List of the prehistoric life of Illinois facts for kids

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

Precambrian

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

Paleozoic

Selected Paleozoic taxa of Illinois

• †Achatella
• †Actinoceras
• †Alethopteris
  • †Alethopteris decurrens
  • †Alethopteris lonchitica
  • †Alethopteris owenii
  • †Alethopteris serlii
• 

  Life restoration of the Carboniferous amphibian Amphibamus
  †Amphibamus – type locality for genus
  • †Amphibamus grandiceps – type locality for species
• †Amphiscapha
• †Amynilyspes – type locality for genus
• †Annularia
  • †Annularia asteris – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Annularia stellata
• †Anomphalus – type locality for genus
• †Anthracoceras
• †Archaeocidaris – tentative report
• †Archaeopteris
• †Archimedes
  • †Archimedes communis
  • †Archimedes compactus
  • †Archimedes invaginatus
  • †Archimedes lativolvis
  • †Archimedes macfarlani
  • †Archimedes swallovanus
  • †Archimedes terebriformis
• †Archimylacris
• †Arctinurus
• 

  Illustration of a fossil of the Carboniferous-Permian spider Arthrolycosa. Charles Emerson Beecher (1889).
  †Arthrolycosa – type locality for genus
• †Artisia
• †Asterotheca
  • †Asterotheca miltoni – or unidentified comparable form
• †Asyncritus – type locality for genus
• †Athyris
• †Atrypa
  • †Atrypa reticularis – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
• †Aviculopecten
  • †Aviculopecten fasciculatus
• † Avonia
• †Bandringa – type locality for genus
• †Bassleroceras
• †Bellerophon
  • †Bellerophon spergensis
• †Belinurus
• †Bembexia
• †Blattoidea
• 

  Life restoration of the Carboniferous amphibian Brachydectes
  †Brachydectes
  • †Brachydectes newberryi
• †Bumastus
  • †Bumastus armatus – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Bumastus chicagoensis
  • †Bumastus cuniculus – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Bumastus graftonensis
  • †Bumastus insignis
  • †Bumastus springfieldensis
  • †Bumastus transversalis
• †Calamites
  • †Calamites suckowii
• †Callipteridium
• †Calvinia
• †Calymene
  • †Calymene breviceps
  • †Calymene celebra
• †Calyptaulax
• †Camarotoechia
• 

  Life restoration of the Carboniferous Chimaera relative Caseodus
  †Caseodus
• †Cephalerpeton – type locality for genus
  • †Cephalerpeton ventriarmatum – type locality for species
• †Ceratiocaris
• †Ceratocephala
• †Ceraurinella
• †Ceraurinus
• †Ceraurus
• †Cheirurus
• †Chonetes
  • †Chonetes ornatus
• †Cleiothyridina
  • †Cleiothyridina atrypoides
  • †Cleiothyridina sublamellosa
• †Clepsydrops – type locality for genus
• †Cliftonia
• 

  Life restoration (foreground) of the Permian-Jurassic lobe-finned fish Coelacanthus
  †Coelacanthus
• †Composita
  • †Composita subtilita
  • †Composita trinuclea
• †Conocardium
• †Cooperoceras
• †Cordaicarpus
• †Cordaites
  • †Cordaites principalis
• †Cornulites
• †Crania
• †Craniops
• 

  Fossilized skeleton of the Carboniferous-Permian reptile relative Cricotus
  †Cricotus – type locality for genus
• †Crotalocrinites
• †Ctenacanthus
  • †Ctenacanthus buttersi – type locality for species
• †Curriella – tentative report
• †Cyathocrinites
• †Cyclonema
• †Cyclus
• †Cyphaspis
• †Cyrtoceras
• †Dalmanites
• †Deiphon
• †Dicoelosia
• †Dictyonema
• †Dimerocrinites
  • †Dimerocrinites occidentalis
• 

