List of the prehistoric life of Michigan facts for kids

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

Precambrian

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

Paleozoic

Selected Paleozoic taxa of Michigan

• †Acidaspis
• †Actinoceras
• †Alethopteris
  • †Alethopteris decurrens
• 

  Fossil of the Carboniferous horsetail relative Annularia
  †Annularia
  • †Annularia asteris
  • †Annularia sphenophylloides
• †Athyris
• †Atrypa
  • †Atrypa traversensis
• †Aulopora
  • †Aulopora microbuccinata
• †Bellerophon
• †Calamites
  • †Calamites carinatus
  • †Calamites cistii
  • †Calamites ramosus
  • †Calamites schutzeiformis
  • †Calamites suckowii
  • †Calamites undulatus
• †Callixylon
• †Calymene
• †Camarotoechia
• 

  Fossil of the Middle-Late Ordovician trilobite Ceraurus
  †Ceraurus
• †Chonetes
  • †Chonetes ensicosta
  • †Chonetes hybus
  • †Chonetes pachyactis
• †Climacograptus
• †Columnaria
  • †Columnaria alveolata
  • †Columnaria calicina
  • †Columnaria stokesi
• †Cordaites
  • †Cordaites borassifolius
  • †Cordaites crassinervis
  • †Cordaites michiganensis
  • †Cordaites palmaeformis
  • †Cordaites principalis
• †Cornulites
  • †Cornulites corrugatus
  • †Cornulites flexuosus
  • †Cornulites sterlingensis – or unidentified comparable form
• †Cyclonema
• †Cyrtolites
• †Eldredgeops
  • †Eldredgeops rana
• †Encrinurus
• †Endoceras
• †Erieopterus
• †Favosites
• 

  Flexicalymene enrolled
  †Flexicalymene
  • †Flexicalymene croneisi
  • †Flexicalymene magnipapilla – type locality for species
  • †Flexicalymene meeki – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Flexicalymene planilabra – type locality for species
  • †Flexicalymene praelongicephala – type locality for species
  • †Flexicalymene quadricapita – type locality for species
  • †Flexicalymene senaria
• †Gilbertsocrinus
• †Girvanella
• †Grewingkia
  • †Grewingkia canadensis
• †Hallopora
  • †Hallopora subnodosa
• †Halysites
• 

  Fossil of the Devonian colonial rugose coral Hexagonaria, also known as a Petoskey stone
  †Hexagonaria
  • †Hexagonaria pericarinata
• †Hindia
• †Holopea
• †Icriodus
• †Isotelus
  • †Isotelus gigas
• †Lepidodendron
  • †Lepidodendron aculeatum
  • †Lepidodendron Brittsii
  • †Lepidodendron dichotomum
  • †Lepidodendron lanceolatum
  • †Lepidodendron lycopodiodes
  • †Lepidodendron obovatum
  • †Lepidodendron obvatum
  • †Lepidodendron ophiurioides
  • †Lepidodendron vestitum
• †Lepidostrobus
• †Lingula
• †Maelonoceras
• †Meristella
• 

  Fossilized shell of the Devonian brachiopod Mucrospirifer
  †Mucrospirifer
  • †Mucrospirifer attenuatus
  • †Mucrospirifer grabaui
  • †Mucrospirifer latus
  • †Mucrospirifer mucronatus
  • †Mucrospirifer profundus
  • †Mucrospirifer prolificus
  • †Mucrospirifer thedfordensis
• †Murchisonia
• †Naticopsis
  • †Naticopsis manitobensis
• 

  Fronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris
  †Neuropteris
  • †Neuropteris caudata
  • †Neuropteris dilitata
  • †Neuropteris flexuosa
  • †Neuropteris gigntea – tentative report
  • †Neuropteris harrisi – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Neuropteris heterophylla – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Neuropteris obliqua
  • †Neuropteris rarinervis
  • †Neuropteris saginawensis
  • †Neuropteris scheuchzeri
  • †Neuropteris Schlehani
  • †Neuropteris tenuifolia
• †Nodonema
• †Nowakia
• †Nuculoidea
• †Ogygites
• †Oncoceras
• †Orthoceras
• †Panenka
• †Paraspirifer
• †Pecopteris
• †Pentamerus
• †Phragmolites
• †Plaesiomys
• 

