Robert L. Carroll facts for kids

Robert "Bob" Lynn Carroll (May 5, 1938 – April 8, 2020) was an amazing American-Canadian scientist. He was a vertebrate paleontologist, which means he studied the fossils of animals with backbones. He was especially interested in amphibians and reptiles from ancient times. These times are known as the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.

Bob Carroll's Life Story

Bob Carroll grew up as an only child on a farm in Michigan. His father introduced him to paleontology when he was just five years old. By the time he was eight, Bob knew he wanted to be a vertebrate paleontologist.

For Christmas that year, he received a special gift: a fossilized left femur (thigh bone) from an Allosaurus dinosaur! This gift came from a famous paleontologist, Edwin H. Colbert. Bob's father had told Mr. Colbert about his son's passion for fossils. As a teenager, Bob's parents took him on many fossil hunting trips. They explored places like Wyoming and South Dakota.

Education and Early Career

After high school, Bob went to Michigan State University. He earned a science degree in Geology in 1959. Then, he went to Harvard University to study biology and palaeontology. His teacher there was Alfred Sherwood Romer, a very famous paleontologist. Bob earned his master's degree in 1961 and his Ph.D. in 1963. He was Professor Romer's last student.

His Ph.D. research was about a group of ancient amphibians called Dissorophoidea. These amphibians lived during the Paleozoic era. Scientists often think they are closely related to today's amphibians.

After getting his Ph.D., Bob worked at the Redpath Museum at McGill University in Montreal. He also worked at the Natural History Museum in London. During this time, he studied fossils of early four-legged animals, called tetrapods. Many of these fossils came from ancient tree stumps in Joggins, Nova Scotia. These fossils had been collected by Sir William Dawson, a former head of McGill University.

Working at McGill University

In 1964, Bob Carroll joined McGill University permanently. He became a curator at the Redpath Museum. A curator is someone who takes care of a museum's collections. The next year, he became the curator of vertebrate paleontology.

He taught zoology and biology at McGill for many years. From 1985 to 1991, he was the director of the Redpath Museum. He taught actively until 2003, and then became a professor emeritus. This means he was still connected to the university after retiring.

Bob Carroll passed away on April 8, 2020, in Westmount, Quebec. He died from problems related to COVID-19. He is remembered by his family, including his son David and granddaughter Juliette.

Bob Carroll's Scientific Discoveries

Bob Carroll was a very active scientist and wrote many papers. He studied many important topics in paleontology and how vertebrates evolved. He is most famous for his work on how amphibians and reptiles first appeared and changed over time. He wrote a lot about ancient amphibians called lepospondyls. He also wrote many articles about how tetrapods (animals with four limbs) moved onto land. He also studied ancient marine reptiles.

He wrote several important books, including:

• Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution (1988) – This book is still used as a key textbook today.
• Patterns and Processes of Vertebrate Evolution (1997)
• The Rise of Amphibians: 365 Million Years of Evolution (2009)

He also helped write other textbooks and edited books about the history of amphibians.

New Species Discovered

Bob Carroll helped name many new species of ancient animals. Here are some of the species he helped discover and name:

Animals Named After Bob Carroll

Several ancient animals have been named in honor of Bob Carroll. These include a fish called Mahengecharax carrolli. There are also two small, ancient amphibians (microsaurs) named Bolterpeton carrolli and Carrolla craddocki. Another ancient reptile, Opisthodontosaurus carrolli, was also named after him.

Awards and Legacy

Bob Carroll received many important awards for his work. Some of these include:

• The Charles Schuchert Award (1978)
• The Willet G. Miller Medal (2001)
• The Romer-Simpson Medal (2004) – This is the highest honor from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
• He was also made a member of the Order of Canada in 2019. This is one of Canada's highest honors.

He also served as the president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology from 1982 to 1983. There is even a special award, the Carroll Prize, named after him by the Canadian Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Bob Carroll is often called the "father of Canadian vertebrate paleontology." This is because many of today's leading Canadian paleontologists were once his students. He taught and guided many students who went on to become successful scientists themselves. Some of his notable students include Philip J. Currie and Robert R. Reisz.

See also

In Spanish: Robert L. Carroll para niños