paleontology Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...

, a chimera is a

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

that was reconstructed with elements coming from more than a single

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of animal. In other words, they are mistakes or sometimes hoaxes made by paleontologists, putting together parts that do not come from the same organism.

List of paleontological chimeras

* "

Archaeoraptor "Archaeoraptor" is the informal generic name for a fossil chimera from China in an article published in ''National Geographic'' magazine in 1999. The magazine claimed that the fossil was a " missing link" between birds and terrestrial theropo ...

" * '' Avalonianus'' * '' Bagaraatan'' * '' Beipiaognathus''? * ''

Dakotaraptor ''Dakotaraptor'' (meaning “thief from Dakota”) is a possible chimaeric genus of maniraptoriform theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous period. The remains have been found in the Maastrichtian-aged ...

''? * '' Dalianraptor''? * '' Dravidosaurus'' * '' Eocarcharia'' * ''

Kryptops ''Kryptops'' (meaning "covered face") is an extinct genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of Niger. It is known from a partial maxilla (upper jaw bone) found at the Gadoufaoua locality in the western Ténéré Desert, ...

''? * '' Kootenichela''? * '' Lametasaurus''? * '' Luchibang'' * '' Ornithopsis hulkei'' * Piltdown Man * '' Polacanthoides''? * '' Precursor''? * ''

Protoavis ''Protoavis'' (meaning "first bird") is a problematic taxon known from fragmentary remains from Late Triassic Norian stage deposits near Post, Texas. The animal's true classification has been the subject of much controversy, and there are many ...

'' * ''

Saurophaganax ''Saurophaganax'' ("lord of lizard-eaters") is a dubious, chimeric genus of large saurischian dinosaur, possibly a sauropod, from the Late Jurassic ( Kimmeridgian) Morrison Formation of Oklahoma, United States. This taxon was historically co ...

?'' * "

Teihivenator This list of informally named dinosaurs is a listing of dinosaurs (excluding Aves; birds and their extinct relatives) that have never been given formally published scientific names. This list only includes names that were not properly published ...

" * ''"Tylosaurus" capensis'' * '' Ultrasauros'' * ''

Xenodens ''Xenodens'' (from Greek language, Greek and Latin for "strange tooth") is a potentially Nomen dubium, dubious extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It contains a single species, ''X. calminechari'' (From Arabic کال� ...

''?

References

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