List of paleontologists
This is a list of notable paleontologists who have made significant contributions to the field of paleontology.
A
- Othenio Abel (Austria, 1875-1946), considered to be a founder of paleobiology
- William Abler (United States)
- Karel Absolon (Czech Republic, 1877-1960)
- Emiliano Aguirre (Spain, 1925- )
- Per E. Ahlberg (Sweden), works with early tetrapods
- Gustava Aigner (Austria, 1906-1987)
- Luis Alcalá (Spain)
- Truman H. Aldrich (United States, 1848-1932)
- Richard Aldridge (England, 1945-2014)
- Annie Montague Alexander (Kingdom of Hawaii / United States, 1867-1950), established the University of California Museum of Paleontology
- John Alroy (United States / Australia, 1966- )
- Vladimir Prokhorovich Amalitskii (Russia, 1860–1917)
- Carlos Ameghino (Argentina, 1865-1936)
- Florentino Ameghino (Argentina, 1854-1911)
- Charles Anderson (Scotland / Australia, 1876-1944)
- Elaine Anderson (United States, 1936-2002)
- Johan Gunnar Andersson (Sweden, 1874-1960)
- Gábor Andreánszky (Hungary, 1895-1967)
- Charles William Andrews (England, 1866-1924)
- Henry Nathaniel Andrews (United States, 1910-2002), paleobotanist specializing in Devonian and Carboniferous plants
- Mahala Andrews (Scotland, 1939-1997)
- Roy Chapman Andrews (USA, 1884-1960), known for expeditions in China and Mongolia during the early 20th century
- Nicolai Ivanovich Andrusov (Russia, 1861-1924)
- Alberto Angela (Italy, 1962- )
- Ernesto Pérez d'Angelo (Chile, 1932-2013)
- Mary Anning (England, 1799-1847), known for important finds she made in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Channel at Lyme Regis
- Miguel Telles Antunes (Portugal, 1937- )
- Esther Applin (USA, 1895-1972)
- Camille Arambourg (France, 1885-1969), vertebrate paleontologist
- Edward Alexander Newell Arber (England, 1870-1918)
- Adolphe d'Archiac (France, 1802-1868)
- William Joscelyn Arkell (England, 1904-1958), known for work on Jurassic Period
- Chester A. Arnold (USA, 1901-1977)
- Juan Luis Arsuaga (Spain, 1954- )
- Berhane Asfaw (Ethiopia), co-discovered remains of Homo sapiens idaltu
- Hermann Martin Asmuss (Estonia, 1812-1859)
- Sava Athanasiu (Romania, 1861-1946)
- Walter Auffenberg (USA, 1928-2004), known for study of reptiles
- Stanley Awramik (USA, 1946- ), known for Precambrian-related work
B
- William Hellier Baily (England, 1819-1888)
- Andrew Geddes Bain (South Africa, 1797-1864)
- Robert T. Bakker (USA, 1945- )
- Jean-Christophe Balouet (France, 1956- )
- Harlan Parker Banks (USA, 1913-1998), paleobotanist
- Mário Costa Barberena (Brazil, 1934-16 December 2013)
- Erwin Hinckly Barbour (USA, 1856-1947)
- Joachim Barrande (France, 1799-1883)
- Charles Barrois (France, 1851-1939)
- Rinchen Barsbold (Mongolia, 1935- )
- Ray S. Bassler (USA, 1878-1961)
- Dorothea Bate (England, 1878-1951)
- Francis Arthur Bather (England, 1863-1934)
- Georg Baur (USA, 1859-1898), vertebrate paleontologist
- George Bax Holmes (England, 1803-1887)
- Allan Bé (USA, died 1983)
- William Bean (England, 1787-1866)
- K. Christopher Beard (USA)
- William Beard (England, 1772-1868), bone collector
- Günter Bechly (Germany, 1963- ), fossil insect specialist
- Samuel Beckles (England, 1814-1890)
- Charles Emerson Beecher (United States, 1856-1904), studied trilobite ventral anatomy from specimens collected at Beecher's Trilobite Bed
