Abstract The fossil record is the most important tool in palaeosciences, so continually reviewing and attempting to reduce biases in its collection is necessary to curate the best possible record of past life on Earth. Biases in the fossil record are introduced through both biological processes and data collection. Here we have investigated the extent to which anthropocentric data collection has contributed to sampling bias in the assembly of the current fossil record. We have found that the current fossil record (represented in this study by the NOW database) is anthropocentrically biased, both temporally and spatially. Specifically, fossil locality density is higher in time periods when hominins are found, and in known hominin-bearing locations. This demonstrates the need to stop essentializing the narrative of human evolution in paleoscience to reduce bias in sampling of fossil localities.
Mohammed Yaqoob Ansari, Mohammed Ishaq Ansari, Mohammed Yusuf Ansari
et al.
Understanding ancient organisms and their interactions with paleoenvironments through the study of body fossils is a central tenet of paleontology. Advances in digital image capture now allow for efficient and accurate documentation, curation, and interrogation of fossil forms and structures in two and three dimensions, extending from microfossils to larger specimens. Despite these developments, key fossil image processing and analysis tasks, such as segmentation and classification, still require significant user intervention, which can be labor-intensive and subject to human bias. Recent advances in deep learning offer the potential to automate fossil image analysis, improving throughput and limiting operator bias. Despite the emergence of deep learning within paleontology in the last decade, challenges such as the scarcity of diverse, high quality image datasets and the complexity of fossil morphology necessitate further advancement which will be aided by the adoption of concepts from other scientific domains. Here, we comprehensively review state-of-the-art deep learning based methodologies applied to fossil analysis, grouping the studies based on the fossil type and nature of the task. Furthermore, we analyze existing literature to tabulate dataset information, neural network architecture type, and key results, and provide textual summaries. Finally, we discuss novel techniques for fossil data augmentation and fossil image enhancements, which can be combined with advanced neural network architectures, such as diffusion models, generative hybrid networks, transformers, and graph neural networks, to improve body fossil image analysis.
China has been a rich source of fossils for nearly a century, beginning with the discovery of so‐called Peking man (Sinanthropus pekinensis), known today as Homo erectus pekinensis in the mid 1920s. The first Chinese dinosaurs were described in 1929, the sauropod Helopus (now Euhelopus) and the ornithopod Tanius, described by the Swedish paleontologist Carl Wiman. Over the next six decades, further dinosaurs were described by Yang Zhongjian (C.C. Young) and his students Dong Zhi‐Ming and Zhao Xijin, but remained poorly known in the West. A golden age of Chinese paleontology began as spectacular feathered dinosaurs were described from Lagerstätten in northeastern China beginning in 1996. Today, China has more genera of dinosaurs than any country on earth. In addition to dinosaurs and birds, China has among the oldest fossil vertebrates on earth with Cambrian fish such as Haikouella and Myllokunmingia, one of the first fossil flowers with Early Cretaceous Archaefructus, and a rich fauna of mammals, including Early Eocene Archicebus, one of the earliest known fossil primates. Fossil mammals range from a Jurassic beaver‐tailed aquatic docodont, Castorocauda, to a Cretaceous gobiconodontid, Repenomamus, which had the nerve to munch on a baby dinosaur, to Ice Age elephants, woolly rhinoceros, horses, and saber‐toothed cats. Surprising new fossils of all kinds will continue to be discovered in China for decades to come.
Haploceratids from the Štramberk Limestones represent three genera Haploceras, Hypolissoceras, and Volanites. The most species reach genus is Haploceras. The semi-involute shells of the local haploceratids are almost smooth or only with a specific sculpture bound to the ventral region near the peristome. The whorls tend to be weakly arched or flat. Statistical elaboration of H/D, U/D and B/D values during shell growth shows no significant differences between these values, except perhaps for U/D. The external morphology plays a decisive role in the generic and species identification of haploceratids. It is known that haploceratids form dimorphic pairs, as evidenced by the differently shaped peristomes in addition to the different shell sizes. Dimorphic pairs have been demonstrated as new in the Štramberk material for the pairs Haploceras staszycii (microconch, m) and Haploceras elimatum (macroconch, M), as well as Hypolissoceras carachtheis (m) and Hypolissoceras woehleri (M). Haploceras tithonium and Volanites verrucosus possessed dimorphic pairs but their counterparts have not been found in the Štramberk Limestone. With the exception of Volanites verruciferus, the species described here are of no stratigraphical importance. Their stratigraphic range is from the lower Tithonian to the lower Berriasian.
