Chimera (paleontology)
Encyclopedia
In paleontology
, a chimera is a fossil
which was reconstructed with elements coming from more than a single species
(or genus
) of animal. A now classic example of chimera is Protoavis
.
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, a chimera is a fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
which was reconstructed with elements coming from more than a single species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
(or genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
) of animal. A now classic example of chimera is Protoavis
Protoavis
Protoavis is a problematic taxon of archosaurian known from fragmentary remains from Late Triassic Norian stage deposits near Post, Texas. Much controversy remains over the animal, and there are many different interpretations of what Protoavis actually is...
.
List of paleontological chimeras
- Brontosaurus
- LametasaurusLametasaurusLametasaurus named for the Lameta Formation, Jabalpur, India, is the generic name given to a possible dubious dinosaur species. Originally it indicated a possible chimera composed of several different animals....
- PalaeosaurusPalaeosaurusSeveral very different genera of prehistoric animals have been named Palaeosaurus or Paleosaurus since the 1830s. Further confusing the matter, all of the species are poorly known or poorly preserved and both spellings have been used interchangeably, even by the same authors.The repeated recurrence...
- ProtoavisProtoavisProtoavis is a problematic taxon of archosaurian known from fragmentary remains from Late Triassic Norian stage deposits near Post, Texas. Much controversy remains over the animal, and there are many different interpretations of what Protoavis actually is...
- Ultrasauros