paleoart

thumb|350px|Leaping Laelaps (dinosaur)|Laelaps, painted in 1897 by [[Charles R. Knight in the artist’s impression of the theropod dinosaur Dryptosaurus. Though now considered scientifically outdated, the painting was exceptional in its time for showing dinosaurs as active animals.]]

Paleoart (also spelled palaeoart, paleo-art, or paleo art) is any original artistic work that attempts to depict prehistoric life according to scientific evidence. Works of paleoart may be representations of fossil remains or imagined depictions of the living creatures and their ecosystems. While paleoart is typically defined as being scientifically informed, it is often the basis of depictions of prehistoric animals in popular culture, which in turn influences public perception of and fuels interest in these organisms. The word paleoart is also used in an informal sense as a name for prehistoric art, most often cave paintings. Related terms are life restoration (or life reconstruction) and '''in-vivo restoration (or in-vivo reconstruction').