José Bonaparte
Encyclopedia
José Fernando Bonaparte, Ph.D.
(born June 14, 1928), is an Argentine
paleontologist
who discovered a plethora of South America
n dinosaur
s and mentored a new generation of Argentine paleontologists like Rodolfo Coria
. According to University of Pennsylvania
paleontologist Peter Dodson
, "almost singlehandedly he's responsible for Argentina becoming the sixth country in the world in kinds of dinosaurs".
sailor. He was born in Rosario
, Argentina, and grew up in Mercedes, Buenos Aires
. Despite a lack of formal training in paleontology
, he started collecting fossil
s at an early age, and created a museum in his home town. He later became the curator
of the National University of Tucumán, were he was named Doctor Honoris causa
in 1974, and then in the late 1970s became a senior scientist at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Buenos Aires
.
in the north and Gondwana
in the south during the Jurassic
. During the Cretaceous
, South America
pulled away from the rest of Gondwana. The division caused a divergence between northern biota and the southern biota, and the southern animals appear strange to those used to the more northerly fauna. Bonaparte's finds illustrate this divergence, and caused paleontologist Robert Bakker to dub him the "Master of the Mesozoic
".
In South America, the titanosaur
s developed armor and flourished, while the sauropods of the northern continent were dying out and being replaced by vast herds of hadrosaurs; the carnivorous theropods were represented by abelisaurs and strange-looking dinosaurs like the horned, short-armed, and stub-nosed Carnotaurus
. There are indications that a land bridge
reunited North and South America during the Late Cretaceous
because titanosaurs have been discovered as far north as Utah
and duck-bills as far south as Patagonia
.
Bonaparte also discovered or described a number of archosaur
s and primitive bird
s (such as Iberomesornis
), and assisted with the study of other dinosaurs, like the Giganotosaurus
carolinii.
. Partly for this reason, he declined to work on modern treatise, The Dinosauria. However, from 2000 to 2007 Bonaparte used cladograms in his works and he worked hard in order to understand and use the method. Actually, his works both in sauropods (e.g., Ligabuesaurus) and proto-mammals from Brazil, show cladograms made by himself and co-authors. While he is most known for his dinosaur discoveries, he prefers working on mammal
s. He is reportedly hard working, stubborn, and has a strong personality.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(born June 14, 1928), is an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
paleontologist
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
who discovered a plethora of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s and mentored a new generation of Argentine paleontologists like Rodolfo Coria
Rodolfo Coria
Dr. Rodolfo Coria is an Argentine paleontologist.He is best known for having directed the field study and co-naming of the Argentinosaurus in 1993, and the Giganotosaurus , in 1996 among other landmark South American dinosaurs...
. According to University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
paleontologist Peter Dodson
Peter Dodson
Peter Dodson is an American paleontologist who has published many papers and written and collaborated on books about dinosaurs. An authority on Ceratopsians, he has also authored several papers and textbooks on hadrosaurs and sauropods, and is a co-editor of The Dinosauria, widely considered the...
, "almost singlehandedly he's responsible for Argentina becoming the sixth country in the world in kinds of dinosaurs".
Biography
Bonaparte is the son of an ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
sailor. He was born in Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, Argentina, and grew up in Mercedes, Buenos Aires
Mercedes, Buenos Aires
Mercedes is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located 100 km west from Buenos Aires and 30 km south west of Luján. It is the head town of the district of Mercedes as well as of the judicial district...
. Despite a lack of formal training in paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, he started collecting fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s at an early age, and created a museum in his home town. He later became the curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the National University of Tucumán, were he was named Doctor Honoris causa
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
in 1974, and then in the late 1970s became a senior scientist at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
Southern diversity
The supercontinent of Pangea split into LaurasiaLaurasia
In paleogeography, Laurasia was the northernmost of two supercontinents that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from approximately...
in the north and Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
in the south during the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
. During the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
pulled away from the rest of Gondwana. The division caused a divergence between northern biota and the southern biota, and the southern animals appear strange to those used to the more northerly fauna. Bonaparte's finds illustrate this divergence, and caused paleontologist Robert Bakker to dub him the "Master of the Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
".