  Fossilized axial skeleton of the Carboniferous-Permian amphibian Diplocaulus
  †Diplocaulus – type locality for genus
• †Domatoceras
• †Echinaria
• †Edestus
• †Edmondia
• †Elonichthys
• †Encrinurus
• †Eodictyonella
• †Eophacops
  • †Eophacops handwerki
• †Eospirifer
  • †Eospirifer radiatus
• †Erratencrinurus
• †Eucalyptocrinites
  • †Eucalyptocrinites crassus
• †Euomphalus
  • †Euomphalus planodorsatus
• 

  Illustration of fossil of the Carboniferous millipede Euphoberia
  †Euphoberia – type locality for genus
  • †Euphoberia armigera – type locality for species
• †Favosites
• †Fenestella
• †Fletcheria
• †Gerarus – type locality for genus
• †Glikmanius
  • †Glikmanius occidentalis
• †Glyptambon
• †Glyptopleura
• †Gondolella
• †Graeophonus
  • †Graeophonus scudderi – type locality for species
• †Greenops
• 

  Life restoration of the Carboniferous four-limbed animal precursor Greererpeton
  †Greererpeton
• †Hallopora – tentative report
• †Halysites
• †Harpidium
• †Helenodora – type locality for genus
  • †Helenodora inopinata – type locality for species
• †Heliomeroides
• †Holia
• †Hyolithes
• †Ilyodes
• †Isodectes
• 

  Fossil of the Middle-Late Ordovician giant trilobite Isotelus.
  †Isotelus
  • †Isotelus gigas
  • †Isotelus maximus
• †Kionoceras
• †Latzelia – type locality for genus
  • †Latzelia primordialis – type locality for species
• †Lepidodendron
  • †Lepidodendron aculeatum
• †Lepidophyllum
• †Lepidostrobus
• †Lichas
• †Lingula
• †Liroceras
• Lithophaga – tentative report
• 

  Life restoration of the Permian snake-like amphibian Lysorophus showing speculative egg-coiling behavior
  †Lysorophus – type locality for genus
• †Marsupiocrinus
• †Meristina
• †Metacoceras
• †Milosaurus – type locality for genus
• †Monograptus
  • †Monograptus dubius
• †Murchisonia
• †Naticopsis
  • †Naticopsis carleyana
  • †Naticopsis planifrons
  • †Naticopsis waterlooensis – type locality for species
• †Nemastomoides – type locality for genus
• †Neospirifer
  • †Neospirifer dunbari
  • †Neospirifer triplicatus
• 

  Fossilized frond of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris
  †Neuropteris
  • †Neuropteris ovata
  • †Neuropteris rarinervis
  • †Neuropteris scheuchzeri
  • †Neuropteris tenuifolia
• †Nodonema
• Nucula
• †Nuculoidea – tentative report
• †Onychopterella – tentative report
• †Palenarthrus – type locality for genus
  • †Palenarthrus impressus – type locality for species
• †Paraisobuthus
• †Pecopteris
  • †Pecopteris plumosa
• †Pentremites
  • †Pentremites tulipaformis
• †Periechocrinus
• †Phacops
• 

  Life restoration of the Carboniferous-Permian amphibian Phlegethontia.
  †Phlegethontia
  • †Phlegethontia longissima – type locality for species
• †Phragmolites
• †Platyceras
• †Platysomus
• †Platystrophia
• †Plicochonetes
• †Polysentor – type locality for genus
• †Priapulites – type locality for genus
  • †Priapulites konecniorum – type locality for species
• †Prodentalium
• †Proetus
• 

  Life restoration of the Carboniferous insects Protophasma and Titanophasma
  †Protophasma
• †Protopilio
• †Pseudophlegethontia – type locality for genus
  • †Pseudophlegethontia turnbullorum – type locality for species
• †Pterochiton
• †Pterotheca
• †Rasstriga – type locality for genus
  • †Rasstriga americana – type locality for species
• †Remopleurides
• †Rhodea
• †Rhynchonella
• †Saccoglossus
• †Sagenodus
• †Samaropsis
• †Savagella
• †Scepasma – type locality for genus
• 