- Hermann Behmel (Germany, 1939- )
- Kay Behrensmeyer (USA)
- Walter A. Bell (Canada, 1889-1969)
- Romeu Beltrão (Brazil, 1913-1977)
- Etheldred Benett (England, 1776-1845), collecting and studying fossils of South West England
- Michael Benton (Scotland, 1956- )
- Georg Karl Berendt (Germany, 1790-1850)
- Wolfgang H. Berger (Germany / USA, 1937- ), oceanographer, geologist and micropaleontologist
- Charles Eugène Bertrand (France, 1851-1917)
- Paul Bertrand (France, 1879-1944)
- Heinrich Ernst Beyrich (Germany, 1815-1896)
- Peter von Bitter (Canada)
- Alexander Bittner (Austria, 1850-1902)
- Hans C. Bjerring (Sweden, 1931- )
- Philip R. Bjork (United States), known for work on dinosaurs
- Richard S. Boardman (USA, 1923-2011), known for work on bryozoans
- Birger Bohlin (Sweden, 1898-1990)
- Johannes Böhm (Germany, 1857-1938)
- José Bonaparte (Argentina, 1928- )
- Matthew Bonnan (USA), vertebrate paleontologist
- Lieuwe Dirk Boonstra (South Africa, 1905-1975)
- Pramatha Nath Bose (India, 1855-1934)
- Marcellin Boule (France, 1861-1942)
- Michael Boulter (England, 1942- )
- James Scott Bowerbank (England, 1797-1877)
- Henry Bowman Brady (England, 1835-1891), micropaleontologist
- Charles Kimberlin Brain (South Africa)
- Wilhelm von Branca (Germany, 1844-1928)
- Leonard R. Brand (USA, 1941- )
- Martin Brasier (England, 1947-2014)
- Auguste Bravard (France, 1803-1861)
- William J. Breed (USA, 1928-2013)
- Stoycho Vassilev Breskovski (Bulgaria, 1934-2004)
- Derek Briggs (Ireland / United States, 1950)
- Mitja Brodar (Slovenia, 1921-2012)
- Srečko Brodar (Slovenia, 1893-1987)
- Pierce Brodkorb (United States, 1908-1992)
- Magnus Bromelius (Sweden, 1679-1731)
- Adolphe-Théodore Brongniart (France, 1801-1876)
- Heinrich Georg Bronn (Germany, 1800-1862)
- Robert Broom (Scotland / South Africa, 1866-1951)
- Barnum Brown (USA, 1873-1963), discovered the first documented remains of Tyrannosaurus rex
- Michel Brunet (France, 1940- ), known for discovery of Toumaï
- Stephen L. Brusatte (United States, 1984-), specializes in anatomy and evolution of dinosaurs
- Christian Leopold von Buch (Germany, 1774-1853)
- Walter Hermann Bucher (Germany / United States, 1888-1965)
- Mary Buckland (England, 1797-1857)
- William Buckland (England, 1784-1856)
- Graham Budd (England, 1968- )
- Oliver Bulman (England, 1902-1974)
- Emanuel Bunzel (Austria, 1828-1895)
- George Busk (England, 1807-1886)
- Charles Butts (USA, 1863-1946)
- Alexey Bystrow (Soviet Union, 1899-1959)
C
.jpg)
- Susan Cachel (United States)
- André Cailleux (France, 1907-1986)
- Jaci Antonio Louzada Tupi Caldas (Brazil, 1898-1946)
- Mary Gordon Calder (Scotland, 1906-1992)
- Jorge O. Calvo (Argentina, 1961- )
- Adriaan Gilles Camper (Netherlands, 1759-1820)
- Gustave Campiche (Switzerland, 1809-1871)
- Ferdinand Canu (France, 1863-1932)
- Giovanni Capellini (Italy, 1833-1922)
- Eudald Carbonell (Spain, 1953- )
- Daniel Cargnin (Brazil, 1930-2002)
- Kenneth Carpenter (Japan, 1949- )
- Robert L. Carroll (USA, 1938- ), vertebrate paleontologist specializing in Paleozoic and Mesozoic amphibians and reptiles
- Rodolfo Casamiquela (Argentina, 1932-2008), known for his discovering of dinosaur Pisanosaurus mertii in 1967
- Ermine Cowles Case (United States, 1871-1953)
- Meemann Chang (China, 1936- )
- Frederick Chapman (England / Australia, 1864-1943)
