List of the prehistoric life of Kentucky

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

Precambrian

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

Paleozoic

Main article: List of the Paleozoic life of Kentucky

Selected Paleozoic taxa of Kentucky

• 

  Fossilized calyx of the Carboniferous crinoid ("sea lily") Abrotocrinus

  †Abrotocrinus
  • †Abrotocrinus coreyi
  • †Abrotocrinus unicus
• †Achatella
• †Achistrum
  • †Achistrum ludwigi
  • †Achistrum nicholsoni
• †Acidaspis
• † Acrophyllum
• †Actinoceras
• †Actinocrinites
  • †Actinocrinites gibsoni
• †Agaricocrinus
  • †Agaricocrinus americanus

• 

  Fossilized fronds of the Carboniferous-Early Cretaceous seed fern Alethopteris

  †Alethopteris
  • †Alethopteris decurrens
  • †Alethopteris lonchitica – or unidentified comparable form
• †Ammonellipsites
• †Amphiscapha
• †Amplexopora
• †Amplexus
• †Anchiopella
• †Anisophyllum
• †Annularia
• †Archaeocidaris
• †Archaeopteris

• 

  Fossils of the Carboniferous-Permian bryozoan Archimedes

  †Archimedes
  • †Archimedes communis
  • †Archimedes compactus
  • †Archimedes distans
  • †Archimedes invaginatus
  • †Archimedes lativolvis
  • †Archimedes macfarlani
  • †Archimedes meekanoides
  • †Archimedes meekanus
  • †Archimedes proutanus
  • †Archimedes swallowvanus
  • †Archimedes terebriformis

• 

  Fossilized teeth of the Devonian-Cretaceous shark Asteracanthus

  †Asteracanthus
• †Athyris
  • †Athyris fultonensis
• †Atrypa
• †Augustoceras
• †Aulopora
  • †Aulopora tubiporoides
• †Aviculopecten
  • †Aviculopecten germanus – or unidentified related form
• †Bellerophon
• †Beyrichoceras
• †Bisatoceras – tentative report
• †Bostonia

• 

  Life restoration of the Early Ordovician-Silurian trilobite Bumastus

  †Bumastus
• †Calamites
  • †Calamites cistii
  • †Calamites undulatus
• †Callixylon
• †Calyptaulax
• †Camarotoechia
  • †Camarotoechia mutata
• †Cameroceras
• †Cartersoceras
• †Ceratopsis
• †Ceraurus
• †Chasmatopora
• †Chonetes

• 

  Assemblage of fossilized shells of the Ordovician brachiopod Cincinnetina

  †Cincinnetina
  • †Cincinnetina meeki
  • †Cincinnetina multisecta
• †Cladochonus
  • †Cladochonus beecheri
  • †Cladochonus crassus
• †Cleiothyridina
  • †Cleiothyridina hirsuta
  • †Cleiothyridina sublamellosa
• †Climacograptus
• †Coenites

• 

  Fossilized shell of the Late Devonian-Permian brachiopod Composita

  †Composita
  • †Composita subquadrata
  • †Composita trinuclea
• †Conostoma
• †Constellaria
• †Cordaites
• †Cornulites
• †Crania – tentative report
• †Craniops
• †Cyathocrinites
  • †Cyathocrinites glenni
  • †Cyathocrinites multibrachiatus
  • †Cyathocrinites parvibrachiatus
• †Cyclonema
• †Cydrocrinus
• †Cyphaspis
• †Cypricardinia

• 

  Restoration of the Cambrian-Middle Devonian nautiloid cephalopod Cyrtoceras

  †Cyrtoceras
• †Cyrtolites
• †Cystodictya
  • †Cystodictya lineata
• †Decadocrinus
• †Declinognathodus
  • †Declinognathodus donetzianus
• †Diplograptus
• †Dizygocrinus
  • †Dizygocrinus whitei
• †Edmondia
• †Emmonsia
• †Endoceras
• Eocaudina
• †Eospirifer
• †Equisetum
  • †Equisetum arvense
• †Eretmocrinus
  • †Eretmocrinus magnificus

• 

  Fossil of the Late Ordovician-Permian tabulate coral Favosites

  †Favosites
  • †Favosites arbor
  • †Favosites biloculi
  • †Favosites discoideus
  • †Favosites favosus
  • †Favosites hisingeri
  • †Favosites niagarensis
  • †Favosites proximatus
  • †Favosites quercus
  • †Favosites rotundituba
  • †Favosites turbinatus
• †Fenestella

