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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 1984.

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
Chuandongocoelurus[4]	Valid taxon	He			Datousaurus Harpymimus Liliensternus Xuanhanosaurus
Datousaurus[5]	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming	Tang Z.
Harpymimus[6]	Valid taxon	Rinchen Barsbold	Altangerel Perle
Kaijiangosaurus[4]	Valid taxon	He
Liliensternus[7]	Valid taxon	Welles
Technosaurus[8]	Valid taxon	Sankar Chatterjee
Xuanhanosaurus[9]	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming

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. ^ ^{a b} He, X. 1984. The Vertebrate Fossils of Sichuan. Sichuan Scientific and Technical Publishing House, Chengdu, Sichuan: 168 pages.
5. ^ Dong, Z. and Z. Tang. 1984. Note on the mid Jurassic sauropod (Datousaurus bashanensis gen. et sp. nov.) from Suchuan Basin, China. Vertebr. Palasiatica 22: pp. 69-75.
6. ^ Barsbold, R. and A. Perle. 1984. [On] The first finding of primitive ornithomimosaur from the Cretaceous of the [Mongolian People's Republic]. Paleontologischeskii Zhural 2: pp. 121- 123
7. ^ Welles, S.P. 1984. Dilophosaurus wetherilli (Dinosauria, Theropoda): osteology and comparisons. Palaeontographica 185, A: pp. 85- 180.
8. ^ Chatterjee, S. 1984. A new ornithischian dinosaur from the Triassic of North America. Naturwissenschaften. 71: pp. 630-631.
9. ^ Dong, Z. 1984. A new theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Sichuan Basin. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 22: pp. 213-218.