  Fossilized shell of the Silurian-Early Triassic sea snail Platyceras
  †Platyceras
  • †Platyceras bucculentum
  • †Platyceras carinatum
  • †Platyceras rarispinum
• †Platystrophia
  • †Platystrophia acutilirata
  • †Platystrophia annieana
  • †Platystrophia clarkesvillensis
  • †Platystrophia clarksvillensis
  • †Platystrophia cypha – or unidentified related form
  • †Platystrophia moritura
• †Pleurodictyum
• †Polygnathus
• 

  Restoration of the Silurian trilobite Proetus
  †Proetus
  • †Proetus chambliensis
• †Samaropsis
• †Scenella – tentative report
• †Scutellum
• †Sigillaria
• †Sphenophyllum
  • †Sphenophyllum bifurcatum
  • †Sphenophyllum cuneifolium
  • †Sphenophyllum emarginatum
  • †Sphenophyllum majus
  • †Sphenophyllum saxifragaefolium
• †Sphenopteris
• †Spirifer – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
• †Spyroceras
• 

  Life restorations of a male (foreground) and female (background) of the Late Devonian-Carboniferous Chimaera relative Stethacanthus
  †Stethacanthus
• †Stigmaria
• †Stigmatella
• †Strophomena
  • †Strophomena alpenensis
  • †Strophomena costata
  • †Strophomena crassa
  • †Strophomena elongata
  • †Strophomena erratica
  • †Strophomena extenuata
  • †Strophomena heteromys
  • †Strophomena huronensis
  • †Strophomena inaequiradiata
  • †Strophomena levidensa
  • †Strophomena neglecta
  • †Strophomena nutans – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Strophomena parvula
  • †Strophomena pentagonia
  • †Strophomena planumbona
  • †Strophomena potterensis
  • †Strophomena sulcata
  • †Strophomena tenuicosta
  • †Strophomena titan
• †Syringopora
• †Tentaculites
• †Tetradium
• 

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

Mesozoic

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

Cenozoic

• Abies
  • †Abies balsamea
• Acer
• †Achnanthes
  • †Achnanthes biasolettiana
  • †Achnanthes exigua
• 

  A living Alces, or moose
  Alces
  • †Alces alces
• Alnus
• †Ambrosia
• Amnicola
  • †Amnicola integra
  • †Amnicola limosa
• †Amphora
  • †Amphora perpusilla
• Anodonta
  • †Anodonta grandis – or unidentified comparable form
• Aplodinotus
  • †Aplodinotus grunniens – or unidentified comparable form
• †Armiger
  • †Armiger crista
• †Artemesia
• †Artemisia
• Aythya
  • †Aythya affinis
• †Bakerilymnea
  • †Bakerilymnea dalli
• Betula
• Bufo
  • 

    A living Anaxyrus americanus (formerly Bufo americanus), or American toad
    †Bufo americanus
• Candona
  • †Candona caudata
  • †Candona paraohioensis
  • †Candona rawsoni
• Canis
• Carya
• Carychium
  • †Carychium exiguum
• Castor
  • †Castor canadensis
• 

  Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene giant beaver Castoroides
  †Castoroides
  • †Castoroides ohioensis
• †Catinella
• †Catostomus
  • †Catostomus commersoni
• †Cervalces
  • †Cervalces scotti
• †Cionella
  • †Cionella lubrica
• †Columella
• †Cymbella
  • †Cymbella diluviana
• †Cytherissa
  • †Cytherissa lacustris
• Dicrostonyx
• Discus
  • †Discus cronkhitei
• Dryopteris
• Esox
  • 

