Samuel Stutchbury
Encyclopedia
Samuel Stutchbury was an English
naturalist
and geologist
. He was co-discoverer of Thecodontosaurus
, which in 1836 was the fourth dinosaur
genus
to be named. He also played a part in Gideon Mantell
's naming of Iguanodon
. As a geological surveyor
he mapped a large area of eastern Australia
.
, the son of a gauging instrument maker. In 1820 he became assistant conservator
at the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons and in 1821 was made an associate of the Linnean Society of London
. In 1824 he had a part in Gideon Mantell's identification of Iguanodon
, which in 1825 would become the second dinosaur to be formally named. It was Stutchbury who realised that Mantell's fossil
s of teeth resembled the teeth of the iguana
specimen which Stutchbury had just prepared at the Hunterian Museum.
In 1825 he took part as a zoologist
in an expedition of the Pacific Pearl Fishery Company to New South Wales
and the Tuamotus
.
of the museum at the Bristol Institution. Fossil finds from excavations that he carried out at Bristol
with local naturalist Henry Riley led to their announcement of Thecodontosaurus in 1836. This was only the fourth dinosaur genus to be named, although it was originally omitted from the group Dinosauria when the group was named by Richard Owen
in 1842.
In 1841 Stutchbury became a Fellow of the Geological Society of London
.
From 1850–55 he worked as a geological and mineral surveyor in Australia
. Originally appointed to survey the New South Wales gold finds, he eventually mapped 32,000 square miles (over 82,000 square km) from New South Wales to Queensland
.
Stutchbury died on 12 February 1859 in Bristol
. A number of fossil and recent organisms have been named after him.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and geologist
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...
. He was co-discoverer of Thecodontosaurus
Thecodontosaurus
Thecodontosaurus is a genus of herbivorous basal sauropodomorph dinosaur which lived during the late Triassic period ....
, which in 1836 was the fourth 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...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
to be named. He also played a part in Gideon Mantell
Gideon Mantell
Gideon Algernon Mantell MRCS FRS was an English obstetrician, geologist and palaeontologist...
's naming of Iguanodon
Iguanodon
Iguanodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived roughly halfway between the first of the swift bipedal hypsilophodontids and the ornithopods' culmination in the duck-billed dinosaurs...
. As a geological surveyor
Geological survey
The term geological survey can be used to describe both the conduct of a survey for geological purposes and an institution holding geological information....
he mapped a large area of eastern Australia
Eastern states of Australia
In Australia, the term eastern states refers to the states adjoining the east coast of Australia. These are the mainland states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory, while not states, are also included. The term usually includes the...
.
Early life
Stutchbury was born on 15 January 1798 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of a gauging instrument maker. In 1820 he became assistant conservator
Conservator (museum)
A conservator is a professional who works on the conservation of objects. Their work involves determining the structural stability of an object, addressing problems of chemical and physical deterioration, and performing corrective treatment based on an evaluation of the aesthetic, historic, and...
at the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons and in 1821 was made an associate of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
. In 1824 he had a part in Gideon Mantell's identification of Iguanodon
Iguanodon
Iguanodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived roughly halfway between the first of the swift bipedal hypsilophodontids and the ornithopods' culmination in the duck-billed dinosaurs...
, which in 1825 would become the second dinosaur to be formally named. It was Stutchbury who realised that Mantell's fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of teeth resembled the teeth of the iguana
Iguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
specimen which Stutchbury had just prepared at the Hunterian Museum.
In 1825 he took part as a zoologist
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
in an expedition of the Pacific Pearl Fishery Company to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and the Tuamotus
Tuamotus
The Tuamotus or the Tuamotu Archipelago are a chain of islands and atolls in French Polynesia. They form the largest chain of atolls in the world, spanning an area of the Pacific Ocean roughly the size of Western Europe...
.
Later years
From 1831–50 Stutchbury was curatorCurator
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 museum at the Bristol Institution. Fossil finds from excavations that he carried out at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
with local naturalist Henry Riley led to their announcement of Thecodontosaurus in 1836. This was only the fourth dinosaur genus to be named, although it was originally omitted from the group Dinosauria when the group was named by Richard Owen
Richard Owen
Sir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
in 1842.
In 1841 Stutchbury became a Fellow of the Geological Society of London
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
.
From 1850–55 he worked as a geological and mineral surveyor in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Originally appointed to survey the New South Wales gold finds, he eventually mapped 32,000 square miles (over 82,000 square km) from New South Wales to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Stutchbury died on 12 February 1859 in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. A number of fossil and recent organisms have been named after him.