- Wilfrid Chapman (England, 1891-1955)
- Edward Charlesworth (England, 1813-1893)
- Sankar Chatterjee (USA), has focused on the origin, evolution, functional anatomy, and systematics of Mesozoic vertebrates, including basal archosaurs, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and birds
- James Chatters USA]] 1949- )
- Alan Cheetham (USA, 1928- )
- Feodosy Chernyshov (Russia, 1856-1914)
- Luis M. Chiappe (Argentina), co-described the world's first pregnant plesiosaur specimen
- Karen Chin (United States)
- Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan (South Africa), known for her expertise and developments in the study of the microstructure of fossil teeth and bones of dinosaurs
- Henry Christy (England, 1810-1865)
- Jenny Clack (England, 1947- ), known for study of fish evolution
- T. H. Clark (Canada, 1893-1996)
- John Mason Clarke (United States, 1857-1928)
- Preston Cloud (USA, 1912-1991), known for his works on the significance of Cambrian fossils in the 1940s led to the development of the concept "Cambrian explosion"
- Richard Cloutier (Canada)
- Grigore Cobălcescu (Romania, 1831-1892)
- Alberto Cobos (Spain)
- Edwin Harris Colbert (United States, 1905-2001)
- Desmond H. Collins (Canada)
- Fabio Colonna (Italy, 1567-1640)
- William Conybeare (England, 1787-1857), known for work on marine reptile fossils
- Isabel Clifton Cookson (Australia, 1893-1973), specialised in palaeobotany and palynology
- Edward Drinker Cope (USA, 1840-1897), paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist
- Rodolfo Coria (Argentina, 1959- )
- Shirley Coryndon (1926-1976), paleontologist active in Africa
- Maurice Cossmann (France, 1850-1924)
- Joseph Pitty Couthouy (USA, 1808-1864)
- Carlos de Paula Couto (Brazil, 1910-1982), specialized in study of mammals
- Leslie Reginald Cox (England, 1897-1965)
- Henry Crampton (USA, 1875-1956), specialized in the study of land snails
- Carl Hermann Credner (Germany, 1841-1913)
- Irene Crespin (Australia, 1896-1980)
- Walter Drawbridge Crick (England, 1857-1903)
- Margaret Crosfield (England, 1859-1952)
- Osvaldo Rodrigues da Cunha (Brazil, 1930-2011)
- Ethel Currie (Scotland, 1899-1901)
- Philip J. Currie (Canada, 1949- )
- Kristina Curry Rogers (USA), vertebrate paleontologist
- Georges Cuvier (France, 1769-1832), influential in the development of vertebrate paleontology
- Jan Czerski (Poland, 1845-1892)
D
- Ted Daeschler (United States), specialist in fish paleontology, especially in the late Devonian period
- Anne Dambricourt-Malassé (France, 1959- )
- Wilhelm Dames (Germany, 1843-1898),
- Robert Damon (England, 1814-1889)
- Thomas Davidson (Scotland, 1817-1885)
- A. Morley Davies (England)
- William Davies (England, 1814-1891)
- John William Dawson (Canada, 1820–1899)
- Mary R. Dawson (USA)
- Henry De la Beche (England, 1796-1855), pioneered early geological survey methods
- Tao Deng (China, 1963- ), made important fossil discoveries of Cenozoic mammals
- Charles Depéret (France, 1854-1929)
- Peter Dodson (USA), known for work regarding ceratopsians, hadrosaurs, and sauropods
- Louis Dollo (France / Belgium, 1857-1931)
- Dong Zhiming (China, 1937- ), vertebrate paleontology
- Philip Donoghue (England)
- Stephen Donovan (England, 1954- )
- François Doumergue (France, 1858-1938)
- Joseph Henri Ferdinand Douvillé (France, 1846-1937)
