning of name: Named after Pika Peak, Alberta, Canada
Species: P. gracilens
Size: 3.8cm long
Family: Uncertain
Diet: Uncertain
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada. Named by American palaeontologist, Charles Doolittle Walcott, in 1911.
Lived: 513 to 505 million years ago from the as yet un-named fourth stage of the Early Cambrian through to the Wuliuan stage of the Middle Cambrian in the oceans that once covered what is now British Columbia, Canada.

[Morose]

Name: Struthiocephalus
Pronunciation: Stru-thee-o-sef-ah-luss
Meaning of name: "Ostrich head"
Species: S. whaitsi
Size: Measured around 3 metres long.
Family: Tapinocephalidae
Diet: Herbivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, including juveniles, discovered in the Abrahamskraal Formation of South Africa. Named by South African palaeontologist, Sidney Henry Haughton, in 1915.
Lived: 265.1 to 259.1 million years ago during the Capitanian stage of the Middle Permian in what is now South Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Charassognathus
Pronunciation: Kah-rass-og-nay-thus
Meaning of name: "Notched jaw"
Species: C. gracilis
Size: Uncertain due to a lack of fossils.
Family: Charassognathidae
Diet: Uncertain. Possible carnivore.
First fossils found: Known only from a partial lower jaw, a crushed skull and a single leg discovered in the Teekloof Formation of South Africa. Named by J. Botha, F. Abdala and R. M. H. Smith in 2007.
Lived: 259.1 to 254.14 million years ago during the Wuchiapingian stage of the Late Permian in what is now South Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Canadaspis
Pronunciation: Can-ah-da-ass-pis
Meaning of name: "Canada shield"
Species: C. perfecta, C. laevigata
Size: Measured up to 4.7cm long
Family: Canadaspididae
Diet: Is thought to have fed on organic material in sediment
First fossils found: Known from 4,525 specimens discovered in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada as well as in China and the western United States. C. perfecta named by Irish palaeontologist, Derek Ernest Gilmor Briggs, in 1978. C. laevigata named in 1991.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 516 and 505 million years ago from the as yet un-named third stage of the Early Cambrian through to the Wuliuan stage of the Middle Cambrian in what is now western Canada, southwest China and the western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Reginaselache
Pronunciation: Re-gee-na-sel-ah-kay
Meaning of name: "Regina's shark"
Species: R. morris
Size: Uncertain due to a lack of fossils, but is estimated to have measured around 1 metre long.
Family: Diplodoselachidae
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known only from teeth discovered in the Ducabrook Formation of central Queensland, Australia. Named by Susan Turner and Carole J. Burrow in 2011.
Lived: 346.7 to 330.9 million years ago during the Viséan stage of the Early Carboniferous in the oceans that surrounded what is now northern Australia.

[Morose]

Name: Naraoia
Pronunciation: Na-ray-oy-a
Meaning of name: Named after a group of lakes in British Columbia near where the first fossils were found.
Species: N. arcana, N. bertiensis, N. compacta, N. magna, N. spinifer, N. spinosa, N. tianjiangensis
Size: Depending on species, measured between 2 and 4.5cm long
Family: Naraoiidae
Diet: Uncertain, may have been either a carnivore or a detritivore.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in Australia, Canada, China and the United States. N. compacta named by Charles Doolittle Walcott in 1912. N. spinifer named in 1931. N. spinosa named in 1985. N. bertiensis named in 2004. N. tianjiangensis named in 2012. N. arcana and N. magna named in 2018. Was originally thought to be a crustacean before being identified as a Trilobite.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 525 and 423 million years ago from the as yet un-named second stage of the Early Cambrian through to the Ludfordian stage of the Late Silurian in the oceans surrounding what is now China, Canada, Australia and the United States.

[Morose]

Name: Hurdia
Pronunciation: Hur-de-ah
Meaning of name: Named after Mount Hurd, British Columbia, Canada
Species: H. victoria, H. triangulata
Size: Average length around 20cm. Could possibly have reached a length of 50cm.
Family: Hurdiidae
Diet: Uncertain. Possible carnivore or filter-feeder.
First fossils found: Known from hundreds of specimens discovered in Canada, Europe, China and the United States. Both species named by American palaeontologist, Charles Doolittle Walcott, in 1912.
Lived: 513 to 505 million years ago from the as yet un-named fourth stage of the Early Cambrian through to the Wuliuan stage of the Middle Cambrian in the oceans surrounding what is now Canada, Europe, China and the United States.

