Paul Sereno facts for kids
Paul Callistus Sereno (born October 11, 1957) is a famous paleontologist and professor at the University of Chicago. He has discovered many new dinosaur species on different continents, including places like Inner Mongolia, Argentina, Morocco, and Niger. One of his most well-known discoveries is a nearly complete skeleton of Sarcosuchus imperator, often called SuperCroc. He found this giant ancient crocodile in the Tenere desert in Niger.
Quick facts for kids
Paul C. Sereno
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Sereno in 2010
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| Born | October 11, 1957 Aurora, Illinois, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Northern Illinois University (B.S., Biological Sciences, 1979) Columbia University (M.A., Vertebrate Paleontology, 1981; M. Phil., Geological Sciences, 1981; Ph.D., Geological Sciences, 1987) |
| Known for | Discoveries in paleontology; founder of Project Exploration |
| Children | 2 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paleontology (vertebrate) |
| Institutions | University of Chicago |
| Doctoral students | Jeffrey A. Wilson |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Sereno |
Contents
About Paul Sereno
Early Life and Education
Paul Sereno grew up in Naperville, Illinois. His dad was a mail carrier, and his mom was an art teacher. He went to Northern Illinois University and later to Columbia University. There, he earned his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences in 1987, focusing on ancient animals.
Career and Discoveries
Paul Sereno is known for his exciting fossil discoveries around the world. He has led many expeditions to find new dinosaur species. He also helped start Project Exploration, which is a non-profit group. This group helps encourage kids from cities to get interested in science careers.
In 2008, Sereno made another amazing discovery. He found a large Stone Age cemetery at Gobero in the Nigerien Sahara desert. This site contained the remains of people who lived there between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago. At that time, the Sahara was much greener and had a large lake. A documentary called Skeletons of the Sahara was made about this discovery.
Amazing Fossils Discovered by Sereno's Team
Paul Sereno and his team have discovered and described many new fossil species. Here are some of the most important ones:
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Dinosaurs
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Documentaries Featuring Paul Sereno
Paul Sereno has also worked to share his discoveries with the public. He has appeared in many documentaries about dinosaurs and ancient life.
| Year | Title | Producer | Featured Fossils (Sites) |
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| 1992 | Fragments of Time | New Explorers, PBS | Eoraptor (Argentina) |
| 1992 | The Dinosaurs! - Flesh on the Bones | WHYY-TV, PBS | Herrerasaurus (Argentina) |
| 1994 | Skeletons in the Sand | New Explorers, PBS | (Niger) |
| 1995 | Paleoworld - African Graveyard, Part I: Hunting Dinosaurs | The Learning Channel | (Morocco) |
| 1995 | Paleoworld - African Graveyard, Part II: Discovering Dinosaurs | The Learning Channel | (Morocco) |
| 1996 | Paleoworld - Flesh on the Bones | The Learning Channel | Deltadromeus, Carcharodontosaurus (Morocco) |
| 1997 | Beyond T-Rex | Discovery Channel | Carcharodontosaurus (Morocco) |
| 1998 | Colossal Claw | National Geographic Explorer | Suchomimus (Sahara) |
| 1998 | Dinosaur Fever | National Geographic Explorer | sauropods (Niger) |
| 1999 | Africa's Dinosaur Giants | National Geographic Explorer | Jobaria (Niger) |
| 2001 | SuperCroc | NBC/NGC | Sarcosuchus |
| 2006 | Sky Monsters | NGC | pterosaur (Niger) |
| 2009 | Bizarre Dinos | NGC | Nigersaurus, Raptorex, Mykocephale |
| 2009 | When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs | NGChannel | BoarCroc, PancakeCroc, DuckCroc, DogCroc, RatCroc (Sahara, Australia) |
| 2013 | Skeletons of the Sahara | NOVA-NGTelevision | humans (Gobero, Niger) |
| 2014 | Bigger than T. rex | NOVA-NGTelevision | Spinosaurus (Morocco) |
Images for kids
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Sereno at a dig in 2010
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Sereno holding a cast of Sinornithomimus
See also
In Spanish: Paul Sereno para niños