Abstract: Fossil classification is a critical task in paleontology, aiding in the identification and categorization of ancient life forms. Traditional classification methods rely on manual inspection, which is time-consuming and prone to human error. This research presents an automated fossil classification system using machine learning, specifically deep learning models such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The system is trained on a diverse dataset of fossil images, leveraging advanced image processing techniques and data augmentation to improve classification accuracy. The evaluation results demonstrate that deep learning-based classification significantly outperforms traditional methods in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and scalability. This study highlights the potential of artificial intelligence in revolutionizing fossil classification and providing valuable insights for scientific and industrial applications.This project provides an efficient, accurate, and scalable solution for paleontological studies, reducing dependency on manual classification. This project presents a machine learning approach to fossil classification using deep neural networks. The system processes fossil images and categorizes them into predefined fossil classes. The model is trained using a dataset of labeled fossil images and evaluated based on accuracy and classification performance. The proposed system aims to improve the speed and accuracy of fossil identification compared to traditional manual methods. Fossil classification plays a crucial role in paleontology, helping researchers identify and categorize fossil specimens. Traditional classification methods are time-consuming and require expert knowledge.
PETRA TONAROVÁ, THOMAS J. SUTTNER, OLLE HINTS
et al.
The end of the Ordovician witnessed major perturbations in the ecosystem, seriously affecting global marine biodiversity. Nevertheless, some marine organism groups and their crisis-bound palaeogeographic distribution are still understudied. Among the outliers are eunicid polychaetes, even though they flourished and diversified extensively during the Ordovician. A collection of seven genera of jaw-bearing polychaetes, including the new ramphoprionid genus Spitiprion Tonarová, Suttner, & Hints, with type new species of Spitiprion khannai Tonarová, Suttner, & Hints, is described here from Katian (Upper Ordovician) deposits of Spiti, northern India. The new species is preserved as isolated maxillae and a jaw cluster, and 3D models of the maxillary apparatus are reconstructed based on submicron-CT. Along with the scolecodonts, a low-diversity assemblage of chitinozoans was recovered, comprising five genera. The most common chitinozoan species are Acanthochitina cf. cancellata and Spinachitina suecica.
Elisabete Malafaia, Pedro Mocho, Fernando Escaso
et al.
The first paleontological works on Mesozoic vertebrates from Portugal, carried out from the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, provided the discovery of significant collections of vertebrate fossils. These collections are particularly relevant because they include several specimens collected from different regions of the Lusitanian Basin (some of the sites are currently inaccessible), whose fossil record is poorly known. Theropod remains are relatively scarce and generally consist of fragmentary material, mostly assigned to the megalosaurid Megalosaurus from the Middle Jurassic of England, the first dinosaur to be named and a “wastebasket” taxon used by many scientists to identify theropod material. The studied fossils mostly consist of isolated teeth and vertebrae collected from Upper Jurassic levels of the coastal region, with also some material from Lower and Upper Cretaceous strata from the central and northern sectors of the Lusitanian Basin. Here specimens attributed to Megalosaurus from different Portuguese institutions are reviewed and their taxonomic affinity and stratigraphic context are updated. Most specimens actually belong to different theropod groups, including several isolated teeth from different Upper Jurassic localities here assigned to Ceratosaurus, Torvosaurus, and Allosaurus, as well as an isolated tooth from the Lower Cretaceous that is attributed to an indeterminate allosauroid. Other theropod remains consist mostly of vertebral fragments of indeterminate avetheropods and allosauroids. Elements of other dinosaur groups are also represented, including a few vertebrae here referred to stegosaurians and iguanodontians, as well as a vertebra and some appendicular remains attributed to sauropods. Two vertebrae assigned to thalattosuchians were also identified. The study of this collection allows to better characterize the diversity of Late Jurassic dinosaur faunas from different areas of the Lusitanian Basin and provides some data on the poorly known Cretaceous fossil record of theropods from Portugal.
