Edwin Harris Colbert
Encyclopedia
Edwin Harris Colbert was a distinguished American
vertebrate
paleontologist and prolific researcher and author. He received his A.B.
from the University of Nebraska, then his Masters and Ph.D.
from Columbia University
, finishing in 1935.
Born in Clarinda, Iowa
, he grew up in Maryville, Missouri
. Among the positions he held was Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History
for 40 years, and Professor Emeritus of Vertebrate Paleontogy at Columbia University
. He was a protege of Henry Fairfield Osborn
, and a foremost authority on the Dinosauria.
For his work, Siwalik Mammals in the American Museum of Natural History, Colbert was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal
from the National Academy of Sciences
in 1935. He described dozens of new taxa
and authored major systematic reviews, including the discovery of more than a dozen complete skeletons of a primitive small Triassic dinosaur, Coelophysis
at Ghost Ranch
, New Mexico
, in 1947 (one of the largest concentrations of dinosaur deposits ever recorded), publication of their description, and a review of ceratopsia
n phylogeny.
In 1959, he headed an expedition to the Geopark
of Paleorrota
(Brazil
), within Llewellyn Ivor Price
.
His fieldwork in Antarctica in 1969 helped solidify the acceptance of continental drift
, by finding a 220-million-year-old fossil of a Lystrosaurus
. His popularity and his text books on dinosaur
s, paleontology
, and stratigraphy
(with Marshall Kay
) introduced a new generation of scientists and amateur enthusiasts to the subject. He was the recipient of numerous prizes and awards commemorating his many achievements in the field of science.
He became curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Museum of Northern Arizona
in Flagstaff, Arizona
in 1970. Along with his wife, Margaret, he had five sons. He died at his home in Flagstaff.
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 and prolific researcher and author. He received his A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Nebraska, then his Masters and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from 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...
, finishing in 1935.
Born in Clarinda, Iowa
Clarinda, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 5,572 in the city, with a population density of . There were 2,180 housing units, of which 1,928 were occupied....
, he grew up in Maryville, Missouri
Maryville, Missouri
Maryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries...
. Among the positions he held was Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at 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...
for 40 years, and Professor Emeritus of Vertebrate Paleontogy at 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...
. He was a protege of Henry Fairfield Osborn
Henry Fairfield Osborn
Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sr. ForMemRS was an American geologist, paleontologist, and eugenicist.-Early life and career:...
, and a foremost authority on the Dinosauria.
For his work, Siwalik Mammals in the American Museum of Natural History, Colbert was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal
Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal
The Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "for meritorious work in zoology or paleontology published in a three- to five-year period." Named after Daniel Giraud Elliot, it was first awarded in 1917....
from the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
in 1935. He described dozens of new taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
and authored major systematic reviews, including the discovery of more than a dozen complete skeletons of a primitive small Triassic dinosaur, Coelophysis
Coelophysis
Coelophysis , meaning "hollow form" in reference to its hollow bones , is one of the earliest known genera of dinosaur...
at Ghost Ranch
Ghost Ranch
Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center located close to the village of Abiquiu in Rio Arriba County in north central New Mexico. The conference center and lodgings at Ghost Ranch are run by the Presbyterian Church but open to the general public.-History:Ghost Ranch is part of Piedra...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, in 1947 (one of the largest concentrations of dinosaur deposits ever recorded), publication of their description, and a review of ceratopsia
Ceratopsia
Ceratopsia or Ceratopia is a group of herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs which thrived in what are now North America, Europe, and Asia, during the Cretaceous Period, although ancestral forms lived earlier, in the Jurassic. The earliest known ceratopsian, Yinlong downsi, lived between 161.2 and 155.7...
n phylogeny.
In 1959, he headed an expedition to the Geopark
Geopark
A Geopark is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its UNESCO Geoparks International Network of Geoparks programme as follows:...
of Paleorrota
Paleorrota
Paleorrota , is a geopark located in the center of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The rocks and fossils found along the route date back to the times when there was only one supercontinent Pangaea....
(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...
), within Llewellyn Ivor Price
Llewellyn Ivor Price
Llewellyn Ivor Price was one of the first Brazilian paleontologists.-Biography:Price's work contributed not only to the development of Brazilian but also to global paleontology...
.
His fieldwork in Antarctica in 1969 helped solidify the acceptance of continental drift
Continental drift
Continental drift is the movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other. The hypothesis that continents 'drift' was first put forward by Abraham Ortelius in 1596 and was fully developed by Alfred Wegener in 1912...
, by finding a 220-million-year-old fossil of a Lystrosaurus
Lystrosaurus
Lystrosaurus was a genus of Late Permian and Early Triassic Period dicynodont therapsids, which lived around 250 million years ago in what is now Antarctica, India, and South Africa...
. His popularity and his text books on 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...
s, paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, and stratigraphy
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
(with Marshall Kay
Marshall Kay
Marshall Kay was a geologist and professor at Columbia University. He is best known for his studies of the Ordovician of New York, Newfoundland, and Nevada, but his studies were global and he published widely on the stratigraphy of the middle and upper Ordovician. Kay's careful fieldwork provided...
) introduced a new generation of scientists and amateur enthusiasts to the subject. He was the recipient of numerous prizes and awards commemorating his many achievements in the field of science.
He became curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Museum of Northern Arizona
Museum of Northern Arizona
The Museum of Northern Arizona is a museum in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, that was established as a repository for Native American artifacts and natural history specimens from the Colorado Plateau.The museum was founded in 1928 by zoologist Dr. Harold S...
in Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
in 1970. Along with his wife, Margaret, he had five sons. He died at his home in Flagstaff.
Works
He wrote more than 20 books and over 400 scientific articles.- 1935: Siwalik Mammals in the American Museum of Natural History
- 1945: The Dinosaur Book: The Ruling Reptiles and Their Relatives
- 1977: Dinosaur World. - ISBN 9780873960816.
- 1983: Dinosaurs : An Illustrated History. - ISBN 9780843733327.
- 1984: The Great Dinosaur Hunters and Their Discoveries. - ISBN 9780486247014.
- 1985: Wandering Lands and Animals: The Story of Continental Drift and Animal Populations. - ISBN 9780486249186.
- 1989: Digging into the Past: An Autobiography. - ISBN 9780942637083.
- 1995: The Little Dinosaurs of Ghost Ranch. - ISBN 9780231082365.
- 1997: Age of Reptiles. - ISBN 9780486293776.
- 1980: Fossil-Hunter's Notebook: My Life with Dinosaurs and Other Friends. - w/Elias Colbert. - ISBN 9780525107729.
- 2001: Colbert's Evolution of the Vertebrates: A History of the Backboned Animals Through TimeEvolution of the VertebratesEvolution of the Vertebrates, subtitled "A History of the Backboned Animals Through Time" is a basic paleontology textbook by Edwin H. Colbert, published by John Wiley & Sons.-Overview:...
. - w/Eli C. Minkoff & Michael Morales. - ISBN 9780471384618.