Paul Sereno

Last updated
Paul C. Sereno
Paul Sereno Lab Photo (cropped).jpg
Sereno in 2010
Born (1957-10-11) October 11, 1957 (age 67)
Alma mater Northern Illinois University (B.S., Biological Sciences, 1979)
Columbia University (M.A., Vertebrate Paleontology, 1981; M. Phil., Geological Sciences, 1981; Ph.D., Geological Sciences, 1987)
Known forDiscoveries in paleontology; founder of Project Exploration
Children2
Scientific career
Fields Paleontology (vertebrate)
Institutions University of Chicago
Doctoral students Jeffrey A. Wilson
Author abbrev. (zoology) Sereno

Paul Callistus Sereno (born October 11, 1957) is a professor of paleontology at the University of Chicago who has discovered several new dinosaur species on several continents, including at sites in Inner Mongolia, Argentina, Morocco and Niger. [1] One of his most widely publicized discoveries is that of a nearly complete specimen of Sarcosuchus imperator — popularly known as SuperCroc — at Gadoufaoua in the Tenere desert of Niger.

Contents

Biography

Youth and education

The son of a mail carrier [2] and an art teacher at Prairie Elementary, Sereno grew up in Naperville, Illinois and graduated from Naperville Central High School. He was then educated at Northern Illinois University (B.S., Biological Sciences, 1979) and Columbia University (M.A., Vertebrate Paleontology, 1981; M. Phil., Geological Sciences, 1981; Ph.D., Geological Sciences, 1987).

Career

Sereno was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People (1997). [3]

Sereno co-founded Project Exploration, a non-profit science education organization to encourage city kids to pursue careers in science. He appears in the 2009 DVD Dinosaur Discoveries, featuring classic segments of CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite as the host, which aired on A&E in 1991. It was later re-shown on the Disney Channel until the late 1990s.

On August 14, 2008, it was revealed that Sereno had uncovered a large Stone Age cemetery at Gobero in the Nigerien Sahara, remnants of a people who lived from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago on the edge of what was then a large lake. The National Geographic documentary, Skeletons of the Sahara was made about this discovery and premiered in 2013. [4] [5] [6]

Fossil species described by Sereno or his team

Sereno at a dig in 2010 Paul Sereno.jpg
Sereno at a dig in 2010
Sereno holding a cast of Sinornithomimus Paul Sereno with Sinornithomimus.jpg
Sereno holding a cast of Sinornithomimus

Documentaries featuring Sereno and his discoveries

In addition to his many discoveries in the field, public communication has been a big part of Sereno's career.

YearTitleProducerFeatured Fossils (Sites)
1991At the ForefrontKurtis Productions, Ltd., PBS
1992Fragments of TimeNew Explorers, PBS Eoraptor (Argentina)
1992The Dinosaurs! - Flesh on the Bones WHYY-TV, PBS Herrerasaurus (Argentina)
1993The Next Generation, 1% Inspiration WNET, PBS
1994Skeletons in the SandNew Explorers, PBS (Niger)
1995Paleoworld - African Graveyard, Part I: Hunting Dinosaurs The Learning Channel (Morocco)
1995Paleoworld - African Graveyard, Part II: Discovering Dinosaurs The Learning Channel (Morocco)
1996Paleoworld - Flesh on the Bones The Learning Channel Deltadromeus , Carcharodontosaurus (Morocco)
1997Beyond T-Rex Discovery Channel Carcharodontosaurus (Morocco)
1998Colossal Claw National Geographic Explorer Suchomimus (Sahara)
1998Dinosaur Fever National Geographic Explorer sauropods (Niger)
1999Africa's Dinosaur Giants National Geographic Explorer Jobaria (Niger)
2001SuperCroc NBC/NGC Sarcosuchus
2006Sky Monsters NGC pterosaur (Niger)
2009Bizarre Dinos NGC Nigersaurus , Raptorex , Mykocephale
2009When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs NGChannel BoarCroc, PancakeCroc, DuckCroc, DogCroc, RatCroc (Sahara, Australia)
2013Skeletons of the Sahara NOVA-NGTelevisionhumans (Gobero, Niger)
2014Bigger than T. rex NOVA-NGTelevision Spinosaurus (Morocco)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahara</span> Desert on the African continent

The Sahara is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of 9,200,000 square kilometres (3,600,000 sq mi), it is the largest hot desert in the world and the third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Arctic.

