Louis L. Jacobs
Encyclopedia
Louis L. Jacobs is an American
vertebrate
paleontologist who discovered Malawisaurus
while on an expedition in Malawi
. Much of his research concerns the interrelationships of biotic
and abiotic events through time. In recent years he has focused on the middle portion of the Cretaceous
and the Cenozoic
, especially with respect to terrestrial ecosystems.
He used to be the president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and is currently a professor of geological sciences at Dedman's College and the President of the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man (ISEM) at Southern Methodist University
(SMU). At one point in time, he was the director of the Museum of Natural History
in Dallas, Texas
.
Louis Jacobs is a vertebrate paleontologist who utilizes the fossil record to answer significant questions about Earth and life history. His fieldwork is currently focused in Angola
, Antarctica, Alaska
, and Mongolia
.
from the University of Arizona
. While he was accomplishing this, Jacobs was also working with Kenyan
anthropologist Richard Leakey
. Afterward, he began working at SMU in 1983.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
paleontologist who discovered Malawisaurus
Malawisaurus
Malawisaurus was a genus of sauropod dinosaur . It lived in what is now Africa, specifically Malawi, during the Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous Period. It is one of the few titanosaurs for which skull material has been found.It was named by Louis L. Jacobs and colleagues, and was originally...
while on an expedition in Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
. Much of his research concerns the interrelationships of biotic
Biotic component
Biotic components are the living things that shape an ecosystem. A biotic factor is any living component that affects another organism, including animals that consume the organism in question, and the living food that the organism consumes. Each biotic factor needs energy to do work and food for...
and abiotic events through time. In recent years he has focused on the middle portion of 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...
and the Cenozoic
Cenozoic
The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...
, especially with respect to terrestrial ecosystems.
He used to be the president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and is currently a professor of geological sciences at Dedman's College and the President of the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man (ISEM) at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
(SMU). At one point in time, he was the director of the Museum of Natural History
Museum of Natural History
A museum of natural history is a museum with exhibits about natural history, including such topics as animals, plants, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, and climatology. Some museums feature natural-history collections in addition to other collections, such as ones related to history, art and...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Louis Jacobs is a vertebrate paleontologist who utilizes the fossil record to answer significant questions about Earth and life history. His fieldwork is currently focused in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Antarctica, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
.
Career
He earned his Ph.D.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...
from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. While he was accomplishing this, Jacobs was also working with Kenyan
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
anthropologist Richard Leakey
Richard Leakey
Richard Erskine Frere Leakey is a politician, paleoanthropologist and conservationist. He is second of the three sons of the archaeologists Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey, and is the younger brother of Colin Leakey...
. Afterward, he began working at SMU in 1983.
Books Written
- A Global View of Early Cretaceous Dinosaurs (1997)
- Cretaceous Dinosaurs of Africa: Examples from Cameroon and Malawi, Memoirs of the Queensland Museum (Co-writer) (1996)
- Lone Star DinosaursLone Star DinosaursLone Star Dinosaurs is a book written by Louis L. Jacobs and published in 1995. It concerns the history of dinosaurs in Texas and the people who found their remains. Most of the dinosaurs in the book are from the Cretaceous age and a few of the dinosaurs include Pleurocoelus, Alamosaurus,...
(1995)
- Cretaceous Airport - The Surprising Story of Real Dinosaurs at DFW (1993)
- Quest for the African Dinosaur: Ancient Roots of the Modern World (1993)
- Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Terrestrial carnivores, ungulates, and ungulatelike mammals (Co-editor)
- Late Miocene Small Mammal Faunal Dynamics: The Crossroads of the Arabian Peninsula (Co-writer)
- A Dinosaur from the Republic of Yemen (Co-writer)