José Bonaparte

José Bonaparte

José F. Bonaparte (14 June 1928 – 18 February 2020) was a paleontologist from Argentina. He discovered and named many new dinosaurs from South America, including Noasaurus, Carnotaurus, Saltasaurus, Kritosaurus, Alvarezsaurus, Riojasaurus, and many, many others. He also discovered or described a number of archosaurs and primitive birds (such as Iberomesornis) and assisted with the study of other dinosaurs, like Giganotosaurus.

He was born in Rosario, Argentina, and grew up in Mercedes, Buenos Aires. Despite a lack of formal training in paleontology, he started collecting fossils at an early age, and created a museum in his home town. Bonaparte was considered to be one of the greatest and most successful modern paleontologists.

He was Professor of Palaeozoology at the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán from 1975 to 1979, and director of the palaeovertebrate section between 1960 and 1978.

Bonaparte died on 18 February 2020 in Mercedes, Argentina at the age of 91.[1]

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