Re-interpretation of the holotype and only known speci-men of Afrophoca libyca reveals that it represents a me-dium -sized anthracothere, Afromeryx zelteni, a species that is common in the basal Middle Miocene deposits at Gebel Zelten, Libya. This re-identification affects several recently published papers that have accepted it as the earliest known phocid, with repercussions on biogeographic scenarios and phylogeny reconstructions.
Chien-Hsiang Lin, Siao-Man Wu, Chia-Yen Lin
et al.
Abstract Understanding the diversity of deep-sea fish fauna based on otoliths in the tropical and subtropical West Pacific has been limited, creating a significant knowledge gap regarding regional and temporal variations in deep-sea fish fauna. To address this gap, we collected a total of 122 bulk sediment samples from the Lower Pliocene Gutingkeng Formation in southwestern Taiwan to reconstruct the otolith-based fish fauna. Using planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy, we determined the age of the samples to be 5.6 to 3.1 Ma. A total of 8314 otoliths were assigned to 64 different taxa from 33 families, including the discovery of one new genus, Gutingichthys gen. nov., and three new species: Benthosema duanformis sp. nov., Benthosema parafibulatum sp. nov., and Gutingichthys changi sp. nov. Comparisons with other regional otolith-based assemblages highlighted the exceptional diversity of our collection, making it the most diverse fossil fish fauna reported from Taiwan to date. Otolith diversity analysis revealed very few taxa were dominant in the assemblage, particularly the mesopelagic Myctophidae, with a wide variety of minor taxa. The co-occurrence of shallow-water elements suggests episodic storm events as a potential source. The predominance of deep-sea and oceanic fishes indicated an outer-shelf to upper slope environment, resembling the modern outer-shelf and upper slope fish fauna in the region. Our findings suggest an early establishment and persistent presence of the mesopelagic fish community since the Early Pliocene. Further investigations of the Upper Miocene and Pleistocene sections of the Gutingkeng Formation would provide valuable insights into the evolution of deep-sea fish fauna in the area. ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7A336FC7-0D9A-4D17-B212-0B51427945DD.
Prolacerta broomi is one of the most important of fossil reptiles. First considered as one of the earliest members of
squamates, this basal archosauromorph has been used as a model for diapsid morphological evolution ever since its discovery, playing a pivotal role in hypotheses on the origin of diapsid reptiles. The holotype of Prolacerta broomi (UCMZ
2003.41R) is known from a mostly complete skull, but the original description is limited to the superficial features of
the skull roof and palate. Since then, many other specimens of Prolacerta broomi have been recovered that potentially
account for this limited access to anatomical information, but it remains unclear whether these aspects correspond well
to the known material of the holotype. Here, the skull morphology of the holotype of Prolacerta broomi is revisited
through the use of µCT scans. The identifications of some cranial elements have been corrected, such as the left prefrontal
and lacrimal, and several new elements are revealed, including the epi- and ectopterygoids, prearticular, coronoid, and
braincase bones. The orbitonasal region is described in detail and significantly shows a contribution of the lacrimal to
the dorsal alveolar canal. Finally, the addition of the holotype as an independent OTU in recently published analyses
indicate conflicts with the current knowledge on Prolacerta broomi phylogenetic affinity and taxonomy. First, it points to
potential taxonomic inconsistency since the holotype does not form a monophyletic group with other Prolacerta broomi
OTUs in any of the analyses and, second, it suggests a more basal position for the holotype than that recovered in some
studies, more basal than rhynchosaurs and close to the origin of Crocopoda. Together, these findings indicate areas of
future research interest in the study of early evolving archosauromorphs.