    Illustration of a living Esox lucius, or northern pike
    †Esox lucius
• Ferrissia
  • †Ferrissia fragilis
  • †Ferrissia paralellelus
• Fossaria
  • †Fossaria decampi
• †Fragilaria
  • †Fragilaria brevistriata
  • †Fragilaria construens
  • †Fragilaria lapponica
• †Fragillaria
  • †Fragillaria pinnata
• †Fraxinus
• Grus
  • 

    A living Grus americana, or whooping crane
    †Grus americana
• Gryaulus
  • †Gryaulus parvus
• Gyraulus
  • †Gyraulus deflectus
  • †Gyraulus parvus
• Helisoma
  • †Helisoma anceps
• Hendersonia
  • †Hendersonia occulta
• Juglans
• Larix
  • †Larix laricina
• Lemmus
  • †Lemmus trimucronatus – or unidentified comparable form
• Limnocythere
  • †Limnocythere varia
• Lioplax
  • †Lioplax suculosa – or unidentified comparable form
• Lycopodium
• Lymnaea
  • †Lymnaea stagnalis
• †Mammut
  • †Mammut americanum
• †Mammuthus
  • †Mammuthus columbi
  • 

    Life restorations of a Mammut americanum, or American mastodon (right), and a Mammuthus primigenius, or wooly mammoth (left)
    †Mammuthus primigenius
• Meleagris
  • †Meleagris gallopavo
• Microtus
  • †Microtus pennsylvanicus
  • †Microtus xanthognathus
• Mictomys
  • †Mictomys borealis
• Mustela
  • †Mustela richardsonii
• Myodes
• †Navicula
  • †Navicula graciloides
  • †Navicula minima
  • †Navicula modica
  • †Navicula subrotundata
• Odocoileus
  • 

    A living Odocoileus virginianus, or white-tailed deer
    †Odocoileus virginianus
• Ondatra
  • †Ondatra zibethicus
• Ostrya
• †Pediastrum
• Perca
  • †Perca flavescens
• Peromyscus
• Physella
  • †Physella integra
• Picea
  • †Picea glauca
  • †Picea mariana
• Pinus
  • †Pinus banksiana
  • †Pinus resinosa
  • †Pinus strobus
• Pisidium
  • †Pisidium compressum
  • †Pisidium dubium
  • †Pisidium idahoense
  • †Pisidium milium
  • †Pisidium nitidum
  • †Pisidium variabile
  • †Pisidium ventricosum
• †Planorbella
  • †Planorbella campanulata
• 

  Restoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus. Charles R. Knight (1922).
  †Platygonus
  • †Platygonus compressus
• †Pomoxis – or unidentified comparable form
• Populus
• †Probythinella
  • †Probythinella lacustris
• Pteridium
• Pungitius
  • †Pungitius pungitius – or unidentified comparable form
• Quercus
• †Rana
  • †Rana catesbeiana
  • †Rana clamitans
• 

  Rangifer
  Rangifer
• Salix
• †Selaginella
• †Shepherdia
  • †Shepherdia argentea
• Sorex
  • †Sorex hoyi
• Sphaerium
  • †Sphaerium striatinum
• Sphagnum
• Stagnicola
  • †Stagnicola elodes
• †Thalictrum
• †Thuja
• Tilia
• †Tsuga
• Typha
• Ulmus
• Ursus
  • 

    A living Ursus americanus, or American black bear
    †Ursus americanus
• Vallonia
  • †Vallonia costata
• Valvata
  • †Valvata sincera
  • †Valvata tricarinata
• Vertigo
  • †Vertigo alpestris
  • †Vertigo elatior
  • †Vertigo gouldi – or unidentified comparable form
  • †Vertigo hannai
  • †Vertigo modesta
  • †Vertigo morsei
  • †Vertigo ovata
  • †Vertigo paradoxa
• 

  Leaves and fruit of a living Vitis, or grapevine
  Vitis
• Zapus
  • †Zapus hudsonius – or unidentified comparable form
• Zonitoides
  • †Zonitoides aboreas