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Paleontology, palaeontology or palæontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.[1] This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised faeces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because mankind has 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 in the year 1978.
Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries
- A paleoanthropological team led by Mary Leakey found 3.5 million year old human footprints.
 - Baby hadrosaurs were discovered in the Two Medicine Formation.[2]
 
Invertebrates
Maurits Lindström, described the earliest known octocoral in Sweden shifting the first known appearance from the Cretaceous to the Ordovician.[3]
Fish
Newly named Ray-finned fish
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Sp nov  | 
 jr synonym  | 
 Wilson  | 
 A mooneye,  | 
 | ||||
Dinosaurs
Newly named dinosaurs
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[6]
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Gen nov  | 
 Tumanova  | 
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| 
 Gen et sp nov  | 
 jr homonym  | 
 Preoccupied by Blake 1863. Renamed Coloradisaurus.  | 
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| 
 Gen et sp nov  | 
 Valid  | 
 Possible junior synonym of Fabrosaurus.  | 
 | |||||
| 
 Gen nov  | 
 Valid  | 
 | ||||||
| 
 Valid  | 
 Wild  | 
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| 
 van Heerden vide: Anderson & Cruickshank  | 
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| 
 Gen et sp nov  | 
 Valid  | 
 A North Polar Dromaeosaur.  | 
 | |||||
| 
 Gen et sp nov  | 
 Valid  | 
 Zhiming, Chang, Li, & Zhou  | 
 | |||||
General research
- Peter M. Galton published a paper on Fabrosauridae, including redescribing Fabrosaurus, Echinodon and Nanosaurus along with naming Lesothosaurus.[9]
 
Birds
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Aldabranas cabri [15]  | 
 Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 Colin J. O. Harrison  | 
 Aldabra Atoll  | 
 An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus.  | 
|||
| 
 Anser eldaricus [16]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 Nikolaj I. Burchak-Abramovich D. V. Gadzyev  | 
 Late Sarmantian  | 
  | 
 An Anatidae.  | 
||
| 
 Apus baranensis [17]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 Dénes Jánossy  | 
 MN 16a; MN 17  | 
 An Apodidae.  | 
|||
| 
 Chaetura baconica [17]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 Dénes Jánossy  | 
 MN 11-12  | 
 An Apodidae.  | 
|||
| 
 "Gallus" europaeus [18]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid ?  | 
 Colin J. O. Harrison  | 
 MQ 2A  | 
 A Phasianidae.The taxonomic status of this species should be reevaluated. There is no evidence, that it belongs to the genus Gallus Brisson.  | 
|||
| 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
  | 
 A Gaviidae.  | 
|||||
| 
 Mergus miscellus [20]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 Rafael Alvarez  | 
 An Anatidae.  | 
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| 
 "Milvus" brachypterus [17]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 Dénes Jánossy  | 
 MQ 1b  | 
 An Apodidae Incertae Sedis.  | 
|||
| 
 Morus magnus [19]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
  | 
 A Sulidae.  | 
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| 
 Phalacrocorax anatolicus [21]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 A Phalacrocoracidae, transferred to the genus Nectornis Cheneval, 1984 by Mlíkovský, 1998.[22]  | 
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| 
 Pterodroma kurodai [15]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 Colin J. O. Harrison  | 
 Aldabra Atoll  | 
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| 
 Puffinus barnesi [19]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
  | 
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| 
 Recurvirostra sanctaneboulae [23]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 A Recurvirostridae, most unlikely it is a Recurvirostra or even a Recurvirostridae.  | 
|||||
| 
 Surnia robusta [17]  | 
 Sp. nov.  | 
 Valid  | 
 Dénes Jánossy  | 
 MQ 1b  | 
 A Strigidae.  | 
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Pterosaurs
 Popular culture
 References
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