<i>Carcharodontosaurus</i> Genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur from the Cretaceous period

Carcharodontosaurus is a genus of carnivorous theropod dinosaur that lived in North Africa from about 100 to 94 million years ago during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous. Two teeth of the genus, now lost, were first described from Algeria by French paleontologists Charles Depéret and Justin Savornin as Megalosaurus saharicus. A partial skeleton was collected by crews of German paleontologist Ernst Stromer during a 1914 expedition to Egypt. Stromer did not report the Egyptian find until 1931, in which he dubbed the novel genus Carcharodontosaurus, making the type species C. saharicus. Unfortunately, this skeleton was destroyed during the Second World War. In 1995 a nearly complete skull of C. saharicus, the first well-preserved specimen to be found in almost a century, was discovered in the Kem Kem Beds of Morocco; it was designated the neotype in 1996. Fossils unearthed from the Echkar Formation of northern Niger were described and named as another species, C. iguidensis, in 2007.

<i>Sarcosuchus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Sarcosuchus is an extinct genus of crocodyliform and distant relative of living crocodilians that lived during the Early Cretaceous, from the late Hauterivian to the early Albian, 133 to 112 million years ago of what is now Africa and South America. The genus name comes from the Greek σάρξ (sarx) meaning flesh and σοῦχος (souchus) meaning crocodile. It was one of the largest pseudosuchians, with the largest specimen of S. imperator reaching approximately 9–9.5 metres (29.5–31.2 ft) long and weighing up to 3.45–4.3 metric tons. It is known from two species; S. imperator from the early Albian Elrhaz Formation of Niger, and S. hartti from the Late Hauterivian of northeastern Brazil. Other material is known from Morocco and Tunisia and possibly Libya and Mali.

<i>Suchomimus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Suchomimus is a genus of spinosaur dinosaur that lived between 125 and 112 million years ago in what is now Niger, North Africa, during the Aptian to early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous Period. It was named and described by paleontologist Paul Sereno and colleagues in 1998, based on a partial skeleton from the Elrhaz Formation. Suchomimus's long and shallow skull, similar to that of a crocodile, earns it its generic name, while the specific name Suchomimus tenerensis alludes to the locality of its first remains, the Ténéré Desert.

<i>Ouranosaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Ouranosaurus is a genus of herbivorous basal hadrosauriform dinosaur that lived during the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous of modern-day Niger and Cameroon. Ouranosaurus measured about 7–8.3 metres (23–27 ft) long and weighed 2.2 metric tons. Two rather complete fossils were found in the Elrhaz Formation, Gadoufaoua deposits, Agadez, Niger, in 1965 and 1970, with a third indeterminate specimen known from the Koum Formation of Cameroon. The animal was named in 1976 by French paleontologist Philippe Taquet; the type species being Ouranosaurus nigeriensis. The generic name is a combination of ourane, a word with multiple meanings, and sauros, the Greek word for lizard. The specific epithet nigeriensis alludes to Niger, its country of discovery. And so, Ouranosaurus nigeriensis could be interpreted as "brave lizard originating from Niger".

Jobaria is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Niger during the middle Jurassic Period, between 164 and 161 million years ago. Jobaria is currently the only known valid sauropod from the Tiouraren, where it was discovered in 1997.

<i>Afrovenator</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Afrovenator is a genus of megalosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Middle or Late Jurassic Period on the Tiourarén Formation and maybe the Irhazer II Formation of the Niger Sahara region in northern Africa. Afrovenator represents the only properly identified Gondwanan megalosaur, with proposed material of the group present in the Late Jurassic on Tacuarembó Formation of Uruguay and the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania.

<i>Rugops</i> Genus of dinosaur

Rugops is a monospecific genus of basal abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from Niger that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now the Echkar Formation. The type and only species, Rugops primus, is known only from a partial skull. It was named and described in 2004 by Paul Sereno, Jeffery Wilson and Jack Conrad. Rugops has an estimated length of 4.4–5.3 metres (14–17 ft) and weight of 410 kilograms (900 lb). The top of its skull bears several pits which correlates with overlaying scale and the front of the snout would have had an armour-like dermis.

Jeffrey A. Wilson, also known as JAW, is a paleontologist and professor of geological sciences and assistant curator at the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan.

<i>Spinostropheus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Spinostropheus is a genus of carnivorous neotheropod theropod dinosaur that lived in the Middle Jurassic period and has been found in the Tiouraren Formation, Niger. The type and only species is S. gautieri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen L. Brusatte</span> American paleontologist (born 1984)

Stephen Louis "Steve" Brusatte FRSE is an American paleontologist, author, and evolutionary biologist who specializes in the anatomy and evolution of dinosaurs. He was educated at the University of Chicago for his Bachelor's degree, at the University of Bristol for his Master's of Science on a Marshall Scholarship, and finally at the Columbia University for Master's in Philosophy and Doctorate. He is currently Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh. In April 2024, Brusatte was elected to fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

<i>Kryptops</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Kryptops is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Niger. It is known from a partial skeleton found at the Gadoufaoua locality in the western Ténéré Desert, in rocks of the Aptian–Albian-age Elrhaz Formation. This dinosaur was described by paleontologists Paul Sereno and Stephen Brusatte in 2008. The genus name means "covered face", in reference to evidence that the face bore a tightly adhering covering. The type species is K. palaios, which means "old".