- Eugène Dubois (Netherlands, 1858-1940), known for work on hominids
- Émilien Dumas (France, 1804-1873)
- William Sutherland Dun (Australia, 1868-1934)
- Carl Owen Dunbar (USA, 1891-1979), invertebrate paleontologist
- Peter Martin Duncan (England, 1824-1891)
- Wilhelm Dunker (Germany, 1809-1885)
- Gareth J. Dyke (Ireland)
E
- Tilly Edinger (Germany / United States, 1897-1967), founder of paleoneurology
- Dianne Edwards (England, 1942- ), palaeobotanist studying the colonisation of land by plants
- Sir Philip Grey Egerton, 10th Baronet (England, 1806-1881)
- Niles Eldredge (USA, 1943- ), proposed theory of punctuated equilibrium
- Andrzej Elżanowski (Poland, 1950- ), vertebrate zoologist specializing in bird phylogeny
- Ashton F. Embry (Canada, 1946- )
- Cesare Emiliani (Italy / United States, 1922-1995), founder of paleoceanography
- Douglas Emlong (USA, 1942-1980), amateur fossil collector from the Oregon Coast
- Hermann Friedrich Emmrich (Germany, 1815-1879)
- Michael S. Engel (USA, 1971- )
- Bruce Erickson (USA, 1933- ), known for Paleocene research
- Gregory M. Erickson (USA)
- Gundolf Ernst (Germany, 1930-2002)
- Douglas Erwin (USA)
- Kirill Eskov (Russia, 1956- )
- Robert Etheridge (England, 1819-1903)
- Robert Etheridge, Junior (England / Australia, 1847-1920)
- Constantin von Ettingshausen (Austria, 1826-1897), paleobotanist
- Eugène Eudes-Deslongchamps (France, 1830-1889)
- Jacques Amand Eudes-Deslongchamps (France, 1794-1867)
- Susan E. Evans (England)
F
- Hugh Falconer (Scotland, 1808-1865)
- Paul Fallot (France, 1889-1960)
- Mikhail Fedonkin (Russia, 1946- )
- Franz Nopcsa von Felső-Szilvás (Hungary, 1877-1933)
- Carroll Lane Fenton (United States, 1900-1969)
- Mildred Adams Fenton (USA, 1899-199)
- Egidio Feruglio (Italy, 1897-1954)
- Harold John Finlay (New Zealand, 1901-1951)
- Clive Finlayson (Gibraltar, 1955- )
- Geraldine Finlayson (Gibraltar)
- Anthony Fiorillo (United States)
- Paul Henri Fischer (France, 1835-1893)
- Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim (Germany, 1771-1853)
- Tim Flannery (Australia, 1956- )
- Rousseau H. Flower (United States, 1913-1988)
- August Foerste (USA, 1862-1936)
- Michael Foote (USA, 1963- )
- Edward Forbes (Isle of Man, 1815-1854)
- Mikael Fortelius (Finland, 1954- )
- Catherine Forster (USA)
- Clive Forster-Cooper (England, 1880-1947), known for description of Paraceratherium
- Richard Fortey (England, 1946- )
- William Parker Foulke (USA, 1816-1865), discovered the first dinosaur skeleton in North America
- William Fox (England, 1813-1881)
- Eberhard Fraas (Germany, 1862-1915)
- Georgii Frederiks (Soviet Union, 1889-1938)
- Childs Frick (USA, 1883-1965), vertebrate paleontologist
- Antonin Fritsch (Czech Republic, 1832-1913)
- Karl von Fritsch (Germany, 1838-1906)
G
- William More Gabb (United States, 1839-1878)
- Eugene S. Gaffney (USA)
- Peter Galton (England, 1942- ), vertebrate paleontologist known for study of ornithischian and prosauropod dinosaurs
- Taiping Gao (China, 1984- )
- Kenneth Garrett (USA, 1953- ), photographer specializing in archaeology and paleontology
- Bartolomeo Gastaldi (Italy, 1818-1879)
- Charles-Théophile Gaudin (Switzerland, 1822-1866)
- Jean Albert Gaudry (France, 1827-1908)
- Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser (Germany, 1965- )
