Alexander Kellner
Encyclopedia
Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner (Vaduz
, 26 September 1961) is a Liechtensteinian/Brazilian paleontologist, a leading expert in the field of the study of pterosaurs.
Alexander Kellner was born in Liechtenstein
, in his early childhood moving with his parents to Brazil
, where he was naturalized. In Rio de Janeiro
he received a primary and secondary education
at the bilingual Escola Corcovado. In 1981 he began to study geology
at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
. As a student he soon got involved in the research of fossil vertebrates, especially pterosaur specimens from the Santana Formation
, on which he published many papers in the late eighties. He earned a Master of Science
degree in geology at UFRJ in 1991, and a M. Phil. in 1994 and the Ph.D. in 1996 from the Columbia University
(New York
) in a joint program with the American Museum of Natural History
. In 1997 he became professor
at the Museu Nacional, the Brazilian National Museum that is part of the UFRJ, the largest university of Brazil and curator
of the geological and paleontological department of that institution. From 1998 to 2001, he served as the chairman of the department and from 2008 is heading the zoology graduate program. Kellner is also chief editor of the Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, the official publication of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences
.
Part of his working with fossil reptiles, particularly pterosaurs, entailed organizing the Pterosaur Workshop in Pittsburgh (1995) and the first Pterosaur Symposium ever held at the American Museum of Natural History (1996). Furthermore, he was involved in the organization of several scientific meetings in Brazil such as the 31st International Geological Congress (Rio de Janeiro, 2000) and the 2nd Latin-American Congress of Vertebrate Paleontology (Rio de Janeiro, 2005).
Kellner has organized or taken part in several paleontological expeditions to many locations around the globe, including Brazil (Mato Grosso
, Rio Grande do Sul
and Ceará
), the deserts of Atacama (Chile) and Kerman
(Iran
), the famous deposits of Liaoning
(China) and even to Antarctica (James Ross Island
).
Kellner has over five hundred publications on his name (including abstracts and popular science articles), he has published more than 130 primary studies and two popular science books: Pterossauros - os senhores do céu do Brasil ("Pterosaurs — lords of the Brazilian sky") and the novel Na terra dos titãs ("In the land of the titans"). He also took part in documentaries regarding fossils (e.g., Antarctica - a summer of 70 million years; Dinosaur Hunters).
Due to his scientific activity he received several honours, being appointed a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences in 1996. He is also honourable member of the New York Paleontologial Society and the Sociedad Paleontológica de Chile. He is a research associate of the American Museum of Natural History and of the Chinese Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
(IVPP).
Besides his teaching activity, having advised over fifteen master and Ph.D. students, Kellner has been active in the propagation of scientific knowledge to the general population. He organized in 1999 the exposition No Tempo dos Dinossauros ("In the Time of the Dinosaurs"), which has been regarded as a landmark for the establishment of paleontology in Brazil, attracting the attention of the Brazilian Society for the studies of fossils. He also in 2006 organized the mounting of the first large-scale dinosaur skeleton in Brazil, that of the sauropod Maxakalisaurus
topai, for which he received recognition from the Brazilian Congress. Since 2004 he writes monthly in the column Caçadores de Fósseis, "Fossil Hunters", of the site Ciência Hoje On Line, a project of the Brazilian Society for Scientific Progress
Apart from studying their fossils, Kellner has performed important theoretical work on pterosaurs, including cladistic studies regarding their phylogeny. In this he is the founder of a distinctive Brazilian school of the study of pterosaurs, with its own favoured phylogenetic model, clade terminology and nomenclature. Rivalling models and nomenclatural choices have been provided by the influential British pterosaur researcher David Unwin.
, among which Santanaraptor
(1996, 1999) that shows among the best soft tissue (blood vessels, muscle fibers) reported in any dinosaur
and Thalassodromeus
(2002, a study done with Diogenes de Almeida Campos) that allowed the establishment of a new hypothesis regarding the use of the head crest in body temperature regulation of pterosaurs.
A complete list of new species described and named by Kellner, sometimes in cooperation with other researchers, includes:
Vaduz
Vaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. The town, located along the Rhine, has about 5,100 inhabitants , most of whom are Roman Catholic. Its cathedral is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop....
, 26 September 1961) is a Liechtensteinian/Brazilian paleontologist, a leading expert in the field of the study of pterosaurs.
Alexander Kellner was born in Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, in his early childhood moving with his parents to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where he was naturalized. In Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
he received a primary and secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
at the bilingual Escola Corcovado. In 1981 he began to study geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is one of the largest federal universities of Brazil, where public universities comprise the majority of the best and most qualified institutions...