Mature modifications, ontogeny, and dimorphism of the small-sized tetragonitid ammonoid Tetragonites minimus
were investigated in 43 specimens from the Santonian, Upper Cretaceous of the northwestern area of Hokkaido, Japan.
Four types of mature modifications were recognised in the shell diameters of 11–13 mm and 16–19 mm, and two
differently sized adults were regarded as microconchs and macroconchs respectively. The conch forms of dimorphic
pairs were similar in juvenile but differ in the later stage. The supplementary analysis showed that the remarkable
adult size differences in antidimorphs continued at least in the Turonian–Santonian. The mature size and size difference between dimorphic pairs decreased chronologically. 36 specimens (84% of examined specimens) were mature,
and immature shells were rare in the Santonian. Most of the shells were remarkably well preserved, indicating that
T. minimus assemblage fossilised quickly near their original habitat without long-distance post-mortem transport.
Hence the bias in the fossil occurrence of adult T. minimus is unlikely to be due to taphonomy such as the bias of
fossilisation potential and floatability in the bottom currents. Tetragonites minimus might have been changing their
habitats during their life cycle.
Imelda M. Hausmann, Alexander Nützel, Vanessa Julie Roden
et al.
Two marine invertebrate fossil assemblages from the Late Triassic Cassian Formation (Dolomites, northern Italy) were examined to assess their diversity and palaeoecology. Surface and bulk samples from the localities Misurina Landslide and Lago Antorno were taken and analysed separately. Both benthic assemblages are relatively similar in taxonomic composition. Gastropods form the most abundant and diverse group, followed by bivalves. Disarticulated echinoderm ossicles are also common in the bulk sample from Misurina Landslide, but they are rare at Lago Antorno. The Misurina Landslide outcrop has yielded two echinoderm Palaeozoic holdovers, the ophiocistioid Linguaserra triassica and plates of putative proterocidarids, supporting the earlier hypothesis that such basins acted as refugia. The gastropod species Coelostylina conica, Prostylifer paludinaris, and Ampezzopleura hybridopsis are characteristic elements of both assemblages. The gastropod Jurilda elongata, however, is the most abundant species at Misurina Landslide, whereas juveniles of the gastropod species Dentineritaria neritina dominate the assemblage from Lago Antorno. Newly described gastropod taxa are Angulatella bizzarinii Nützel and Hausmann gen. et sp. nov., Bandellina compacta Nützel and Hausmann sp. nov., and Ampezzogyra angulata Nützel and Hausmann sp. nov. Fifty-seven invertebrate species were found in the bulk sample from Misurina Landslide and 26 species were recovered from the bulk sample from Lago Antorno. However, sample size from Lago Antorno was much smaller than that from Misurina. Diversity indices (Shannon, Simpson, Berger-Parker) show similar moderate diversities in both assemblages. Rarefaction curves and rank-abundance distributions also point to very similar diversities and ecological structures of the fossil assemblages. Both assemblages are autochthonous or parautochthonous, stemming from basinal, soft-bottom habitats. Their taxonomic composition differs significantly from that of other faunas known from the Cassian Formation. The tropical marine Cassian palaeoecosystem was highly complex and its diversity is still far from being fully explored.
Aldo Benites-Palomino, Andres E. Reyes-Cespedes, Gabriel Aguirre-Fernández
et al.
Abstract The dense Miocene record of cetaceans is known from localities along the coasts of all continents, mostly in the northern Atlantic or the eastern Pacific regions, but Antarctica. Fossils from the Caribbean region are few and include of a couple of findings from Panama and Venezuela. Here, we report a partly complete skull from the Caujarao Formation (middle Miocene), Falcon State, Caribbean region of Venezuela. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that the Caujarao specimen is a ‘stem delphinidan’, a group that includes several taxa of early diverging odontocetes whose phylogenetic affinities remain a matter of debate. The fossil record has shown that this group of stem delphinidans was taxonomically diverse, but displayed a somewhat homogeneous cranial patterning, with most of the variations being found within the mandible or tympanoperiotic characters. As other stem delphinidans the Caujarao odontocete displays an enlarged temporal fossa and a fairly symmetrical cranium. Because the skull is missing several key diagnostic characters due to the preservation state of the specimen, a more precise taxonomic identification is not possible. Despite this, the finding of this specimen highlights the importance of the fossil record from the Neogene of Venezuela, and the importance of the area to understand cetacean evolution in the proto-Caribbean.
