List of the prehistoric life of California

This list of the prehistoric life of California contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of California.

The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in California.

Fossils of the mysterious Ediacaran organism Aspidella
Fossil of the Devonian-Triassic arthropod trackway ichnogenus Cruziana
Life restoration of the Permian Chimaera relative Helicoprion
Illustration of a fossilized shell of the brachiopod Kutorgina
Illustration of a fossil of the Cambrian trilobite Olenellus
Fossilized shell of the Silurian-Middle Devonian brachiopod Pentamerus
Fossil of the arthropod burrow ichnogenus Rusophycus
Fossilized shells of the ammonoid cephalopod Xenodiscus
Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous armored dinosaur Aletopelta
Interior and exterior of a shell of an Anomia , or jingle shell
Fossilized partial skull of the Late Cretaceous duck-billed dinosaur Augustynolophus
Restoration of the Late Triassic ichthyosaur Californosaurus
Shell and spines of a Cidaris sea urchin
Diagram illustrating the Middle-Late Triassic ichthyosaur Cymbospondylus with an anachronistic human to scale.
Restoration of the Early Cretaceous-Eocene bony fish Enchodus , or the "saber-toothed herring"
Fossilized shell of the Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod Fagesia
Fossil negative with skin impressions of the theropod dinosaur footprint ichnogenus Grallator
Fossilized shell of the Early Jurassic-Late Cretaceous marine bivalve Inoceramus with a human indicating its size
Fossilized shells of the Jurassic brachiopod Kallirhynchia
Fossilized shell of the Early-Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod Mariella
Life restoration of the Late Triassic thalattosaurs Nectosaurus (right) and Thalattosaurus
Shell of an Ostrea , or oyster
Fossilized shell of the Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod Parapuzosia with a human indicating its size
Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous mosasaur Plotosaurus
Fossilized shells of the Triassic-modern marine bivalve Propeamussium
Base of the trunk of a living Sequoia tree with a human to scale
Reconstructive illustration of the skull in side (above) and top view of the Late Triassic thalattosaur Thalattosaurus . The frontmost portion of the snout is portrayed erroneously as straight; it actually had a pronounced downward curve
Shell of a Yoldia limatula , or file yoldia
A living Abies , or fir tree
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Miocene horse Acritohippus
Life restoration of the Miocene camel Aepycamelus , or the long-necked camel. Heinrich Harder (1920).
Fossilized skeleton of the Miocene seal Allodesmus
Fossilized skull of the Miocene saber-toothed cat Amphimachairodus
Fossilized mandibles of the Miocene three-toed horse Anchitherium
Reconstructive illustration of the skeleton of the Miocene-Pleistocene hornless rhinoceros Aphelops
Restoration of an Arctodus , or short-faced bear, with a human to scale
Shells of Argopecten gibbus , or Atlantic calico scallops
Life restoration of the Miocene sperm whale Aulophyseter
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene whale Balaenula
Fossilized skull of the Miocene-Pliocene false saber-toothed cat Barbourofelis
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene Bison latifrons , also known as the giant bison or long-horned bison
Restorative portrait of the Miocene oreodont mammal Brachycrus
A living Buteo jamaicensis , or red-tailed hawk
A living Calliostoma annulatum , or purple-ring top sea snail
Life restoration of the Pliocene-Holocene camel Camelops
Fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene dwarf pronghorn Capromeryx
A living Cathartes aura , or turkey vulture
Life restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene whale Cetotherium
Life restoration of the Pleistocene-Holocene Chendytes , or Law's diving-goose
Shell and spines of a Cidaris sea urchin
Shell of a Clinocardium cockle
Fossilized shell of a Conus cone snail
Restoration of the Miocene palaeomerycid Cranioceras , a relative of modern deer, with anachronistic human to scale
A living Crotalus viridis , or prairie rattlesnake
Illustration of a living Cyclothone bristlemouth
Fossilized cranium of the Miocene bear-dog Cynelos
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Eocene-Miocene bear-dog Daphoenus
A living Dendraster excentricus , or sea cake
Life restoration of the Oligocene-Miocene herbivorous marine mammal Desmostylus
A living Dipodomys merriami , or Merriam's kangaroo rat
Illustration of the fossilized jaws and teeth of the Eocene brontothere mammal Duchesneodus
Life restoration of two of the Eocene-Oligocene anthracothere mammal Elomeryx being menaced by fellow-anthracothere Anthracotherium
Fossilized skeleton of the Eocene-Pliocene frog Eopelobates
Restoration of the Pliocene-Holocene horse Equus scotti , or Scott's horse