. As a student he soon got involved in the research of fossil vertebrates, especially pterosaur specimens from the Santana Formation
Santana Formation
The Santana Formation is a geologic Lagerstätte in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin where the states of Pernambuco, Piauí and Ceará come together. The geological formation, named after the village of Santana do Cariri, lies at the base of the Araripe Plateau...
, on which he published many papers in the late eighties. He earned a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in geology at UFRJ in 1991, and a M. Phil. in 1994 and the Ph.D. in 1996 from the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) in a joint program with the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
. In 1997 he became professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the Museu Nacional, the Brazilian National Museum that is part of the UFRJ, the largest university of Brazil and 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 geological and paleontological department of that institution. From 1998 to 2001, he served as the chairman of the department and from 2008 is heading the zoology graduate program. Kellner is also chief editor of the Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, the official publication of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences
Brazilian Academy of Sciences
The Brazilian Academy of Sciences is the national academy of Brazil. It is headquartered in the city of Rio de Janeiro and was founded in 1916....
.
Part of his working with fossil reptiles, particularly pterosaurs, entailed organizing the Pterosaur Workshop in Pittsburgh (1995) and the first Pterosaur Symposium ever held at the American Museum of Natural History (1996). Furthermore, he was involved in the organization of several scientific meetings in Brazil such as the 31st International Geological Congress (Rio de Janeiro, 2000) and the 2nd Latin-American Congress of Vertebrate Paleontology (Rio de Janeiro, 2005).
Kellner has organized or taken part in several paleontological expeditions to many locations around the globe, including Brazil (Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
, Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
and Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
), the deserts of Atacama (Chile) and Kerman
Kerman
- Geological characteristics :For the Iranian paleontologists, Kerman has always been considered a fossil paradise. Finding new dinosaur footprints in 2005 has now revealed new hopes for paleontologists to better understand the history of this area.- Economy :...
(Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
), the famous deposits of Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
(China) and even to Antarctica (James Ross Island
James Ross Island
James Ross Island is a large island off the southeast side and near the northeastern extremity of Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by Prince Gustav Channel. Rising to , it is irregularly shaped and extends in a north-south direction. It was charted in October 1903 by the Swedish...
).
Kellner has over five hundred publications on his name (including abstracts and popular science articles), he has published more than 130 primary studies and two popular science books: Pterossauros - os senhores do céu do Brasil ("Pterosaurs — lords of the Brazilian sky") and the novel Na terra dos titãs ("In the land of the titans"). He also took part in documentaries regarding fossils (e.g., Antarctica - a summer of 70 million years; Dinosaur Hunters).
Due to his scientific activity he received several honours, being appointed a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences in 1996. He is also honourable member of the New York Paleontologial Society and the Sociedad Paleontológica de Chile. He is a research associate of the American Museum of Natural History and of the Chinese Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of China is a prominent research institution and collections repository for fossils, including many dinosaur and pterosaurand cat poo specimens...
(IVPP).
Besides his teaching activity, having advised over fifteen master and Ph.D. students, Kellner has been active in the propagation of scientific knowledge to the general population. He organized in 1999 the exposition No Tempo dos Dinossauros ("In the Time of the Dinosaurs"), which has been regarded as a landmark for the establishment of paleontology in Brazil, attracting the attention of the Brazilian Society for the studies of fossils. He also in 2006 organized the mounting of the first large-scale dinosaur skeleton in Brazil, that of the sauropod Maxakalisaurus
Maxakalisaurus
Maxakalisaurus is a genus of aeolosaurid dinosaur, found in Brazil, 45 kilometers from the city of Prata, in the state of Minas Gerais in 1998...
topai, for which he received recognition from the Brazilian Congress. Since 2004 he writes monthly in the column Caçadores de Fósseis, "Fossil Hunters", of the site Ciência Hoje On Line, a project of the Brazilian Society for Scientific Progress
Apart from studying their fossils, Kellner has performed important theoretical work on pterosaurs, including cladistic studies regarding their phylogeny. In this he is the founder of a distinctive Brazilian school of the study of pterosaurs, with its own favoured phylogenetic model, clade terminology and nomenclature. Rivalling models and nomenclatural choices have been provided by the influential British pterosaur researcher David Unwin.
List of species named by Kellner
Kellner's scientific achievements include the description of more than thirty speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, among which Santanaraptor
Santanaraptor
Santanaraptor is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Albian or Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous, about 108 million years ago. Known from a partial juvenile specimen recovered with mineralized soft tissue, which was unearthed in 1996 from the Santana Formation of...
(1996, 1999) that shows among the best soft tissue (blood vessels, muscle fibers) reported in any 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...
and Thalassodromeus
Thalassodromeus
Thalassodromeus was a large pterodactyloid pterosaur found in northeastern Brazil.The genus was named in 2002 by Alexander Kellner and Diogenes de Almeida Campos. The type species is Thalassodromeus sethi. The genus name is derived from Greek thalasse, "sea" and dromaios, "runner", in reference to...
