Gregory S. Paul

Gregory S. Paul (born 1954) is a freelance paleontologist, author and illustrator. He is best known for his work and research on theropod dinosaurs, and his detailed illustrations, both live and skeletal.

Contents

1 Illustrations 2 Writing 3 Named dinosaurs 4 See also

Illustrations

Paul pioneered the "new look" of dinosaurs. He was the fist professional to depict them as active, warm-blooded and — in the case of the small ones — feathered.

Many later dinosaur illustrations are a reflection of his anatomical insights or even a direct imitation of his style. The fact that he is also a professional paleontologist makes people regard his images as a sort of scientific standard to be followed; this tendency is stimulated by his habit of constantly redrawing older work to let it reflect the latest finds and theories. Much of it is in black-and-white; in ink, crayon or pencil. Even one of his scientific enemies, Storrs L. Olson , described him in a review in the Scientific American as "a superior artist".

Writing

Aside from many scientific articles, Paul has written two books on paleontology, both lavishly illustrated by the author himself:

• Predatory Dinosaurs of the World (1988, ISBN 0671619462): Aimed at a popular audience, this book acquired something of a cult following around 1990.
• Dinosaurs of the Air (2002, ISBN 0801867630): Quite scholarly, the book expostulates the theory that some theropods, especially maniraptors like the Velociraptor, were descended from flying dinosaurs who later lost the ability to fly.

Named dinosaurs

Paul has named the theropods:

• Acrocanthosaurus altispinax
• Albertosaurus megagracilis
• Aublysodon molnari
• Avisaurus archibaldi (with Brett-Surman)
• Potamornis skutchi (with Elzanowski & Stidham)

The theropod Cryptovolans pauli is named after him in recognition of his (presumed correct) predictions about feathered and flying dinosaurs.

See also

• Feathered dinosaurs