Sergio Álvarez-Parra, Joaquín Albesa, Soledad Gouiric-Cavalli
et al.
The Ribesalbes–Alcora Basin (Castelló Province, Spain) contains two lower Miocene units that are rich in fossils. The Unit B contains oil-shale and laminated bituminous dolomicrite related to a palaeolake, whereas the Unit C is composed of sandstone and mudstone beds from distal deltaic and shallow lacustrine environments. The La Rinconada and San Chils localities from the Unit B have yielded a fossil assemblage of plants, molluscs, arthropods, and vertebrates, while the localities from the Unit C in the Campisano ravine (Araia/Mas d’Antolino outcrop) are rich in mammalian record. Here we study a new palaeolake deposit of laminated lacustrine limestone beds in the Unit C named Foieta la Sarra-A. This new locality has provided an assemblage of charophytes, terrestrial plants, molluscs, arthropods, and teleosteans. The latter represent the only known fish record from the Ribesalbes–Alcora Basin to date. Although the specimens are generally poorly preserved, the presence of soft-body preservation due to the action of microbial mats at the lake bottom allows considering the Foieta la Sarra-A locality as a Konservat-Lagerstätte. The Foieta la Sarra-A palaeolake had a different water chemistry compared to that represented in the Unit B. Its depth was about a few metres and the water level suffered periodic fluctuations. This new locality sheds light on the palaeoenvironmental dynamics of the Ribesalbes–Alcora Basin during the early Miocene and provides a new approach to the palaeoecological reconstruction of the basin.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meetings are a must-go for paleontologists and amateur fossil hunters as it is the largest scientific conference of its kind in the world. The 78th edition took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from October 17th–20th 2018, and included 1,438 attendees and 886 abstracts submitted. The variety of topics presented in this meeting is extraordinary. Every researcher aims to capture different aspects of the history of life on this planet, producing with their work relatively small—yet tremendously informative—snapshots of the past. The time depth covered by the investigations presented pushed me to realize the extremely brief— and possibly ephemeral—position of humans in the tree of life. For a formerly trained physical anthropologist, it made me feel humble and gave me a different perspective on what it means to be human. Here, I summarize some of the most important findings discussed in the meeting. Unfortunately, it would be an unbearable task to include all the significant discoveries presented in the meeting and I apologize in advance if I neglect important investigations that deserve mention.
Gérard Breton, Max Wisshak, Didier Néraudeau
et al.
We describe and name Loxolenichnus stellatocinctus Breton and Wisshak igen. et isp. nov., a bioerosion trace fossil on an Upper Cenomanian oyster from Le Mans (France). This trace is attributed here to a parasitic gastropod. The characteristics of this ichnospecies are a combination of one or several, vertical or oblique, complete penetrations, and an asymmetrical attachment etching (fixichnion) with a diagnostic set of stellate grooves increasingly distinct towards the margin of the trace. By including two former Oichnus ichnospecies, Loxolenichnus halo comb. nov. and Loxolenichnus taddei comb. nov., Oichnus, is now constrained to pure predation traces (praedichnia). The numerous oysters collected from the Marnes à Pycnodonte biauriculata Formation show associated epibionts and encrusters as well as borers and scrapers. Encrusters comprise 24 taxa while bioerosion trace fossils comprise 17 ichnotaxa ranging from very rare (< 0.1%) to quite abundant (81%). The taphonomic history leading to an ex-situ condensation of these oysters is complex. Both the Gnathichnus and Entobia ichnofacies are represented on the shellgrounds, presumably alternatingly.