(2002, a study done with Diogenes de Almeida Campos) that allowed the establishment of a new hypothesis regarding the use of the head crest in body temperature regulation of pterosaurs.
A complete list of new species described and named by Kellner, sometimes in cooperation with other researchers, includes:
- BrasileodactylusBrasileodactylusBrasileodactylus is the name assigned to the remains of a pterosaur from the Lower Santana formation of the Aptian of Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Brazil....
araripensis Kellner, 1984 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - AnhangueraAnhangüeraAnhangüera originates from a word in the Tupi language which was the nickname given by Brazilian Indians to an explorer and "bandeirante", Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva .It may also refer to:* Anhanguera, Goiás, a municipality in the state of Goiás...
blittersdorffi Campos & Kellner, 1985 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - OshuniaOshuniaOshunia is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Cenomanian.-See also:* Prehistoric fish* List of prehistoric bony fish...
brevis Wenz & Kellner, 1986 (PiscesPiscesPisces may refer to:*Pisces , a constellation*Pisces , an astrological sign*Fish , as an obsolete taxonomic term*OZ-09MMS Pisces, a fictional mecha in the Gundam Wing anime...
, Halecomorphi). - CaririsuchusCaririsuchusCaririsuchus is an extinct genus of trematochampsid crocodylomorph. Fossils have been found from the Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation in northeastern Brazil, dating back to the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous. It was about 1.5m in length....
camposi Kellner, 1987 (Reptilia, Crocodylia) - TupuxuaraTupuxuaraTupuxuara is a genus of large, crested, toothless pterodactyloid pterosaur.The genus was in 1988 named and described by Alexander Kellner and Diogenes de Almeida Campos. The type species is Tupuxuara longicristatus. The genus name refers to a familiar spirit from the mythology of the Tupi...
longicristatus Kellner & Campos, 1988 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - TapejaraTapejaraTapejara is a genus of Brazilian pterosaur from the Cretaceous Period...
wellnhoferi Kellner, 1989 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - Tupuxuara leonardii Kellner & Campos, 1994 (Reptilia, Pterosauria)
- Angaturama limai Kellner & Campos, 1996 (Reptilia, Dinosauria)
- Ongghonia dashzevegi Kellner & McKenna, 1996 (Mammalia, Leptictidae)
- TupandactylusTupandactylusTupandactylus is a genus of tapejarid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. It is notable for its large cranial crest, composed partly of bone and partly of soft tissue...
imperator (Campos & Kellner, 1997) (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - Siroccopteryx moroccensis Mader & Kellner, 1999 (Reptilia, Pterosauria)
- GondwanatitanGondwanatitanGondwanatitan was a titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur. Gondwanatitan was found in Brazil, at the time part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana , in the late Cretaceous Period . Like some other sauropods, Gondwanatitan was tall and ate tough shoots and leaves off of the tops of trees. G...
faustoi Kellner & Azevedo, 1999 (Reptilia, Dinosauria) - SantanaraptorSantanaraptorSantanaraptor is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Albian or Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous, about 108 million years ago. Known from a partial juvenile specimen recovered with mineralized soft tissue, which was unearthed in 1996 from the Santana Formation of...
placidus Kellner, 1999 (Reptilia, Dinosauria) - Anhanguera piscator Kellner & Tomida, 2000 (Reptilia, Pterosauria)
- StratiotosuchusStratiotosuchusStratiotosuchus is an extinct genus of baurusuchid mesoeucrocodylian which existed in the Adamantina Formation, Brazil during the late Cretaceous period . It was first named by Campos, D.A., Suarez, J.M., Riff, D. and Kellner, A.W.A. in 2001 and the type species is Stratiotosuchus maxhechti...
maxhechti Campos, Suarez, Riff & Kellner, 2001 (Reptilia, Crocodylia) - ThalassodromeusThalassodromeusThalassodromeus was a large pterodactyloid pterosaur found in northeastern Brazil.The genus was named in 2002 by Alexander Kellner and Diogenes de Almeida Campos. The type species is Thalassodromeus sethi. The genus name is derived from Greek thalasse, "sea" and dromaios, "runner", in reference to...
sethi Kellner & Campos, 2002 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - PycnonemosaurusPycnonemosaurusPycnonemosaurus is a genus of carnivorous theropod dinosaur that belonged to the family Abelisauridae. It was found in the Upper Cretaceous Bauru-type red conglomerate sandstone, in the Mato Grosso, in Brazil and lived about 70 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous .Thus far, fossil...
nevesi Kellner & Campos, 2002 (Reptilia, Dinosauria) - Kaikaifilusaurus calvoi Simón & Kellner, 2003. (Reptilia, SphenodontiaSphenodontiaSphenodontia is an order of lizard-like reptiles that includes only one living genus, the tuatara , and only two living species...