<i>Eocarcharia</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Eocarcharia is a genus of carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation that lived in the Sahara 112 million years ago, in what today is the country of Niger. It was discovered in 2000 on an expedition led by University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno. The type and only species is Eocarcharia dinops. Its teeth were shaped like blades and were used for disabling live prey and ripping apart body parts. Eocarcharia’s brow is swollen into a massive band of bone, giving it a menacing glare. It may have reached lengths of 6–8 m (19.7–26.2 ft).

The Kiffian culture is a prehistoric industry, or domain, that existed between approximately 8,000 BC and 6,000 BC in the Sahara Desert, during the African humid period referred to as the Neolithic Subpluvial. Human remains from this culture were found in 2000 AD at a site known as Gobero, located in Niger in the Ténéré Desert. The site is known as the largest and earliest burial place of Stone Age people in the Sahara desert.

The Tenerian culture is a prehistoric industry that existed between the 5th millennium BC and mid-3rd millennium BC in the Sahara Desert. This spans the Neolithic Subpluvial and later desiccation, during the middle Holocene.

The Tiourarén Formation is a geological formation in the Agadez Region of Niger whose strata were originally thought to be Early Cretaceous. However, re-interpretation of the sediments showed that they are probably Middle or Late Jurassic (Bathonian-Oxfordian) in age. Other works suggested it reaches the Barremian. It is the uppermost unit of the Irhazer Group. Dinosaur remains & other vertebrates are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. Originally part of the "Argiles de l'Ihrazer", the Tiouaren Formation primarily comprises reddish to purple siltstones with occasional marls, limestones, and scarce channel sandstones.

<i>Nigersaurus</i> Genus of reptiles (fossil)

Nigersaurus is a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived during the middle Cretaceous period, about 115 to 105 million years ago. It was discovered in the Elrhaz Formation in an area called Gadoufaoua, in Niger. Fossils of this dinosaur were first described in 1976, but it was only named Nigersaurus taqueti in 1999, after further and more complete remains were found and described. The genus name means "Niger reptile", and the specific name honours the palaeontologist Philippe Taquet, who discovered the first remains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobero</span> Archaeological site in Niger

The Gobero archaeological site, dating to approximately 8000 BCE, is the oldest known graveyard in the Sahara Desert. The site contains important information for archaeologists on how early humans adapted to a constantly changing environment. Gobero is located in the Ténéré desert of Niger, and is named after the Tuareg name for the region. It is the type site of the Holocene era Kiffian culture and Tenerian culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elrhaz Formation</span>

The Elrhaz Formation is a geological formation in Niger, West Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nizar Ibrahim</span>

Nizar Ibrahim is a German-Moroccan vertebrate paleontologist and comparative anatomist. He is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth. Ibrahim has led several expeditions to Africa's Sahara and is notable for his research on fossil vertebrates from the Kem Kem Group, including pterosaurs, crocodyliforms, and dinosaurs. In recent years, research led by Ibrahim radically changed ideas about the morphology and life habits of one of the largest predatory dinosaurs, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. Ibrahim also has interests in bioinformatics and contributed to the NSF-funded Phenoscape project. He regularly engages with the public and is a speaker with the National Geographic Speakers Bureau.

References

  1. Briggs, Helen (12 December 2007). "New meat-eating dinosaur unveiled" (Web). News article about; Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis was one of the largest meat-eaters that ever lived. BBC News. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  2. Spalding, D.A.E., 1993, Dinosaur Hunters: 150 years of extraordinary discoveries, Key Porter Books, Toronto, p. 284
  3. "Most Beautiful: Paul Sereno". People . 1997-12-05. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
  4. Dell'Amore, Christine (14 August 2008). "Ancient Cemetery Found; Brings "Green Sahara" to Life". News article about; Dinosaur hunters have stumbled across the largest and oldest Stone Age cemetery in the Sahara desert. National Geographic News. Archived from the original (Web) on August 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  5. Gwin, Peter (September 2008). "Green Sahara". Feature story about; Lost Tribes of the Green Sahara - How a dinosaur hunter uncovered the Sahara's strangest Stone Age graveyard. National Geographic. Archived from the original (Web) on August 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  6. "Skeletons of the Sahara" (Web). PBS. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  7. Varricchio, D. J.; Sereno, P. C.; Xijin, Z.; Lin, T.; Wilson, J. A.; Lyon, G. H. (2008). "Mud-Trapped Herd Captures Evidence of Distinctive Dinosaur Sociality". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 53 (4): 567–578. doi: 10.4202/app.2008.0402 . ISSN   0567-7920.

Further reading