- Jacques Gauthier (USA)
- Charles Lewis Gazin (USA, 1904-1995), vertebrate paleontologist
- Henry Gee (England, 1962- )
- Paul Gervais (France, 1816-1879)
- James W. Gidley (USA, 1866-1931)
- Christoph Gottfried Andreas Giebel (Germany, 1820-1881)
- Edmund Dwen Gill (Australia, 1908-1986)
- David Gillette (United States)
- Charles W. Gilmore (USA, 1874-1945), vertebrate paleontologist
- Philip D. Gingerich (USA, 1946- ), known for research focusing on the Paleocene-Eocene transition and early Cenozoic mammals
- George Herbert Girty (USA, 1869-1939)
- Bernard du Bus de Gisignies (Netherlands / Belgium, 1808-1874)
- Martin Glaessner (Austria-Hungary / Australia, 1906-1989)
- Ludwig Glauert (England / Australia, 1879-1963)
- Ernst Friedrich Glocker (Germany, 1793-1858)
- Pascal Godefroit (Belgium)
- Georg August Goldfuss (Germany, 1782-1848)
- Heinrich Göppert (Germany, 1800-1884)
- Mackenzie Gordon, Jr. (USA, 1913–1992), invertebrate paleontologist specializing in Carboniferous fossils
- Maria Gordon (Scotland, 1864–1939)
- Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger (Croatia, 1856-1936)
- Stephen Jay Gould (United States, 1941-2002), contributed to theory of punctuated equilibrium and known for popular science relating to evolution and paleontology
- David J. Gower (England)
- Amadeus William Grabau (USA / China, 1870-1946)
- Walter W. Granger (USA, 1872-1941), vertebrate paleontologist
- Bruno Granier (France)
- Richard E. Grant (USA, 1927-1995), known for study of Permian brachiopods
- Vadim Gratshev (Russia, 1963-2006), expert in paleoentomology
- Joseph T. Gregory (USA, 1914-2007)
- William King Gregory (USA, 1876-1970)
- Amanz Gressly (Switzerland, 1814-1865)
- David Grimaldi (USA, 1957- )
- Vera Gromova (Russia (1891-1973), specialist in hoofed mammals
- Walter R. Gross (Germany, 1903-1974)
- Józef Grzybowski (Poland, 1869-1922)
H
- George Haas (Austria, 1905-1981)
- Julius von Haast (Germany, 1822-1887), founded Canterbury Museum at Christchurch, New Zealand
- Jules Haime (France, 1824-1856)
- James Hall (United States, 1811-1898)
- Valerie Hall (Ireland)
- Anthony Hallam (England, 1933- ), concentrated on Jurassic Period
- Beverly Halstead (England, 1933-1991)
- David Harper (England), specialized in brachiopods and numerical paleontology
- Tom Harris England)
- John Bell Hatcher ([USA, 1861-1904), best known for discovering Torosaurus
- Sidney H. Haughton (England / South Africa, 1888-1982)
- Oliver Perry Hay (United States, 1846-1930)
- Angelo Heilprin (USA, 1853-1907)
- Anatol Heintz (Norway, 1898-1975)
- Natascha Heintz (Norway, 1930- )
- Sam W. Heads (England, 1983- )
- Oswald Heer (Switzerland, 1809-1883)
- Gerhard Heilmann (Denmark, 1859-1946), known for artistic depictions of prehistoric birds
- Sue Hendrickson (United States, 1949- )
- Edwin Hennig (Germany, 1882-1977)
- Gunnar Henningsmoen (Norway, 1919-1996)
- Victoria Herridge (England)
- Franz Martin Hilgendorf (Germany, 1839-1904)
- Edward Hitchcock (USA, 1793-1864)
- Scott Hocknull (Australia), vertebrate paleontologist
- Ove Arbo Høeg (Norway, 1898-1993)
- Johann Leonard Hoffmann (Netherlands, 1710-1782)
- Hans J. Hofmann (Germany / Canada, 1936-2010)
- William Jacob Holland (United States, 1848-1932)
- J. Alan Holman (USA, 1931-2006), known for his 1995 work Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles in North America