) - UnaysaurusUnaysaurusUnaysaurus is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur, and is one of the oldest dinosaurs known. It was discovered in southern Brazil,in the geopark of paleorrota, in 1998, and announced in a press conference on Thursday, December 3, 2004...
tolentinoi Leal, L.A., Azevedo, S.A., Kellner, A.W.A. & Rosa, Á.A.S., 2004 (Reptilia, Dinosauria) - UnenlagiaUnenlagiaUnenlagia is a genus of, possibly dromaeosaurid, theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina....
paynemili Calvo, J.O., Porfiri, J. & Kellner, A.W.A., 2004 (Reptilia, Dinosauria) - FeilongusFeilongusFeilongus is an extinct genus of ctenochasmatoid or ornithocheiroid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian-Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Beipiao, Liaoning, China....
youngi Wang, Kellner, Zhou & Campos, 2005 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - NurhachiusNurhachiusNurhachius was a genus of istiodactylid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian-Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Chaoyang, Liaoning, China....
ignaciobritoi Wang, Kellner, Zhou & Campos, 2005 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - BaurutitanBaurutitanBaurutitan was a genus of sauropod dinosaur that appeared in the Late Cretaceous Period. This plant eater grew up to 79 feet long. It was a titanosaur which lived in what is now present-day Brazil....
britoi Kellner, A.W.A., Campos, D. A., Trotta, M. N. F. 2005 (Reptilia, Dinosauria) - TrigonosaurusTrigonosaurusTrigonosaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now Brazil. The type species, Trigonosaurus pricei, was first described by Campos, Kellner, Bertini, and Santucci in 2005. It is based on two specimens, both consisting mainly of vertebrae...
pricei Campos, D.A., Kellner, A.W.A., Bertini, R.J., Santucci, R.M. 2005 (Reptilia, Dinosauria) - CaririemysCaririemysCaririemys violetae is an extinct side-necked turtle belonging to the Pelomedusoides of the family Euraxemydidae. As with many described extinct taxa, it is the only known species in its genus Caririemys...
violetae Oliveira, G.R. & Kellner, A.W.A. 2007 (Reptilia, Testudines) - GegepterusGegepterusGegepterus was a genus of ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous-age Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China.The genus was named in 2007 by Wang Xiaolin, Alexander Kellner, Zhou Zhonge and Diogenes de Almeida Campos. The type species is Gegepterus changi...
changi Wang, Kellner, Zhou & Campos, 2007 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - Futalognkosaurus dukei Calvo, J.O., Porfiri, J., González-Riga, B.J. & Kellner, A.W.A., 2007 (Reptilia, Dinosauria)
- NemicolopterusNemicolopterusNemicolopterus is a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur, described in 2008. The type and only known species is N. crypticus. It lived in the Jehol Biota 120 million years ago. Its wingspan of slightly under 25 centimeters makes it smaller than any but a few specimens of hatchling...
crypticus Wang, Kellner, Zhou & Campos, 2008 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - GuarinisuchusGuarinisuchusGuarinisuchus is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform from the Early Paleocene 62 million years ago of Brazil. The type species is G. munizi.- Sources :*http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/photogalleries/crocodile-pictures/index.html...
munizi Barbosa, Kellner & Viana, 2008 (Reptilia, Crocodylia) - HongshanopterusHongshanopterusHongshanopterus is a genus of istiodactylid ornithocheiroid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, China. It is based on IVPP V14582, a skull and neck vertebrae of a single individual. The teeth had triangular crowns and were flattened from mouth side...
lacustris Wang, Zhou, Campos & Kellner, 2008 (Reptilia, Pterosauria) - CoringasuchusCoringasuchusCoringasuchus is a genus of mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliform, perhaps a notosuchian. It is known from fossils including cranial material discovered in rocks of the early Cenomanian-age Upper Cretaceous Alcântara Formation, Cajual Island, northeastern Brazil. Coringasuchus was described by A.W.A....
anisodontis Kellner, A.W.A., Pinheiro, A.E.P., Azevedo, S.A.K., Henriques, D.D.R., Carvalho, L.B. & Oliveira, G. 2009 (Reptilia, Crocodylia) - WukongopterusWukongopterusWukongopterus is a genus of basal pterosaur, found in Liaoning, China, from the Daohugou Beds, of the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous. It was unusual for having both an elongate neck and a long tail....
lii Wang, Kellner, Jiang, Meng 2009 (Reptilia, Pterosauria)
External links
- Museu Nacional/UFRJ - http://acd.ufrj.br/mndgp/kellner/p/index.html