In South America, the titanosaur
Titanosaur
Titanosaurs were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, which included Saltasaurus and Isisaurus. It includes some of the heaviest creatures ever to walk the earth, such as Argentinosaurus and Paralititan — which some believe have weighed up to 100 tonnes...
s developed armor and flourished, while the sauropods of the northern continent were dying out and being replaced by vast herds of hadrosaurs; the carnivorous theropods were represented by abelisaurs and strange-looking dinosaurs like the horned, short-armed, and stub-nosed Carnotaurus
Carnotaurus
Carnotaurus was a large predatory dinosaur. Only one species, Carnotaurus sastrei has been described so far.Carnotaurus lived in Patagonia, Argentina during the Campanian or Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous...
. There are indications that a land bridge
Land bridge
A land bridge, in biogeography, is an isthmus or wider land connection between otherwise separate areas, over which animals and plants are able to cross and colonise new lands...
reunited North and South America during the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
because titanosaurs have been discovered as far north as Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and duck-bills as far south as Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
.
List of dinosaurs named
- AbelisaurusAbelisaurusAbelisaurus is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now South America. It was a bipedal carnivore that probably reached 7 to 9 meters in length, although it is known from only one partial skull.The generic name recognizes Roberto Abel as the...
comahuensis (1985, with Novas), a carnivorousCarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
theropod, like AllosaurusAllosaurusAllosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period . The name Allosaurus means "different lizard". It is derived from the Greek /allos and /sauros...
. - AgustiniaAgustiniaAgustinia is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of South America. Like all known sauropods, it was quadrupedal and herbivorous. Although some sauropods are known to have body armor, Agustinias armor was unique even among sauropods...
ligabuei (1998, formerly Augustia), a sauropod like BrachiosaurusBrachiosaurusBrachiosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America. It was first described by Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in the Grand River Canyon of western Colorado, in the United States. Riggs named the dinosaur Brachiosaurus altithorax,...
with spinal plates like StegosaurusStegosaurusStegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well... - AlvarezsaurusAlvarezsaurusAlvarezsaurus is a genus of small alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of Argentina, approximately 86 - 83 million years ago. Estimates suggest that it measured about 2 meters in length and weighed approximately 20 kg...
calvoi (1991), the original and most primitive member of the hard-to-classify birdBirdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
-like alvarezsaurids. - AmargasaurusAmargasaurusAmargasaurus is a genus of dicraeosaurid sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of what is now South America. It was small for a sauropod, reaching 10 meters length. It would have been a quadrupedal herbivore with a long, low skull on the end of a long neck, much like its relative...
cazaui (1991, with Salgado), a diplodocidDiplodocidDiplodocids, or members of the family Diplodocidae , are a group of sauropod dinosaurs. The family includes some of the longest creatures ever to walk the earth, including Diplodocus and Supersaurus, which may have reached lengths of up to .-Description:While still massive, when compared to the...
like DiplodocusDiplodocusDiplodocus , or )is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur whose fossils were first discovered in 1877 by S. W. Williston. The generic name, coined by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878, is a Neo-Latin term derived from Greek "double" and "beam", in reference to its double-beamed chevron bones...
, with spines (and a sail?) running down its back. - AndesaurusAndesaurusAndesaurus is a genus of basal titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur which existed during the middle of the Cretaceous Period in South America. Like most sauropods, it would have had a small head on the end of a long neck and an equally long tail...
delgadoi (1991, with Calvo), a titanosaurid and one of the largest dinosaurs. - ArgentinosaurusArgentinosaurusArgentinosaurus is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur first discovered by Guillermo Heredia in Argentina. The generic name refers to the country in which it was discovered...
huinculensis (1993, with Coria), a titanosaurid and one of the largest dinosaurs. - ArgyrosaurusArgyrosaurusArgyrosaurus is a genus of herbivorous titanosaurid dinosaur that lived about 90 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now South America . It was one of the largest dinosaurs, having a length of up to 20–30 metres and a weight estimated as high as eighty tonnes...
superbus (1984), a titanosaurid and one of the largest dinosaurs. - CarnotaurusCarnotaurusCarnotaurus was a large predatory dinosaur. Only one species, Carnotaurus sastrei has been described so far.Carnotaurus lived in Patagonia, Argentina during the Campanian or Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous...
