This list of the prehistoric life of Illinois contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of Illinois.
Precambrian
The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in Illinois.
Paleozoic
Main article: List of the Paleozoic life of IllinoisSelected Paleozoic taxa of Illinois
- †Achatella
- †Actinoceras
- †Alethopteris
Life restoration of the Carboniferous amphibian Amphibamus - †Amphibamus grandiceps – type locality for species
- †Amphiscapha
- †Amynilyspes – type locality for genus
- †Annularia
- †Annularia asteris – or unidentified comparable form
- †Annularia stellata
- †Anomphalus – type locality for genus
- †Anthracoceras
- †Archaeocidaris – tentative report
- †Archaeopteris
- †Archimedes
- †Archimylacris
- †Arctinurus
Illustration of a fossil of the Carboniferous-Permian spider Arthrolycosa. Charles Emerson Beecher (1889). - †Artisia
- †Asterotheca
- †Asterotheca miltoni – or unidentified comparable form
- †Asyncritus – type locality for genus
- †Athyris
- †Atrypa
- †Atrypa reticularis – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
- †Aviculopecten
- † Avonia
- †Bandringa – type locality for genus
- †Bassleroceras
- †Bellerophon
- †Belinurus
- †Bembexia
- †Blattoidea
Life restoration of the Carboniferous amphibian Brachydectes - †Bumastus
- †Bumastus armatus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Bumastus chicagoensis
- †Bumastus cuniculus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Bumastus graftonensis
- †Bumastus insignis
- †Bumastus springfieldensis
- †Bumastus transversalis
- †Calamites
- †Callipteridium
- †Calvinia
- †Calymene
- †Calyptaulax
- †Camarotoechia
Life restoration of the Carboniferous Chimaera relative Caseodus - †Cephalerpeton – type locality for genus
- †Cephalerpeton ventriarmatum – type locality for species
- †Ceratiocaris
- †Ceratocephala
- †Ceraurinella
- †Ceraurinus
- †Ceraurus
- †Cheirurus
- †Chonetes
- †Cleiothyridina
- †Clepsydrops – type locality for genus
- †Cliftonia
Life restoration (foreground) of the Permian-Jurassic lobe-finned fish Coelacanthus - †Composita
- †Conocardium
- †Cooperoceras
- †Cordaicarpus
- †Cordaites
- †Cornulites
- †Crania
- †Craniops
Fossilized skeleton of the Carboniferous-Permian reptile relative Cricotus - †Crotalocrinites
- †Ctenacanthus
- †Ctenacanthus buttersi – type locality for species
- †Curriella – tentative report
- †Cyathocrinites
- †Cyclonema
- †Cyclus
- †Cyphaspis
- †Cyrtoceras
- †Dalmanites
- †Deiphon
- †Dicoelosia
- †Dictyonema
- †Dimerocrinites
Fossilized axial skeleton of the Carboniferous-Permian amphibian Diplocaulus - †Domatoceras
- †Echinaria
- †Edestus
- †Edmondia
- †Elonichthys
- †Encrinurus
- †Eodictyonella
- †Eophacops
- †Eospirifer
- †Erratencrinurus
- †Eucalyptocrinites
- †Euomphalus
Illustration of fossil of the Carboniferous millipede Euphoberia - †Euphoberia armigera – type locality for species
- †Favosites
- †Fenestella
- †Fletcheria
- †Gerarus – type locality for genus
- †Glikmanius
- †Glyptambon
- †Glyptopleura
- †Gondolella
- †Graeophonus
- †Graeophonus scudderi – type locality for species
- †Greenops
Life restoration of the Carboniferous four-limbed animal precursor Greererpeton - †Hallopora – tentative report
- †Halysites
- †Harpidium
- †Helenodora – type locality for genus
- †Helenodora inopinata – type locality for species
- †Heliomeroides
- †Holia
- †Hyolithes
- †Ilyodes
- †Isodectes
Fossil of the Middle-Late Ordovician giant trilobite Isotelus. - †Kionoceras
- †Latzelia – type locality for genus
- †Latzelia primordialis – type locality for species
- †Lepidodendron
- †Lepidophyllum
- †Lepidostrobus
- †Lichas
- †Lingula
- †Liroceras
- Lithophaga – tentative report
Life restoration of the Permian snake-like amphibian Lysorophus showing speculative egg-coiling behavior - †Marsupiocrinus
- †Meristina
- †Metacoceras
- †Milosaurus – type locality for genus
- †Monograptus
- †Murchisonia
- †Naticopsis
