Palaeontological Collection of the University Lyon 1, CERESE – UMR 5276 LGL-TPE

The palaeontogical collection of the University Lyon 1 is the first French university collection (9 millions specimens, more than 60 000 « types and figured »). It’s one of the world’s top fifteen, university and museums combined.

Parallel to its CERESE membership, the palaeontogical collection of the University Lyon 1 is a scientific platform of the Laboratoire de Géologie : Terre, Planètes, Environnement, UMR 5276 of the CNRS. Its content is highly diverse animal and plant fossil taxa from almost all countries and covering the totality of the biosphere history, from Cambrian to Present. The fossil material is supplemented by an important archaeological collection.

The collection plays a very active role in the local to international research. It’s a leading resource for paleontologist and geochemist of institutions University Lyon 1 and ENS Lyon. It is frequently visited by worldwide researchers and requested for multiples supply (2D photographs, 3D images, inventories, loans,. etc). The collection support more than 50 publications per year, some in high rating review as Nature, Nature Communications, PNAS, Current Biology, Gondwana Research, PLoS ONE, QSR, Palaeontology, Palaeo3,. etc.

Current studies on phylogeny, anatomy, locomotion, nutrition, … of ancient phylum, as well as ecosystems of living environments, use different approaches: taxonomy, high-resolution 2D, 3D (microtomography, surface or photogrammetry techniques), morphometric and cladistic analysis, isotope geochemistry up to mathematical models.

Knemiceras uhligi (Choffat, 1886), Albian ammonite from Moghara mountains (Egypt). Credit : R. Chirat.

Skull of Anthracotherium bumbachense Stehlin (1910), Cetartiodactyla from La Bénisson-Dieu (Loire Dpt., France). Credit : C. Vautey.

Head of pycnodontiforme fish from Cerin (Ain Dpt., France). Credit : E. Robert.

3D reconstruction image of the skull of Homotherium crenatidens Fabrini (1890), Felidae from Senèze (Haute-Loire Dpt., France). Credit : Musée de Schöningen (Allemagne).

Ludwigia rudis Buckmann (1887), Aalenian ammonite from Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (Isère Dpt., France). Credit : E. Recolnat.

Skull of Dolichopithecus arvernensis Depéret (1929), Cercopithecidae from Senèze (Haute-Loire Dpt., France). Credit : E. Le Roux, Université Lyon 1.

plate with trilobites, with species Niobe fourneti Thoral (1946) and Symphysurus angustatus (Sars & Boeck, 1837), from Cabrières (Hérault Dpt., France). Credit : E. Le Roux, Université Lyon 1.

Zamites feneonis,Jurassic fossil plant from Armailles (Ain Dpt., France). Credit : E. Le Roux, Université Lyon 1.

Carved pebble from the archaeological shelter La Colombière, illustrating a musk-ox. Credit : E. Robert, CNRS-Univesité Lyon 1.