• 

  Front (left) and right side (right) views of an enrolled fossil of the Middle Ordovician-Silurian trilobite Flexicalymene

  †Flexicalymene
  • †Flexicalymene meeki
• †Foerstia
• †Forbesiocrinus
• †Gastrioceras
• †Gilbertsocrinus
• †Glossina
• †Glyptocrinus
• †Glyptopleura
• †Gnathodus
• †Goniatites
• †Gravicalymene

• 

  Multiple views of a fossil of the Ordovician horn coral Grewingkia

  †Grewingkia
  • †Grewingkia rusticum
• †Hallia
• †Hallopora
• †Halysites
• †Heliophyllum
  • †Heliophyllum halli
• †Helminthochiton
• †Hindia
• †Holopea
• †Hyolithes
• †Idiognathoides
  • †Idiognathoides sinuatus
• †Iocrinus
• †Isotelus
  • †Isotelus gigas
  • †Isotelus maximus
• †Kazakhstania
• †Krausella
• †Lepidodendron
  • †Lepidodendron aculeatum – or unidentified comparable form
• †Lepidostrobus

• 

  Illustration of a fossilized shell of the Cambrian-Late Ordovician brachiopod Lingulella

  †Lingulella
• †Liroceras
• Lithophaga – tentative report
• †Maelonoceras
• †Masonoceras – type locality for genus
• †Maximites
• †Meristella
• †Meristina – tentative report
• †Michelinoceras
• †Murchisonia
• †Murrayoceras
• †Neospirifer
  • †Neospirifer cameratus

• 

  Fronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris

  †Neuropteris
  • †Neuropteris gigantea
  • †Neuropteris heterophylla
  • †Neuropteris tenuifolia – or unidentified comparable form
• †Oncoceras
• †Onychocrinus
• †Ormoceras
• †Orthoceras
• †Pattersonia
• †Pecopteris
  • †Pecopteris plumosa – or unidentified comparable form
• †Pentagonia
• †Pentamerus
• †Pentremites
  • †Pentremites tulipaformis
• †Periastron
• †Phillipsia
• †Phragmolites
• †Pitys
• †Plaesiomys
• †Platyceras
• †Platycrinites

• 

  Fossilized shell of the Middle Ordovician-Silurian brachiopod Platystrophia

  †Platystrophia
  • †Platystrophia acutilirata
  • †Platystrophia annieana
  • †Platystrophia clarkesvillensis
  • †Platystrophia clarksvillensis
  • †Platystrophia cypha
• †Plectoceras
• †Pleurodictyum
• Pleurotomaria
• †Polygnathus
  • †Polygnathus communis
• †Polygrammoceras

• 

  Restoration of the Silurian trilobite Proetus

  †Proetus
• †Protosalvinia
• †Prototaxites
• †Pseudopolygnathus
• †Pterotheca
• †Quadratia
• †Scytalocrinus
• †Similodonta
• †Solenopora
• †Sowerbyella
• †Sphenophyllum
  • †Sphenophyllum cuneifolium
• †Sphenopteris
• †Sphenothallus
• †Spirifer
  • †Spirifer rockymontanus
• †Spiriferina
• †Stenaster
• †Stigmaria
• †Stigmatella

• 

  Fossilized shell of the Ordovician-Silurian brachiopod Strophomena

  †Strophomena
  • †Strophomena concordensis
  • †Strophomena costellata – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Strophomena neglecta
  • †Strophomena planumbona
  • †Strophomena sulcata
• †Subulites
• †Syringopora
• †Taxocrinus
• †Tetradium
• †Theelia
• †Treptoceras

• 

  Restoration showing the top (left) and underside of the Late Ordovician trilobite Triarthrus

  †Triarthrus
  • †Triarthrus eatoni
• †Triendoceras – tentative report
• †Trocholites
• †Ulrichicrinus
• †Whiteavesia
• †Worthenia
• †Zadelsdorfia – tentative report

Mesozoic

The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Mesozoic fossils in Kentucky.

Cenozoic

• †Berhamniphyllum – type locality for genus
  • †Berhamniphyllum claibornense – type locality for species
• Canis
  • †Canis dirus
• †Diplotropis
  • †Diplotropis claibornensis – type locality for species
• Equus

• 

  Fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Holocene elephant relative Mammuthus, or mammoth

  †Mammuthus
• Microtus
  • †Microtus xanthognathus – or unidentified comparable form
• †Platygonus
• Spermophilus
  • †Spermophilus tridecemlineatus – or unidentified comparable form
• Taxidea
• Ursus
  • †Ursus arctos

References

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