- Keith Holmes (Australia), paleobotanist
- Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. (United States, 1965- ), vertebrate paleontologist
- Dirk Albert Hooijer (Netherlands, 1919-1993)
- Reginald Hooley (England, 1865-1923)
- James Hopson (USA, 1935- ), known for work on evolution of synapsids
- Jack Horner (United States, 1946- )
- Moritz Hornes (Austria, 1815-1868)
- Lukas Hottinger (Switzerland, 1933-2011)
- Nicholas Hotton III (United States, 1920/21-1999), expert on dinosaurs and reptiles
- Hildegarde Howard (USA, 1901-1998), pioneer in the field of avian paleontology
- Friedrich von Huene (Germany, 1875-1969)
- Alois Humbert (Switzerland, 1829-1887)
- Julian P. Hume (England, 1960- )
- Jean Jacques Nicolas Huot (France, 1790-1845)
- Pierre Hupé (France, 1907-2003)
- Jørn Hurum (Norway, 1967- )
- Thomas Henry Huxley (England, 1825-1865)
- Alpheus Hyatt (United States, 1838-1902)
I
- Thomas Image (England, 1772-1856)
- Wataru Ishijima (Japan, 1906-1980), one of the most prolific researchers of fossil calcareous algae
- Arturo Issel (Italy, 1842-1922)
J
- David Jablonski (United States, 1953- )
- Auguste Jaccard (Switzerland, 1833-1895)
- Louis L. Jacobs (USA, 1948- ), vertebrate paleontologist
- Sohan Lal Jain (India)
- Helen F. James (USA, 1956- ), known for extensive publications on fossil birds of the Hawaiian islands
- Philippe Janvier (France)
- Erik Jarvik (Sweden, 1829-1901)
- Fatemeh Javadi (Iran, 1959- )
- Dick Jefferies (England)
- Farish Jenkins (USA, 1940-2012)
- James A. Jensen (USA, 1918-1998)
- Kirk Johnson (United States, 1960- )
- Frederik Johnstrup (Denmark, 1818-1894)
- Theobald Jones (Ireland, 1790-1868)
- Thomas Rupert Jones (England, 1819-1911)
K
- Josephine Kablick (Czech Republic, 1787-1863)
- Myra Keen (United States, 1905-1986), invertebrate paleontologist
- Gerta Keller (Switzerland / United States, 1945- )
- Alexander Kellner (Brazil, 1961- )
- Remington Kellogg (United States, 1892-1969)
- Doris Kermack (England, 1923-2003)
- Kenneth Kermack (England, 1919-2000)
- Andre Keyser (South Africa, 1938-2010)
- Alexander Keyserling (Russia, 1815-1891)
- Johan Aschehoug Kiær (Norway, 1869–1931)
- Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska (Poland, 1925-2015)
- Caitlín R. Kiernan (USA, 1964- )
- Kamoya Kimeu (Kenya, 1940- )
- Gillian King (England)
- William King (Ireland / England, 1809-1886), first to propose bones found in Neanderthal, Germany were of a distinct species from humans, Homo neanderthalensis
- James Kirkland (USA, 1954- )
- James Kitching (South Africa, 1922-2003), vertebrate paleontologist
- Andrew H. Knoll (USA, 1959- )
- Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald (Germany / Netherlands, 1902-1982)
- Anastas Kondo (Albania, 1937-2006), micropaleontologist
- Laurent-Guillaume de Koninck (Belgium, 1809-1887)
- Andreas Kornhuber (Austria, 1824-1905), known for dinosaur investigations
- Vladimir Kovalevsky (Russia, 1842-1883)
- Roman Kozłowski (Poland, 1889-1977)
- Jaroslav Kraft (Czech Republic, 1940-2007), specialist in Ordovician graptolites
- Miklós Kretzoi (Hungary, 1907-2005)
- Afrikan Nikolaevich Krishtofovich (Russia, 1885-1953), paleobotanist
- Evgeny Kurochkin (Russia, 1940-2011)
- Sergei Kurzanov (Russia, 1947- )
- Björn Kurtén (Finland, 1924-1988), vertebrate paleontologist
