List of the prehistoric life of Kentucky facts for kids

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

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