  Fossilized stump of the Carboniferous-Permian club moss relative Sigillaria
  †Sigillaria
• †Silphion – type locality for genus
• † Simplicius
• †Skenidioides
• Solemya
• †Solenochilus
• †Sphaerexochus
• †Sphaerocoryphe
• †Sphenophyllum
  • †Sphenophyllum cuneifolium
  • †Sphenophyllum emarginatum
  • †Sphenophyllum longifolium – or unidentified comparable form
• †Sphenopteris
• †Stearoceras
• †Stethacanthus
  • †Stethacanthus altonensis
• †Stigmaria
• †Strophomena
• †Symmorium – type locality for genus
• †Syringopora
• †Tainoceras
• †Tentaculites
• †Tranodis
• 

  Restoration of the mysterious Carboniferous life-form Tullimonstrum, or the Tully monster
  †Tullimonstrum – type locality for genus
• †Wilkingia
• †Worthenia
• †Xyloiulus
• Yoldia

Mesozoic

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

Cenozoic

• Agabus
  • †Agabus praelugens – type locality for species
  • †Agabus savagei – type locality for species
• †Anomodon – type locality for genus
  • †Anomodon snyderi – type locality for species
• †Araloselachus
  • †Araloselachus cuspidata
• Arvicola
• †Bananogmius
  • †Bananogmius crieleyi – or unidentified comparable form
• Bison
  • 

    Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene Bison antiquus, or ancient bison
    †Bison antiquus
  • †Bison bison
• Blarina
• †Bootherium
  • †Bootherium bombifrons
• Carabus
  • †Carabus maeander
• Castor
  • †Castor canadensis
• †Castoroides
  • †Castoroides ohioensis
• †Cervalces
  • †Cervalces latifrons – tentative report
  • 

    Life restoration of the Pleistocene Cervalces scotti, or stag-moose
    †Cervalces scotti
• Chelonia
• Chlaenius
  • †Chlaenius plicatipennis – type locality for species
• Conopeum
  • †Conopeum damicornis
• Donacia
  • †Donacia stirioides – type locality for species
• Equus
• Esox
• †Euceratherium
  • †Euceratherium collinum
• Geomys
  • †Geomys bursarius
• †Ischyodus
  • †Ischyodus williamsae
• Lasiopodomys
  • †Lasiopodomys deceitensis
• †Mammut
  • †Mammut americanum
• †Mammuthus
  • 

    Restoration of a herd of Mammuthus primigenius, or wooly mammoths
    †Mammuthus primigenius
• Marmota
  • †Marmota monax
• †Megalonyx
  • †Megalonyx jeffersonii
• Mesalia
  • †Mesalia alabamiensis
• Microtus
  • †Microtus paroperarius
• Natica
  • †Natica reversa
• Olophrum
  • †Olophrum henryi – type locality for species
• Ostrea
  • †Ostrea pulaskensis
• †Pachyrhizodus
  • †Pachyrhizodus caninus
• Patrobus
  • †Patrobus henshawi – type locality for species
• Peromyscus
• Pitar – tentative report
  • †Pitar ripleyanus
• Pituophis
• 

  Restoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus. Charles R. Knight (1922).
  †Platygonus – type locality for genus
  • †Platygonus compressus – type locality for species
  • †Platygonus cumberlandensis – tentative report
• Platynus
  • †Platynus calvini – type locality for species
  • †Platynus pleistocenicus – type locality for species
  • †Platynus subgelidus – type locality for species
• Procyon
  • †Procyon lotor – type locality for species
• †Propenser
  • †Propenser hewletti
• †Ptychodus
• Rangifer
  • 

    A living Rangifer tarandus, or reindeer
    †Rangifer tarandus
• †Sangamona
  • †Sangamona fugitiva
• Sorex
• †Strepsidura
  • †Strepsidura contorea
• Sylvilagus
  • †Sylvilagus floridanus
• Ursus
  • †Ursus americanus
• Venericardia
  • †Venericardia smithii