List of the prehistoric life of North Carolina

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

The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian or Paleozoic fossils in North Carolina.

Illustration of the reconstructed skeleton of the Late Triassic Aetosaurus . Othniel Charles Marsh (1895).
Fossilized guard of the Late Cretaceous belemnoid cephalopod Belemnitella
Known material diagram illustrating a reconstructed skull and body of the Late Triassic distant crocodilian relative Carnufex
Fossil of the Early Cretaceous-Eocene shark Cretolamna
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Late Cretaceous Alligator relative Deinosuchus
Shell of a Euspira moon sea snail
Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous mosasaur Halisaurus
Fossilized skull of the Late Cretaceous alligator relative Leidyosuchus
Life restoration of two of the Late Cretaceous Mosasaurus
Restoration of the Late Triassic synapsid (mammal precursor) Placerias with an anachronistic human to scale
Life restoration of the Late Triassic phytosaur Rutiodon
Life restoration of the Late Cretaceous shark Squalicorax
Restoration of the Late Cretaceous mosasaur Tylosaurus
A living Acanthocybium solandri , or wahoo
A living Aetobatus eagle ray
A living Aluterus filefish
A living Spatula clypeata , or northern shoveler
A living Apalone softshell turtle
Fossilized skull of the Miocene dolphin Atocetus
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Pliocene whale Balaenula
Restoration of two of the Miocene-Pliocene bone-crushing dog genus Borophagus preying on a camel . Jay Matternes (1964).
Shell in multiple views of a Busycon contrarium whelk
Fossilized carapace of the Paleocene-Miocene crab Calappilia
Modern shell of a Cancellaria nutmeg snail
Fossilized tooth of the Miocene-Pliocene shark Cosmopolitodus hastalis , or broad-toothed mako
Illustration of a living Ceratoscopelus lanternfish
Life restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene whale Cetotherium
A living Chilomycterus schoepfi , or striped burrfish
A living Citharichthys large-tooth flounder
A Coelopleurus sea urchin
A living Corvus ossifragus , or fish crow
Life restoration of the Pliocene-Holocene elephant relative Cuvieronius
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Eocene whale Cynthiacetus
Shell of a Dentalium tusk shell
Taxidermied male Ectopistes migratorius , or passenger pigeon
Shell of a Euspira moon sea snail
A living Fratercula arctica , or Atlantic puffin
A living Galeorhinus galeus school shark
A living Globicephala , or pilot whale
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Miocene-Pleistocene elephant relative Gomphotherium
Fossilized lower jaw of the Miocene-Pleistocene llama relative Hemiauchenia
A modern Isistius dogfish
Life restoration of the Oligocene-Miocene dolphin Kentriodon
Living Lagenorhynchus dolphins
A living Lepidochelys , or ridley sea turtle
Mounted skeleton of a Lophius americanus , or American anglerfish
Restoration of a Mammut americanum , or American mastodon
A living Mergus serrator , or red-breasted merganser
A living Monodon monoceros , or narwhal
Partial fossilized mandible of the Miocene-Pliocene horse Nannippus
Mounted fossilized skeleton of the Miocene Neophrontops
A living Odontaspis ferox , or smalltooth sand tiger
At the top of the picture is a line representing twenty meters. Below this is a gray megalodon silhouette that measures twenty meters, below is a red megalodon silhouette that measures fifteen meters, below is a violet whale shark silhouette that measures ten meters, below is a green great white shark that measures five meters. Standing next to this shark is a black human silhouette that stands two meters.
Diagram illustrating the largest (grey) and most conservative (red) size estimates of the Miocene-Pliocene shark Carcharocles megalodon (sometimes Carcharodon or Otodus megalodon ) with a whale shark (violet), great white shark (green), and anachronistic human (black) to scale
Life restoration of the Oligocene-Pleistocene false-toothed bird Pelagornis
Two Phoenicopterus , or flamingos
Fossilized vertebra of the Miocene-Pleistocene baleen whale Plesiocetus
Living Pontederia pickerel weeds
Replica of a fossilized cranium of the Miocene horse Pseudhipparion
Illustration of a living Pterothrissus gissu , or Japanese gissu
A living Quercus , or oak tree
Restoration of the Miocene-Pliocene elephant relative Rhynchotherium
Fossilized teeth of the Neogene sperm whale Scaldicetus
A living Seriola , or amberjack
A living Somateria mollissima , or common eider
Life restoration of the Oligocene-Miocene shark-toothed dolphin Squalodon
A living Thalasseus maximus , or royal tern
A living Tapirus , or tapir
Shell in multiple views of a Tenagodus sea snail
Fossilized skeleton of the Oligocene-Miocene gavial relative Thecachampsa
A living Triaenodon obesus , or whitetip reef shark
A living Tursiops , or bottlenose dolphin
Fossilized skeleton of the Miocene whale Xiphiacetus