List of the prehistoric life of Idaho facts for kids

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

Paleozoic

Selected Paleozoic taxa of Idaho

• †Acrothyra
• †Adrianites
• 

  Assemblage of fossils of the Cambrian trilobite Agnostus
  †Agnostus
• †Amplexus
• † Ananias
• Archaeolithophyllum
• †Atrypa
• †Aulopora
• †Aviculopecten
  • †Aviculopecten kaibabensis – or unidentified comparable form
• † Avonia
• †Bathyuriscus
• †Benthamaspis
• †Caninia
• †Cardiograptus
• †Chancia
• †Chonetes
  • †Chonetes logani
• †Cleiothyridina
  • †Cleiothyridina sublamellosa
• 

  Assemblage of fossils of the Cambrian graptolite Climacograptus
  †Climacograptus
  • †Climacograptus bicornis
  • †Climacograptus innotatus
  • †Climacograptus scalaris – or unidentified comparable form
• †Composita
  • †Composita humilis
  • †Composita idahoensis – type locality for species
  • †Composita mira – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Composita sigma
  • †Composita subquadrata
  • †Composita subtilita – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Composita sulcata
• †Cyrtograptus
• †Cystodictya
• †Dictyonema
• †Didymograptus
  • †Didymograptus extensus
• †Diplograptus
• †Edmondia
• †Ehmaniella
• †Elrathia
• †Elrathina
• †Euomphalus
• †Fenestella
• †Gastrioceras – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
• †Girvanella
• †Gogia
• †Goniograptus
• †Haplophrentis
• †Helcionella
• 

  Life restoration of the Permian Chimaera relative Helicoprion
  †Helicoprion
  • †Helicoprion davisii – type locality for species
• †Hintzeia
• †Hyolithes
• †Isograptus
• †Kazakhstania
• †Kootenia
• †Lingula
• †Lingulella
• †Lithostrotion
• †Margaretia
• †Martinia
• †Micromitra
• †Monograptus
  • †Monograptus convolutus
• †Morania
• †Naticopsis
• †Neospirifer
• †Niobe – tentative report
• †Obolus
• †Ogygopsis
• 

  Fossil of the Cambrian trilobite Olenoides
  †Olenoides
• †Orthotheca
• †Oryctocephalus
• †Pagetia
• Palaeoaplysina
• †Paterina
• †Pelagiella
• †Peronopsis
• †Phyllograptus
• †Plaesiomys
• †Platyceras
• †Platycrinites
• †Platystrophia
• †Poulsenia
• †Prodentalium
• 

  Restoration of the Silurian trilobite Proetus
  †Proetus
• †Protopliomerella
• †Protospongia
• †Quadratia
• †Selkirkia
• †Siphonodendron
• †Spirifer
  • †Spirifer brazerianus
• †Spiriferina
• †Strophomena
• 

  Fossil of the Devonian tabulate coral Syringopora
  †Syringopora
• †Tetragraptus
• †Tetrataxis
• †Thoracocare
• †Urotheca
• †Wilkingia
• †Worthenia – tentative report
• †Zacanthoides

Mesozoic

Selected Mesozoic taxa of Idaho

• †Albanites
• †Anaflemingites
• †Anasibirites
• †Anemia
• 

  Life restoration of two species of the Late Triassic ammonoid cephalopod Arcestes
  †Arcestes – tentative report
• †Arctomeekoceras
• †Aspenites
• Astarte
• †Aviculopecten – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
  • †Aviculopecten altus – type locality for species
  • †Aviculopecten idahoensis
  • †Aviculopecten pealei – type locality for species
• †Carteria – type locality for genus
• †Ceccaisculitoides
  • †Ceccaisculitoides hammondi
• Chlamys
• †Claraia
  • †Claraia stachei
• Corbicula
• †Cryptaulax
• †Cycadeoidea
• 

  Diagram illustrating the Middle-Late Triassic ichthyosaur Cymbospondylus with an anachronistic human to scale.
  †Cymbospondylus
• †Dagnoceras
• †Dennstaedtia – tentative report
• †Enoploceras
• †Flemingites
• †Germanonautilus
• †Gervillia – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
• Gleichenia
• †Gryphaea
• †Grypoceras
• †Hedenstroemia
• 