[Morose]

Name: Saccorhytus
Pronunciation: Sak-ko-rie-tus
Meaning of name: "Bag wrinkle"
Species: S. coronarius
Size: 1.3mm across
Family: Saccorhytidae
Diet: Uncertain. Possible detritivore.
First fossils found: Known from at least 45 individuals discovered in the Kuanchuanpu Formation of Shaanxi province, northwest China. Named by Jian Han, Simon Conway Morris, Qiang Ou, Degan Shu and Hai Huang in 2017. Saccorhytus is one of the oldest-known lifeforms.
Lived: 540 million years ago during the Fortunian stage of the Early Cambrian in bodies of water across what is now northwest China.

[Morose]

Name: Astraspis
Pronunciation: As-tras-piss
Meaning of name: "Star shield"
Species: A. desiderata, A. splendens
Size: 20cm long
Family: Uncertain
Diet: Uncertain. Possible filter-feeder.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in Bolivia and across the western United States. A. desiderata named by American palaeontologist, Charles Doolittle Walcott, in 1892. A. splendens named in 1995.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 467.3 and 445.2 million years ago from the Darriwilian stage of the Middle Ordovician through to the Katian stage of the Late Ordovician in the oceans that once covered what is now Bolivia and the western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Burgessia
Pronunciation: Bur-jes-se-ah
Meaning of name: Named after Mount Burgess
Species: B. bella
Size: 4.25cm long
Family: Uncertain
Diet: Detritivore
First fossils found: Known from thousands of specimens discovered in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada. Named by American palaeontologist, Charles Doolittle Walcott, in 1912.
Lived: 513 to 505 million years ago from the as yet un-named fourth stage of the Early Cambrian through to the Wuliuan stage of the Middle Cambrian in the oceans that once covered what is now British Columbia, Canada.

[Morose]

Name: Ctenurella
Pronunciation: Ten-u-rel-lah
Meaning of name: "Little comb tail"
Species: C. gladbachensis
Size: 13cm long
Family: Ptyctodontidae
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in western Germany. Named by T. Orvig in 1960.
Lived: 393.3 to 372.2 million years ago from the Eifelian stage of the Middle Devonian through to the Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian in the oceans that once covered what is now western Germany.

[Morose]

Name: Tubonasus
Pronunciation: Tu-bo-nay-sus
Meaning of name: "Tube nose", in reference to its long snout.
Species: T. lennardensis
Size: Uncertain.
Family: Camuropiscidae
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from a number of partial skeletons discovered in the Gogo Formation of Western Australia. Named by K. Dennis and R. A. Miles in 1979.
Lived: 382.7 to 372.2 million years ago during the Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian in the oceans that once covered what is now Western Australia.

[Morose]

Name: Pelanomodon
Pronunciation: Pel-a-no-mo-don
Meaning of name: "Mud irregular tooth"
Species: P. moschops
Size: Uncertain due to a lack of fossils.
Family: Geikiidae
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known only from a small number of partial skeletons discovered by British-South African palaeontologist, Robert Broom, in the Karoo Basin of South Africa in 1913. Named by Mr. Broom in 1938.
Lived: 259.1 to 254.14 million years ago during the Wuchiapingian stage of the Late Permian in what is now South Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Aelurosaurus
Pronunciation: Ay-lu-roe-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Cat lizard"
Species: A. felinus, A. wilmanae, A. whaitsi, A. polyodon
Size: Measured around 0.7 metres long
Family: Uncertain
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in the Karoo Basin of South Africa. A. felinus named by English palaeontologist, Sir Richard Owen, in 1881. A. whaitsi named in 1911. A. polyodon named in 1935. A. wilmanae named in 1940.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 272.5 and 252.3 million years ago from the Roadian stage of the Middle Permian through to the Changhsingian stage of the Late Permian in what is now South Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Infernovenator
Pronunciation: In-fer-no-ven-ah-tor
Meaning of name: "Hell hunter"
Species: I. steenae
Size: Uncertain
Family: Molgophidae
Diet: Uncertain. Possible insectivore.
First fossils found: Known only from a single, almost-complete skeleton discovered in the Mazon Creek fossil beds of Illinois. Named by A. Mann, J. D. Pardo and H. C. Maddin in 2019.
Lived: 309 to 307 million years ago during the Moscovian stage of the Late Carboniferous in what is now the midwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Lemurosaurus
Pronunciation: Le-mu-roe-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Lemur lizard"
Species: L. pricei
Size: Uncertain due to a lack of fossils.
Family: Uncertain
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known only from two skulls discovered in the Balfour and Middleton Formations of South Africa. Named by British-South African palaeontologist, Robert Broom, in 1949.
Lived: 259.1 to 254.14 million years ago during the Wuchiapingian stage of the Late Permian in what is now South Africa.