1912 in paleontology

List of years in paleontology (table)
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Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have 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 or were published in the year 1912.

Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries

• William Edmund Cutler first began collecting fossils, choosing the mouth of Kneehills Creek in Alberta as a prospecting site. According to paleontologist Darren Tanke, Cutler was motivated by "commercial gain".
• Charles H. Sternberg and his sons began working under a contract with the Geological Survey of Canada, which at the time was responsible for maintaining the National Museum of Canada. Lawrence Lambe occupied a supervisory position in the project. The Sternbergs were in competition with Barnum Brown of the American Museum of Natural History through a period that came to be known as the Great Canadian Dinosaur Rush.

Institutions and organizations

Natural history museums

• The Calgary Public Museum of Alberta, Canada moved to occupy a single floor of the city's Memorial Park Library Building.

Scientific advances

Invertebrate paleozoology

Prehistoric arthropods described in 1912

Name	Status	Authors	Discovery year	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Burgessia	Valid	Walcott	1912	Cambrian	Canada (British Columbia)
Leanchoilia	Valid	Walcott	1912	Cambrian	Canada (British Columbia) China USA (Utah)
Waptia	Valid	Walcott	1912	Cambrian	Canada (British Columbia) USA (Utah)
Yohoia	Valid	Walcott	1912	Cambrian	Canada (British Columbia)

Vertebrate paleozoology

Non-mammalian synapsids described in 1912

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Alopecorhinus	Valid		262 million years ago	South Africa
Emydochampsa	Valid		257 million years ago	South Africa
Emydops	Valid	Broom	257 million years ago	South Africa Zambia
Galeops	Synonym of Emydops.	Broom
Ictidopsis	Synonym of Thrinaxodon.
Taurops	Valid	Broom
Tritheledon	Valid	Broom	194 million years ago	South Africa

Prehistoric mammals described in 1912

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Stegomastodon	Valid	Pohlig	~4–12 million years ago	United States Mexico

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.

Prehistoric dinosaurs described in 1912

Name	Status	Authors	Location	Notes	Images
Saurolophus	Valid taxon	Barnum Brown	Canada (Alberta) Mongolia	A hadrosaur with a horn-like crest on its head.

Popular culture

Literature

• The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was published. This novel was the first major fictional portrayal of dinosaurs in the 20th century. It was also the first work of fiction to depict dinosaurs as surviving somewhere in a remote wilderness refuge. Conan Doyle depicted the novel's dinosaurs as cold blooded and stupid. This accurately reflected the scientific thinking of the period, but is now obsolete. Paleontologist William A. S. Sarjeant has characterized Conan Doyle's dinosaurs as otherwise "excellently described".Conan Doyle also incorrectly accepted the prevailing scientific consensus of the period that pterosaurs were poor fliers who depended on gliding to travel. Nevertheless, Sarjeant also noted that while Conan Doyle underestimated pterosaur flying abilities, he anticipated the later scientific conclusion that they were social animals.