  Fossilized shell of the Early Jurassic-Late Cretaceous marine bivalve Inoceramus with a human indicating its size
  †Inoceramus
• †Inyoites
  • †Inyoites oweni
• †Lecanites
• †Lingula
• Lopha
• †Meekoceras
  • †Meekoceras gracilitatis – type locality for species
• †Megasphaeroceras
• †Naticopsis – tentative report
• †Nemacanthus
  • †Nemacanthus elegans – type locality for species
• †Neogondolella
• †Neospathodus
• †Nerinea
• 

  Fossilized shell of the Middle Jurassic ammonoid cephalopod Normannites
  †Normannites
• †Orthoceras
• Ostrea
• †Owenites
  • †Owenites koeneni – or unidentified comparable form
• †Pagiophyllum
• †Palaeophyllites – tentative report
• †Phaedrysmocheilus
• Pholadomya
  • †Pholadomya inaequiplicata
• †Plagiostoma
• †Platymya
• 

  Fossilized shell of the Carboniferous-Triassic nautiloid cephalopod Pleuronautilus
  †Pleuronautilus
• †Protocardia
• †Pseudomelania – tentative report
• †Pteria – tentative report
• †Rhaetina
• †Rhynchonella – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
• †Saurichthys
• †Spiriferina
  • †Spiriferina roundyi
• †Stephanoceras
• †Tempskya
• 

  Life restoration of the Early Cretaceous Iguanodon relative Tenontosaurus
  †Tenontosaurus
• †Thamnasteria
• †Trigonia
  • †Trigonia montanaensis
• †Ussuria
• †Ussurites
• †Vex – type locality for genus
• †Worthenia
• †Wyomingites – type locality for genus
• †Xenoceltites
  • †Xenoceltites cordilleranus
• 

  Fossilized shells of the ammonoid cephalopod Xenodiscus
  †Xenodiscus

Cenozoic

Selected Cenozoic taxa of Idaho

• Abies
• Acer
• †Acritohippus
  • †Acritohippus isonesus
• †Aepycamelus
• †Aesculus
• Agelaius
  • †Agelaius phoeniceus
• †Agriotherium
• †Alforjas – tentative report
• Alnus
• 

  Life restoration of the Miocene elephant relative Amebelodon. Margret Flinsch (1932).
  †Amebelodon
• Amelanchier
• Anas
  • †Anas platyrhynchos
• Anser
  • †Anser caerulescens
• Antilocapra
  • †Antilocapra americana
• Antrozous
  • †Antrozous pallidus
• †Aphelops
• †Archaeohippus
• †Arctodus
  • †Arctodus simus
• Ardea
  • †Ardea herodias
• Baiomys
• Betula
• Bibio
• Bison
  • †Bison antiquus – or unidentified comparable form
  • 

    Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene Bison latifrons, also known as the giant bison or long-horned bison
    †Bison latifrons
  • †Bison priscus
• Boletina
• †Bolitophila
• †Bombus
• Bonasa
  • †Bonasa umbellus
• †Bootherium
  • †Bootherium bombifrons
• †Borophagus
  • †Borophagus diversidens
  • †Borophagus hilli
  • †Borophagus pugnator
• 

  Restorative portrait of the Miocene oreodont mammal Brachycrus
  †Brachycrus
• Brachylagus
  • †Brachylagus idahoensis
• Branta
  • †Branta canadensis
• Bucephala
• †Camelops
  • †Camelops hesternus
• Camponotus
• Canis
  • †Canis dirus
  • †Canis ferox
  • †Canis latrans
  • †Canis lepophagus
• 

  A living Carya, or hickory tree
  Carya
• Castor
  • †Castor californicus
  • †Castor canadensis
• Ceanothus
• Cedrela
• Cercidiphyllum
• Cervus
  • †Cervus elaphus – or unidentified comparable form
• †Chamaecyparis
• Chen
• †Chrysolepis
• Ciconia – tentative report
  • 

    Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene Ciconia maltha, also known as the asphalt stork or La Brea stork
    †Ciconia maltha
• Comptonia
• Cornus
• †Cosoryx
• Craigia
• Crataegus
• †Cunninghamia
• Cygnus
• Cynomys
• †Dennstaedtia
• †Diceratherium
• †Dipoides
• Dolichoderus
• †Domnina
• †Dromomeryx
• Dytiscus
• Elaphe
  • †Elaphe vulpina
• †Epicyon
  • †Epicyon haydeni
• †Equisetum
• Equus
  • †Equus idahoensis
  • †Equus scotti
  • 

    Fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene horse Equus simplicidens, also known as the Hagerman horse or American zebra
    †Equus simplicidens
• Erethizon
  • †Erethizon dorsatum
• †Eucommia
• †Euptelea
• Falco
  • †Falco peregrinus
• Felis
• †Fraxinus
• Gallinula
  • †Gallinula chloropus
• †Garrya
• †Gigantocamelus
• Ginkgo
  • †Ginkgo adiantoides
• †Gleditsia
• Halesia
• †Hemiauchenia
  • †Hemiauchenia macrocephala
• Homo
  • †Homo sapiens
• 

  Restoration of Pliocene-Pleistocene Homotherium, or scimitar cat
  †Homotherium
  • †Homotherium serum
• Hydrangea
• †Hypohippus
• †Hypolagus
• Ilex
• Juglans
• Larix
• Lasiurus
• Lasius
• †Ledum
• Lepus
• Libocedrus
• 

  A living Limnephilus caddisfly
  †Limnephilus
• †Liriodendron
• †Lithocarpus
• Lontra
  • †Lontra canadensis
• Lynx
  • †Lynx canadensis
  • †Lynx rufus
• †Macrophya
• Mahonia
• †Mammut
  • 

    Restoration of a Mammut americanum, or American mastodon
    †Mammut americanum
• †Mammuthus
  • †Mammuthus columbi
• †Megacamelus
• †Megalonyx
  • †Megalonyx jeffersonii
  • †Megalonyx leptostomus
• †Megantereon
• Meleagris
  • †Meleagris gallopavo
• Mergus
  • †Mergus merganser
• †Merychyus
• †Mesoreodon
• Messor – tentative report
• †Metalopex
• Metasequoia
  • †Metasequoia occidentalis
• †Michenia
• 

  Fossilized skull of the Eocene-Oligocene three-toed horse Miohippus
  †Miohippus
• Mustela
• Natrix
• Neophrontops
• Neotoma
• †Niglarodon
• †Nyssa
• Odocoileus
• Ondatra
  • †Ondatra zibethicus
• †Osmunda
• Ostrya
• †Oxydactylus
• †Palaeolagus – tentative report
• Panthera
  • †Panthera leo
• 

  Fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene ground sloth Paramylodon
  †Paramylodon
  • †Paramylodon harlani
• †Parthenocissus
• Pelecanus
  • †Pelecanus halieus – type locality for species
• Perognathus
• Peromyscus
• Persea
• Phalacrocorax
  • †Phalacrocorax auritus
• Phenacomys
• Phryganea
• Picea
• Pinus
• Platanus
• †Platygonus
• Populus
• Porzana
• †Potamogeton
• †Procastoroides
• Procyon
  • †Procyon lotor
• 

  Restoration of the Miocene hippopotamus-like oreodont Promerycochoerus both onshore and in the water. Robert Bruce Horsfall (1913).
  †Promerycochoerus
• †Protolabis
• Prunus
• †Pseudolarix
• †Pseudotsuga
• Pterocarya
• Puma
  • †Puma concolor
• Quercus
• Querquedula
• Rangifer
  • †Rangifer tarandus
• †Rhamnus
• Rhododendron
• Rhus
• 

  Restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene elephant relative Rhynchotherium
  †Rhynchotherium
• †Ribes
• Rosa
• Salix
• Sassafras
• †Satherium
  • †Satherium piscinarium
• Scapanus
  • †Scapanus townsendii – or unidentified related form
• Sciara
• Sequoia
  • †Sequoia affinis
• †Sequoiadendron
  • †Sequoiadendron chaneyi
• †Simocyon
• †Smilax
• 

  Life restoration of the Pleistocene-Holocene saber-tooth cat Smilodon
  †Smilodon
  • †Smilodon fatalis
• †Sophora
• †Sorbus
• Sorex
  • †Sorex palustris
• Spermophilus
• †Spiraea
• †Stegomastodon
  • †Stegomastodon mirificus
• Sthenictis
• †Symphoricarpos
• Taxidea
  • †Taxidea taxus
• Taxodium
• 

  Restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene rhinoceros Teleoceras
  †Teleoceras
• Thamnophis
• Thomomys
  • †Thomomys townsendii
• †Thuja
• †Ticholeptus
• Tilia
  • †Trigonictis macrodon
• †Tsuga
• Typha
• Ulmus
• †Ungnadia
• Ursus
• 

  A variety of modern Vaccinium species, clockwise from top right: cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, and huckleberries
  †Vaccinium
• †Vauquelinia
• Vulpes
  • †Vulpes vulpes
• Zelkova