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Paleontology, palaeontology or palæontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.^[1] This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised faeces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because mankind has encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred in the year 1974.

Dinosaurs

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list^[2] and Dr. Jeremy Montague's dinosaur genus database.^[3]

Name	Status	Authors		Notes	Images
Chubutisaurus[4]	Valid taxon	del Corro			´ Homalocephale Labocania Prenocephale
Gobipteryx	Misidentification.	Elzanowski		Valid non-dinosaurian taxon. Actually a bird.
Herbstosaurus[5]	Valid non-dinosaurian taxon. Actually a pterosaur.	Elzanowski
Homalocephale[6]	Valid taxon	Teresa Maryańska	Halszka Osmólska
Labocania[7]	Valid taxon	Ralph Molnar
"Lufengocephalus"[8]	Junior synonym.	Elzanowski	Yang Z. J. (as Young C. C.)	Junior synonym of Lufengosaurus.
Prenocephale[6]	Valid taxon	Teresa Maryańska	Halszka Osmólska
Stokesosaurus[9]	Valid taxon	J. H. Madsen
Tylocephale[6]	Valid taxon	Teresa Maryańska	Halszka Osmólska

Pterosaurs

New taxa

References

Paleontology portal

1. ^ Newman, Garfield, et al (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 0-07-088739-X.  
2. ^ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". http://www.polychora.com/dinolist.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07.  
3. ^ Montague, Jeremy. "Dr. Montague's Database". http://www.barry.edu/bio300/pdf/montague%20dino%20web%20data%2012-3-2005.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-29.  
4. ^ Corro, G. del. 1974. Un nuevo megalosaurio (Carnosaurio) del Cretacico de Chubut (Argentina). Communicaciones Mus. Argent. Ciencias Nat. "Bernardino Rivadavia" Paleontol. 1: pp. 37-44.
5. ^ Casamiquela, R.M. 1975. Herbstosaurus pigmaeus (Coeluria, Compsognathidae) n. gen. n. sp. des Jurasico medio del Neuguen (Patagonia septentrional). Uno de los mas pequenos dinosaurios concidos. Act. prim. Congr. Argentino Pal. Bioestrat. 2: pp.87-102.
6. ^ ^{a b c} Maryanska, T. and H. Osmólska. 1974. Pachycephalosauria, a new suborder of ornithischian dinosaurs. Paleontol. Polinica 30: pp. 45-102.
7. ^ Molnar, R.E. 1974. A distinctive theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Baja California (Mexico). Journal of Paleontology 48 (5): pp. 1009-1017.
8. ^ Young C.-C. 1947. On Lufengosaurus magnus (sp. nov.) and additional finds of Lufengosaurus huenei Young. Palaeontol. Sinica 12: pp. 1-53.
9. ^ Madsen, J. H., Jr. 1974. A new theropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic of Utah. J. Paleontol. 48: pp. 27-31.