Darren Naish is a vertebrate paleontologist and science writer, presently based at the University of Portsmouth where he works on theropod dinosaurs, particularly those of Early Cretaceous England. Having studied under British paleontologist David Martill, he initially began a research career in paleontology with the intention of working on fossil marine reptiles. He is best known among technical paleontologists for his doctoral work on the basal tyrannosauroid theropod Eotyrannus, a dinosaur that, together with Steve Hutt and colleagues, he named in 2001. He has published articles on the theropods Thecocoelurus, Calamospondylus and Aristosuchus. With David Martill and Dino Frey, he named the new compsognathid theropod Mirischia. A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... The University of Portsmouth is the only university in the city of Portsmouth. ... Families See text Theropods (beast foot) are a group of bipedal, primarily carnivorous dinosaurs, belonging to the saurischian (lizard-hip) family. ... Orders Saurischia    Sauropodomorpha    Theropoda Ornithischia Dinosaurs are giant reptiles that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for most of their 165-million year existence. ... The Cretaceous period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic period, about 146 million years ago (Ma), to the beginning of the Paleocene epoch of the Tertiary period (65. ... ... Eotyrannus (First Tyrant) was a tyrannosaurid from early Cretaceous England and Belgium. ... Binomial name Thecocoelurus daviesi von Huene, 1923 Thecocoelurus was a genus of dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period. ... Calamospondylus (quill vertibrae) was a theropod dinosaur from early Cretaceous England. ... Binomial name Aristosuchus pusillis Seeley, 1876 Aristosuchus was a small coelurosaurian dinosaur, whose name was derived from the Greek ąριστον (bravest, best, noblest) and σουχος, the Ancient Greek corruption of the name of the Egyptian crocodile-headed god). ... Binomial name Mirischia asymmetrica Naish , 2004 Mirischia asymmetrica is a small (2-meter-long) compsognathid dinosaur from the Albian stage (Early Cretaceous period) of Brazil. ...

Naish has also published work on sauropod dinosaurs, pterosaurs, fossil marine reptiles, marine mammals and other fossil vertebrates, and he has also produced articles on other aspects of zoology. He published a series of articles on poorly known cetaceans during the 1990s and in 2006 published a review article on the giant New Zealand gecko Hoplodactylus delcourti. In 2004 he and colleagues described a giant Isle of Wight sauropod dinosaur that appears closely related to the North American brachiosaurid Sauroposeidon and in 2006 he and David Martill published a revision of the South American crested pterosaurs Tupuxuara and Thalassodromeus. Families Brachiosauridae Camarasauridae Cetiosauridae Diplodocidae Euhelopodidae Nemegtosauridae Titanosauridae Vulcanodontidae Sauropoda, the sauropods, are a suborder or infraorder of the saurischian (lizard-hipped) dinosaurs. ... Suborders Rhamphorhynchoidea Pterodactyloidea Pterosaurs (TEH-row-sore, winged lizards) were flying reptiles of the clade Pterosauria. ... Species The tallest dinosaur known, at 60 feet, Sauroposeidon (meaning earthquake lizard-god) is an Early Cretaceous sauropod related to the Brachiosaurus. ... Species Tupuxuara leonardii Tupuxuara longicristatus Tupuxuara [1] is a type of pterosaur from the early Cretaceous and Jurrasic period. ... Species Thalassodromeus sethi Thalassodromeus (sea runner) was a large pterosaur found in Northeastern Brazil. ...

Publications

Naish has published several popular books on prehistoric animals including the Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life (2003, with David Lambert and Elizabeth Wyse), the Palaeontological Association book Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight (2001, with David Martill) and the highly acclaimed BBC Walking With Dinosaurs: The Evidence (2000, with David Martill). His name is also attached to several children's books on prehistoric animals. Naish is an associate editor for the journal Cretaceous Research and was also on the editorial board of the journal The Cryptozoology Review. He acts as a regular book reviewer for the Palaeontological Association.

Media appearances

Naish has appeared widely on British television, having featured on BBC News 24, Richard and Judy, and Live from Dinosaur Island. He appeared on a Channnel 4 discussion programme on cryptozoology, presented by journalist Jon Ronson, during the late 1990s. Naish's research on the giant Isle of Wight sauropod and the pterosaur Tupuxuara was widely reported in the news media. Jon Ronson (born in 1967) is a Cardiff born Jewish journalist, author, documentary filmmaker and radio presenter. ...

External Links

• Darren Naish's Tetrapod Zoology weblog