Life restoration of the Pleistocene bovid Euceratherium , or the shrub ox. Robert Bruce Horsfall (1913).
A living Falco peregrinus , or peregrine falcon
A living Fratercula cirrhata , or tufted puffin
A living Galeocerdo cuvier , or tiger shark
A living Gavia immer , or common loon
A living Geococcyx californianus , or greater roadrunner
Life restoration of the Miocene walrus Gomphotaria
Fossilized skull of the mesonychian mammal Harpagolestes
Life restoration of the Eocene-Miocene mammal Herpetotherium
Life restoration of a herd of the Miocene-Pleistocene horse Hipparion . Heinrich Harder (1920).
Restoration of Pliocene-Pleistocene Homotherium , or scimitar cat
Restoration of the Miocene walrus Imagotaria
Life restoration of the Oligocene-Miocene dolphin Kentriodon
Life restoration of the Miocene opah fish Lampris zatima
Illustration of a fossilized skull of the Oligocene-Miocene dog Leptocyon
Top view of a fossilized skull of the Eocene creodont mammal Limnocyon
Life restoration of the Paleocene-Eocene bird Lithornis
Fossilized cranium of the Miocene-Pleistocene saber-toothed cat Machairodus
Reconstructive illustration of the skeleton of a Mammuthus exilis , or pygmy mammoth
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Miocene-Pleistocene ground sloth Megalonyx
Life restoration of the Miocene rhinoceros Menoceras
Fossilized skeleton of the Miocene pronghorn Merycodus
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Miocene-Pleistocene manatee relative Metaxytherium
Restoration of the Pliocene-Pleistocene Miracinonyx , or American cheetah
Fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Holocene peccary Mylohyus
A living Nassarius , or nassa mud snail
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Miocene aquatic desmostylian mammal Neoparadoxia
Illustration of the fossilized skull of the Oligocene false saber-toothed cat Nimravus
Illustration of a living Notorynchus cow shark
A living Numenius phaeopus , or whimbrel
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene Odocoileus lucasi , or American mountain deer
Illustration of the shell of an Odostomia donilla pyram shell sea snail
Life restoration of a school of the Miocene-Pleistocene Oncorhynchus rastrosus , or saber-toothed salmon
Life restoration of the Miocene pseudo-toothed bird Osteodontornis
Restoration of the Miocene aquatic desmostylian mammal Paleoparadoxia
Fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene ground sloth Paramylodon
Reconstructive illustration of a fossilized skull of the Oligocene-Pleistocene pseudo-toothed bird Pelagornis , with close-up insets of its pseudo-teeth
Illustration of a fossilized skull in multiple views of the Oligocene-Miocene bone-crushing dog Phlaocyon
A living Phrynosoma , or horned lizard
Restoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus . Charles R. Knight (1922).
Life restoration of the Miocene walrus Pliopedia
Illustration of a fossilized skull of the Oligocene false faber-toothed cat Pogonodon
A modern Porichthys notatus , or plainfin midshipman
Life restoration of the Eocene brontothere mammal Protitanops
Hypothetical restoration of the Oligocene-Pliocene sea turtle Psephophorus
Illustration of a fossilized skull of the Paleocene multituberculate mammal Ptilodus
Assemblage of fossilized shells of the Cretaceous-Pleistocene oyster Pycnodonte
Life restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene pronghorn Ramoceros and Cosoryx . Robert Bruce Horsfall (1913).
Restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene elephant relative Rhynchotherium
Fossilized teeth of the Neogene sperm whale Scaldicetus
Illustration of a living Scopelogadus ridgehead
Fossilized skull of the Pliocene porpoise Semirostrum
Restoration of two species of the Oligocene oreodont mammal genus Sespia
Life restoration of the Pleistocene-Holocene saber-tooth cat Smilodon
A living Otospermophilus beecheyi (formerly Spermophilus beecheyi ), or California ground squirrel
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Pleistocene elephant relative Stegomastodon
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the fossil pronghorn Stockoceros
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Eocene-Oligocene tortoise Stylemys
A living Syngnathus pipefish
A living Tapirus , or tapir
Restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene rhinoceros Teleoceras
Life restoration of the Miocene fur seal Thalassoleon
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Miocene-Pleistocene camel Titanotylopus
A living Tremarctos , or spectacled bear
Shell of a Turcica sea snail
Life restoration of the Eocene mammal Uintatherium
A living Ursus americanus , or American black bear
Leaves and fruit of a living Viburnum .
Fossilized shell of the Late Cretaceous-modern carrier shell sea snail Xenophora
Known material diagram depicting the Miocene-Pleistocene mastodon relative Zygolophodon with a human to scale