List of the prehistoric life of Michigan

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

Main article: List of the Paleozoic life of Michigan

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
• Clethrionomys
• † 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
• † 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

References

• Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database" . Retrieved 17 December 2021.