sastrei (1985), a bull-headed ceratosauriaCeratosauriaCeratosaurs are members of a group of theropod dinosaurs defined as all theropods sharing a more recent common ancestry with Ceratosaurus than with birds. There is presently no universally agreed upon listing of species or diagnostic characters of Ceratosauria, though they were less derived...
n carnivore. - ColoradisaurusColoradisaurusColoradisaurus is a genus of massospondylid sauropodomorph dinosaur. It lived during the Late Triassic period in what is now La Rioja Province, Argentina. It is known from the holotype PVL 5904, nearly complete skull...
brevis (1978, formerly Coloradia), an early (TriassicTriassicThe Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
) sauropodomorph. - DinheirosaurusDinheirosaurusDinheirosaurus is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur. It has been found in the upper section of the Late Jurassic strata of the Camadas de Alcobaça Formation located in central-western Portugal at Porto Dinheiro, Lourinhã...
lourinhanensis (1999, with Octávio MateusOctávio MateusOctávio Mateus is a Portuguese dinosaur paleontologist and biologist . He received his PhD at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in 2005...
), Portuguese sauropod - GuaibasaurusGuaibasaurusGuaibasaurus is an extinct genus of basal dinosaur known from the Triassic of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil.-Discovery:Guaibasaurus was originally named on the basis of the holotype, MCN PV2355, a well-preserved partial postcranial skeleton and the paratype, MCN PV2356, an...
candelariensis (1998, with Ferigolo), a primitive saurischiaSaurischiaSaurischia meaning 'lizard' and ischion meaning 'hip joint') is one of the two orders, or basic divisions, of dinosaurs. In 1888, Harry Seeley classified dinosaurs into two orders, based on their hip structure...
n. - KritosaurusKritosaurusKritosaurus is an incompletely known but historically important genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur. It lived about 73 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous of North America...
australis (1984, with Frenchi, Powell and Sepúlveda), the most well known South American duck-bill. - LapparentosaurusLapparentosaurusLapparentosaurus is a genus of macronarian sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic. Its fossils were found in Madagascar.In 1895 Richard Lydekker named a new species of Bothriospondylus, B. madagascariensis based on fossils found before 1894 by J.T. Last in the Majunga Basin in layers of the...
madagascariensis (1986), a sauropod. - LigabueinoLigabueinoLigabueino is a genus of noasaurid dinosaur named after Italian doctor Giancario Ligabue. It is known only from an extremely fragmentary specimen, measuring 70 cm long. In spite of initial reports that it was an adult, the unfused vertebrae indicate that the specimen was a juvenile...
andesi (1996), a small ceratosaurian. - MussaurusMussaurusMussaurus was a genus of herbivorous prosauropod dinosaur that lived in southern Argentina during the Late Triassic Period, about 215 million years ago...
patagonicus (1979, with Vince), an early (Triassic) sauropodomorph known only from eggsEgg (biology)An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
and tiny baby skullSkullThe skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
s. - NoasaurusNoasaurusNoasaurus is the name given to a carnivorous dinosaur genus of the late Campanian-Maastrichtian...
leali (1980, with Powell), a ceratosaurian that was thought to have a Deinonychus-like hind claw (but the claw belongs on the hand). - PatagopteryxPatagopteryxPatagopteryx is an extinct monotypic genus of birds that lived during the Late Cretaceous, around 80 mya, in what is now the Sierra Barrosa in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. About the size of a chicken, it is the earliest known unequivocal example of secondary flightlessness: its skeleton...
(1992) - the world's most primitive flightless true bird - PiatnitzkysaurusPiatnitzkysaurusPiatnitzkysaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur. It is known from the Canadon Asfalto Formation, Middle Jurassic of what is now Argentina. Once thought to be a basal carnosaur, it may instead be a megalosauroid...
floresi (1979), a tetanuranTetanuraeTetanurae, or "stiff tails", is a clade that includes most theropod dinosaurs, as well as birds. Tetanurans first appear during the early or middle Jurassic Period.-Definition:...
theropod. - PterodaustroPterodaustroPterodaustro is a genus of Cretaceous pterodactyloid pterosaur from South America, which lived 105 million years ago.-Naming:The genus was named in 1969 by José Bonaparte as an as yet undescribed nomen nudum. The first description followed in 1970, making the name valid, the type species being...