- Nikolai Yakovlevich Kuznetsov (Russia, 1873-1948)
L
- Philippe de La Harpe (Switzerland, 1830-1882)
- Kenneth Lacovara (United States)
- Matt Lamanna (USA)
- Lawrence Lambe (Canada, 1863-1919)
- Charles Lamberton (France, 1876-1960), specialized in recently extinct subfossil lemurs
- Kálmán Lambrecht (Hungary, 1889-1936), known for work with fossil birds
- Archibald Lamont (Scotland, 1907-1985)
- Wann Langston, Jr. (USA, 1921-2013)
- Jia Lanpo (China, 1908-2001)
- Albert-Félix de Lapparent (France, 1905-1975)
- Peter Larson (USA, 1952- )
- Édouard Lartet (France, 1801-1871)
- Louis Lartet (France, 1840-1899)
- Gustav Karl Laube (Germany / Czech Republic, 1839-1923)
- Charles Léopold Laurillard (France, 1783-1853)
- Michel Laurin (Canada)
- René Lavocat (France)
- Louise Leakey (Kenya, 1972- )
- Richard Leakey (Kenya, 1944- )
- Alfred Nicholson Leeds (England, 1847-1917), amateur paleontologist and fossil collector
- Serge Legendre (France)
- Joseph Leidy (USA, 1823-1891)
- André Leroi-Gourhan (France, 1911-1986)
- Don Lessem (United States, 1951- )
- Riccardo Levi-Setti (Italy, 1927- )
- Giancarlo Ligabue (Italy, 1931-2015)
- Venceslau de Sousa Pereira de Lima (Portugal, 1858-1919)
- Jere H. Lipps (USA, 1939- )
- Martin Lockley (England)
- Alfred R. Loeblich Jr (USA, 1914-1994)
- Helen Niña Tappan Loeblich (United States, 1917-2004)
- John A. Long (Australia, 1957- )
- Albert Heber Longman (England / Australia, 1880-1954)
- Jane Longstaff (England, 1855-1935), specialized in Paleozoic gastropods
- William Lonsdale (England, 1794-1871), known for fossil coral research
- Frederic Brewster Loomis (United States, 1873-1937)
- Perceval de Loriol (Switzerland, 1828-1908)
- Spencer G. Lucas (USA)
- R. S. Lull (USA, 1867-1957)
- Peter Wilhelm Lund (Denmark / Brazil, 1801-1880)
M
- Evgeny Maleev (Soviet Union, 1915-1966)
- Mirko Malez (Croatia, 1924-1990)
- Francesco Mallegni (Italy)
- Gideon Mantell (England, 1790-1852), known for first discovery of fossil teeth and discovery of Iguanodon
- Alexander V. Markov (Russia, 1965- )
- Brian John Marples (England / New Zealand, 1907-1997)
- Othniel Charles Marsh (United States, 1831-1899), discovered several dinosaur species
- Anthony J. Martin (USA), ichnology expert and teacher at Emory University
- Larry Martin (USA, 1943-2013), vertebrate paleontologist
- Paul S. Martin (USA, 1928-2010), developed the theory that the Pleistocene extinction of large mammals worldwide was caused by overhunting by humans
- William Martin (England, 1767-1810), proposed that fossils should be used as evidence to support the study of natural history
- Nieves López Martínez (Spain, 1949-2010)
- Andrey Vasilyevich Martynov (Russia, 1879-1938)
- John Marwick (New Zealand, 1891-1978)
- Teresa Maryańska (Poland)
- Christian Mathis (France)
- Octávio Mateus (Portugal, 1975- )
- William Diller Matthew (United States, 1871-1930), vertebrate paleontologist who worked primarily on mammal fossils
- Vratislav Mazák (Czech Republic, 1937-1987)
- J. C. McConnell (United States, 1844-1904), scientific illustrator
- Frederick McCoy (Ireland / Australia, 1817-1899), established Melbourne Museum
- Malcolm McKenna (USA, 1930-2008)
- Mark McMenamin (USA), known for study of Ediacaran biota
- Fielding Bradford Meek (USA, 1817-1876)
- Felipe Mendez (Argentina, 1897-?)