- †Naticopsis carleyana
- †Naticopsis planifrons
- †Naticopsis waterlooensis – type locality for species
- †Nemastomoides – type locality for genus
- †Neospirifer
Fossilized frond of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris - †Nodonema
- Nucula
- †Nuculoidea – tentative report
- †Onychopterella – tentative report
- †Palenarthrus – type locality for genus
- †Palenarthrus impressus – type locality for species
- †Paraisobuthus
- †Pecopteris
- †Pentremites
- †Periechocrinus
- †Phacops
Life restoration of the Carboniferous-Permian amphibian Phlegethontia. - †Phlegethontia longissima – type locality for species
- †Phragmolites
- †Platyceras
- †Platysomus
- †Platystrophia
- †Plicochonetes
- †Polysentor – type locality for genus
- †Priapulites – type locality for genus
- †Priapulites konecniorum – type locality for species
- †Prodentalium
- †Proetus
Life restoration of the Carboniferous insects Protophasma and Titanophasma - †Protopilio
- †Pseudophlegethontia – type locality for genus
- †Pseudophlegethontia turnbullorum – type locality for species
- †Pterochiton
- †Pterotheca
- †Rasstriga – type locality for genus
- †Rasstriga americana – type locality for species
- †Remopleurides
- †Rhodea
- †Rhynchonella
- †Saccoglossus
- †Sagenodus
- †Samaropsis
- †Savagella
- †Scepasma – type locality for genus
Fossilized stump of the Carboniferous-Permian club moss relative Sigillaria - †Silphion – type locality for genus
- † Simplicius
- †Skenidioides
- Solemya
- †Solenochilus
- †Sphaerexochus
- †Sphaerocoryphe
- †Sphenophyllum
- †Sphenophyllum cuneifolium
- †Sphenophyllum emarginatum
- †Sphenophyllum longifolium – or unidentified comparable form
- †Sphenopteris
- †Stearoceras
- †Stethacanthus
- †Stigmaria
- †Strophomena
- †Symmorium – type locality for genus
- †Syringopora
- †Tainoceras
- †Tentaculites
- †Tranodis
Restoration of the mysterious Carboniferous life-form Tullimonstrum, or the Tully monster - †Wilkingia
- †Worthenia
- †Xyloiulus
- Yoldia
Mesozoic
The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Mesozoic fossils in Illinois.
Cenozoic
- Agabus
- †Agabus praelugens – type locality for species
- †Agabus savagei – type locality for species
- †Anomodon – type locality for genus
- †Anomodon snyderi – type locality for species
- †Araloselachus
- Arvicola
- †Bananogmius
- †Bananogmius crieleyi – or unidentified comparable form
- Bison
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene Bison antiquus, or ancient bison - †Bison bison
- Blarina
- †Bootherium
- Carabus
- Castor
- †Castoroides
- †Cervalces
- †Cervalces latifrons – tentative report
Life restoration of the Pleistocene Cervalces scotti, or stag-moose
- Chelonia
- Chlaenius
- †Chlaenius plicatipennis – type locality for species
- Conopeum
- Donacia
- †Donacia stirioides – type locality for species
- Equus
- Esox
- †Euceratherium
- Geomys
- †Ischyodus
- Lasiopodomys
- †Mammut
- †Mammuthus
Restoration of a herd of Mammuthus primigenius, or wooly mammoths
- Marmota
- †Megalonyx
- Mesalia
- Microtus
- Natica
- Olophrum
- †Olophrum henryi – type locality for species
- Ostrea
- †Pachyrhizodus
- Patrobus
- †Patrobus henshawi – type locality for species
- Peromyscus
- Pitar – tentative report
- Pituophis
Restoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus. Charles R. Knight (1922). - †Platygonus compressus – type locality for species
- †Platygonus cumberlandensis – tentative report
- Platynus
- †Platynus calvini – type locality for species
- †Platynus pleistocenicus – type locality for species
- †Platynus subgelidus – type locality for species
- Procyon
- †Procyon lotor – type locality for species
- †Propenser
- †Ptychodus
- Rangifer
A living Rangifer tarandus, or reindeer
- †Sangamona
- Sorex
- †Strepsidura
- Sylvilagus
- Ursus
- Venericardia
References
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 7 August 2017.
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