Lawrence Lambe
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Morris Lambe was a Canadian
geologist
and palaeontologist from the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC).
His published work, describing the diverse and plentiful dinosaur
discoveries from the fossil beds in Alberta
, did much to bring dinosaurs into the public eye and helped usher in the Golden Age of Dinosaurs in the province. During this period, between the 1880s and World War I, dinosaur hunters from all over the world converged on Alberta. Lambeosaurus
, a well-known hadrosaur, was named after him as a tribute, in 1923.
in Kingston, Ontario
from 1880-1883.
began in 1897. He discovered a number of new dinosaur genera and species over the next few years, and spent much of his time preparing the fossil galleries of the GSC's museum. In 1902, he described Canada's first dinosaur finds, various species of Monoclonius
. He described Centrosaurus
in 1904. Euoplocephalus
was named by him, in 1910. In 1913, he named Styracosaurus
. He was responsible for naming Chasmosaurus
and Gorgosaurus
, in 1914 and Eoceratops in 1915. In 1917, he created the genus Edmontosaurus
. In 1919 came Panoplosaurus
. He also discovered and named the hadrosaurid
Gryposaurus
.
Inevitably, it was not only dinosaurs that Lambe discovered. The crocodilian Leidysuchus canadensis
was described in 1907. This is the most commonly found crocodilian species found in the Late Cretaceous
deposits of Alberta
. He also studied Devonian
fishes from New Brunswick
and Paleozoic
coral
s, collected Tertiary
insect
s and plants in British Columbia
but it is for his work on vertebrates from western Canada, especially dinosaurs, that he is most famous.
, Canada was named in honour of Mr. Lawrence M. Lambe (RMC 1880-1883), Invertebrate Palaeontologist, Geological Survey. 46o 19' 49" North 83o 54' 25" West
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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...
and palaeontologist from the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC).
His published work, describing the diverse and plentiful 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...
discoveries from the fossil beds in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, did much to bring dinosaurs into the public eye and helped usher in the Golden Age of Dinosaurs in the province. During this period, between the 1880s and World War I, dinosaur hunters from all over the world converged on Alberta. Lambeosaurus
Lambeosaurus
Lambeosaurus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived about 76 to 75 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous Period of North America. This bipedal/quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaur is known for its distinctive hollow cranial crest, which in the best-known species resembled a hatchet...
, a well-known hadrosaur, was named after him as a tribute, in 1923.
Education
Lawrence Morris Lambe studied at the Royal Military College of CanadaRoyal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
from 1880-1883.
Career
Lambe's work in western CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
began in 1897. He discovered a number of new dinosaur genera and species over the next few years, and spent much of his time preparing the fossil galleries of the GSC's museum. In 1902, he described Canada's first dinosaur finds, various species of Monoclonius
Monoclonius
Monoclonius was a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Late Cretaceous Montana and Canada. It is often confused with Centrosaurus, a similar genus of ceratopsian . Monoclonius was described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1876...
. He described Centrosaurus
Centrosaurus
Centrosaurus is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous of Canada. Their remains have been found in the Dinosaur Park Formation and uppermost Oldman Formation, dating from 76.5 to 75.5 million years ago....
in 1904. Euoplocephalus
Euoplocephalus
Euoplocephalus was one of the largest genera of ankylosaurian dinosaurs, at about the size of a small elephant. It is also the ankylosaurian with the best fossil record, so its extensive spiked armor, low-slung body and great club-like tail are well documented.-Description:Among the...
was named by him, in 1910. In 1913, he named Styracosaurus
Styracosaurus
Styracosaurus was a genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period , about 76.5 to 75.0 million years ago...
. He was responsible for naming Chasmosaurus
Chasmosaurus
Chasmosaurus is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period of North America. Its name means 'opening lizard', referring to the large openings in its frill . With a length of and a weight of , Chasmosaurus was a ceratopsian of average size...
and Gorgosaurus
Gorgosaurus
Gorgosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, between about 76.5 and 75 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found in the Canadian province of Alberta and possibly the U.S. state of Montana....
, in 1914 and Eoceratops in 1915. In 1917, he created the genus Edmontosaurus
Edmontosaurus
Edmontosaurus is a genus of crestless hadrosaurid dinosaur. It contains two species: Edmontosaurus regalis and Edmontosaurus annectens. Fossils of E. regalis have been found in rocks of western North America that date from the late Campanian stage of the Cretaceous Period 73 million years ago,...
. In 1919 came Panoplosaurus
Panoplosaurus
Panoplosaurus is a genus of nodosaurid dinosaur. It was one of the last known nodosaurids, living during the Late Cretaceous in what is now North America; fossils have been located in Alberta, Canada....
. He also discovered and named the hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. They were common herbivores in the Upper Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia, Europe and North America. They are descendants of the Upper...
Gryposaurus
Gryposaurus
Gryposaurus was a genus of duckbilled dinosaur that lived about 83 to 75.5 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous of North America...
.
Inevitably, it was not only dinosaurs that Lambe discovered. The crocodilian Leidysuchus canadensis
Leidyosuchus
Leidyosuchus is an extinct genus of alligatoroid from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta. It was named in 1907 by Lawrence Lambe, and the type species is L. canadensis. It is known from a number of specimens from the middle Campanian age Dinosaur Park Formation...
was described in 1907. This is the most commonly found crocodilian species found in the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
deposits of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. He also studied Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
fishes from New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
s, collected Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and plants in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
but it is for his work on vertebrates from western Canada, especially dinosaurs, that he is most famous.
Books
- Lawrence Lambe 'Album of 632 paleontological drawings' (1885–1891), From The Logan Collection, Geological Survey of Canada (1891)
- Lawrence Morris Lambe `Collected papers` eBook - Digitized from 1901 volume
- Lawrence Morris Lambe ‘On Trionyx Foveatus, Lediy, And Trionyx, Vagans, Cope, From The Cretaceous Rocks Of Alberta’ (1902); published in 2008 by Kessinger Publishing, LLC.
- Lawrence Morris Lambe ‘Sponges From The Western Coast Of North America’ (1894); published in 2008 by Kessinger Publishing, LLC.
- Lawrence Morris Lambe ‘Presidential address: The past vertebrate life of Canada’ (1912) by Royal Society of Canada; published in 2008 by Kessinger Publishing, LLC.
- Lawrence Morris Lambe 'Description of a new species of Platysomus from the neighborhood of Banff, Alta' (1914) by Royal Society of Canada; published in 2008 by Kessinger Publishing, LLC.
- Lawrence Morris Lambe 'On new species of Aspideretes from the Belly River formation of Alberta: With further information regarding the structure of the carapace of Boremys pulchra' (1914) published in 2008 by Kessinger Publishing, LLC.
Honours
Lambe Island, Algoma District, OntarioAlgoma District, Ontario
Algoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858 comprising territory as far west as Minnesota...
, Canada was named in honour of Mr. Lawrence M. Lambe (RMC 1880-1883), Invertebrate Palaeontologist, Geological Survey. 46o 19' 49" North 83o 54' 25" West
External links
- http://search.eb.com/dinosaurs/dinosaurs/odinosu058p1.htmlImpression of Lambe's 'slothful Gorgosaurus' drawn by John SibbickJohn SibbickJohn Sibbick is a British freelance illustrator, perhaps best known for his reconstructions of prehistoric life in several media.Sibbick studied Graphics and Illustration at Guildford College of Art in the south of England...
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