(1970), a pterosaurPterosaurPterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
. - RayososaurusRayososaurusRayososaurus is a genus of plant-eating sauropod dinosaur of the superfamily Diplodocoidea. It was found in the Rayoso Formation, in Patagonia, Argentina and lived about 99 million years ago . The type species is R...
agrioensis (1996), a rebbachisaurid sauropod. - RiojasaurusRiojasaurusRiojasaurus was a herbivorous prosauropod dinosaur named after La Rioja Province in Argentina where it was found by José Bonaparte. It lived during the Late Triassic and grew to about long. Riojasaurus is the only known riojasaurid to live in South America.-Description:Riojasaurus had a heavy...
incertus (1969), an early (Triassic) sauropodomorph. - SaltasaurusSaltasaurusSaltasaurus is a genus of titanosaurid sauropod dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous Period. Relatively small among sauropods, though still massive by the standards of modern creatures, Saltasaurus was characterized by a diplodocid-like head...
loricatus (1980, with Powell), an armored titanosaurid. - VelocisaurusVelocisaurusVelocisaurus is a genus of ceratosaurian theropod dinosaur from the Cretaceous period of Argentina.In 1985 Oscar de Ferrariis and Zulma Gasparini uncovered fossils at Boca del Sapo in Neuquén province of Patagonia from layers of the Bajo de la Carpa Formation, dating from the Santonian. Among them...
unicus (1991), a ceratosaurian built for speed. - VolkheimeriaVolkheimeriaVolkheimeria was a brachiosaurid sauropod dinosaur. It lived during the Middle Jurassic, approximately 160 million years ago. Fossils of Volkheimeria have been found in Argentina. The type species, V. chubutensis, was described by José Bonaparte in 1979.-References:* at Dino Russ's Lair....
chubutensis (1979), a sauropod. - LigabuesaurusLigabuesaurusLigabuesaurus is a genus of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous . It was a basal titanosaurid sauropod which lived in what is now Argentina. The type species, Ligabuesaurus leanzai, was described by Jose Bonaparte, Gonzalez Riga, and Sebastián Apesteguía in 2006, based on a partial skeleton...
leanzai (2006), a sauropod.
Bonaparte also discovered or described a number of archosaur
Archosaur
Archosaurs are a group of diapsid amniotes whose living representatives consist of modern birds and crocodilians. This group also includes all extinct non-avian dinosaurs, many extinct crocodilian relatives, and pterosaurs. Archosauria, the archosaur clade, is a crown group that includes the most...
s and primitive bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s (such as Iberomesornis
Iberomesornis
Iberomesornis is a monotypic genus of enantiornithine bird of the Cretaceous of Spain.In 1985 the fossil of Iberomesornis was discovered by Armando Díaz Romeral in the Early Cretaceous Calizas de La Huérguina Formation at Las Hoyas, Cuenca Province, east central Spain, which dates to the late...
), and assisted with the study of other dinosaurs, like the Giganotosaurus
Giganotosaurus
Giganotosaurus is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur that lived around 97 million years ago during the early Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period. It included some of the largest known terrestrial carnivores, slightly larger than the largest Tyrannosaurus, but smaller than the...
carolinii.
Philosophy
Bonaparte is a traditionalist and does not use modern cladistic methods, which apply the principle of parsimony to a vast array of synapomorphiesSynapomorphy
In cladistics, a synapomorphy or synapomorphic character is a trait that is shared by two or more taxa and their most recent common ancestor, whose ancestor in turn does not possess the trait. A synapomorphy is thus an apomorphy visible in multiple taxa, where the trait in question originates in...
. Partly for this reason, he declined to work on modern treatise, The Dinosauria. However, from 2000 to 2007 Bonaparte used cladograms in his works and he worked hard in order to understand and use the method. Actually, his works both in sauropods (e.g., Ligabuesaurus) and proto-mammals from Brazil, show cladograms made by himself and co-authors. While he is most known for his dinosaur discoveries, he prefers working on mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s. He is reportedly hard working, stubborn, and has a strong personality.