- Peter Merian (Switzerland, 1795-1883)
- John Campbell Merriam (USA, 1869-1945), first vertebrate paleontologist on the west coast of the United States
- Jean-Louis Hardouin Michelin de Choisy (France, 1786-1867)
- John Samuel Miller (England, 1779-1830)
- Pierre-Aimé Millet (France, 1783-1873)
- Angela Milner (England), described Baryonyx
- Mohammad-Javad Mohammadizadeh (Iran, 1951- )
- Dick Mol (Netherlands, 1955- ), mammoth specialist
- Neale Monks (England, 1971- ), worked on heteromorph ammonites
- Raymond C. Moore (United States, 1892-1974), organized the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology
- John Morris (England, 1810-1886)
- Simon Conway Morris (England, 1951- ), known for study of the fossils of the Burgess Shale and the Cambrian explosion
- J.A. Moy-Thomas (England, 1908-1944)
- Salvador Moyà-Solà (Spain, 1955- )
- Benjamin Franklin Mudge (United States, 1817-1879), one of the first to systematically explore the Permian and Mesozoic biota in the geologic formations of Kansas and the American West
- Atílio Munari (Brazil, 1901-1941)
- Francisco Javier Muñiz (Argentina, 1795-1871)
- Dmitrii Mushketov (Russia, 1882-1938)
N
- Darren Naish (England, 1975- )
- Alfred Gabriel Nathorst (Sweden, 1850-1921), paleobotanist
- Theodor Anton Neagu (Romania, 1932- ), micropaleontologist and stratigrapher specializing in Upper Cretaceous formanifera
- Sterling Nesbitt (United States, 1982- )
- Edwin Tulley Newton (England, 1840-1930)
- Elizabeth Nicholls (Canada, 1946-2004), specialist in Triassic marine reptiles
- Henry Alleyne Nicholson (Scotland, 1844-1899)
- Adolf Carl Noé (Austria / USA, 1873-1939), paleobotanist
- Alexander von Nordmann (Finland, 1803-1866)
- Mark Norell (United States, 1957- ), vertebrate paleontologist
- David B. Norman (England)
- Fernando Novas (Argentina)
- Nestor Ivanovich Novozhilov (Russia)
O
- Vladimir Obruchev (Russia, 1863-1956)
- Klaus Oeggl (Austria, 1955- ), known for study of paleoecology and archaeobotany
- Chonosuke Okamura (Japan)
- Thomas Oldham (Ireland / England, 1816-1878), started the Paleontologia Indica, a series of memoirs on the fossils of India
- Walter Oliver (Australia / New Zealand, 1883-1957)
- Paul E. Olsen (United States, 1953- )
- Stanley John Olsen (USA, 1919-2003), vertebrate paleontologist and founding figure of zooarchaeology in the United States
- George Olshevsky (USA, 1946- )
- Everett C. Olson (USA, 1910-1993), noted for research on origin and evolution of vertebrate animals
- Armin Öpik (Estonia / Australia, 1898-1983), known for his work on the Cambrian and Lower Ordovician stratigraphy and paleontology of northern Australia
- Alcide d'Orbigny (France, 1802-1857)
- Yuri Alexandrovich Orlov (Russia, 1893-1966)
- Tor Ørvig (Sweden, 1916-1994)
- Henry Fairfield Osborn (USA, 1857-1935)
- Halszka Osmólska (Poland, 1930-2008), specialized in Mongolian dinosaurs
- John Ostrom (United States, 1928-2005), known for study of dinosaurs
- Richard Owen (England, 1804-1892)
- Katsura Ōyama (Japan, 1917-1995), best known for his work on the Tertiary and Recent Mollusca of Japan
P
- Kevin Padian (United States, 1951- ), known for interest in origins of flight and evolution of birds from therapod dinosaurs
- Miquel Crusafont i Pairó (Spain, 1910-1983), specialist in mammal bones
- Allison R. Palmer (USA, 1927- ), focused on the Cambrian period
- C. Phil Palmer (England)
- Katherine Van Winkle Palmer (United States, 1895–1982) paleontologist focusing on mollusks, director of the Paleontological Research Institution
- Heinz Christian Pander (Russia, 1794-1865)
- James Parkinson (England, 1755-1824)
- William Parks (Canada, 1868-1936)
- Bryan Patterson (England / United States, 1909-1979)
- Colin Patterson (England, 1933-1998)
- Gregory S. Paul (United States, 1954- ), known for illustration of theropod dinosaurs
- Alexei Petrovich Pavlov (Russia, 1854-1929), geologist and paleontologist
- Maria Pavlova (Russia, 1854-1938)
- Rajko Pavlovec (Slovenia, 1932-2013)
- Frank Peabody (United States, 1914-1958), noted for research on fossil trackways and reptile and amphibian skeletal structure
- David P. Penhallow (United States / Canada, 1854-1910), paleobotanist
- Ernesto Pérez d'Angelo (Chile, 1932–2013)
- Altangerel Perle (Mongolia, 1945- )
- Jaroslav Perner (Czech Republic, 1869-1947)
- Léon Pervinquière (France, 1873-1913)
- Luigi Piacenza (Italy, 1935-2009)
- Josef Ladislav Píč (Czech Republic, 1847-1911)
- Martin Pickford (England / Kenya)
- Elizabeth Philpot (England, 1780-1857)
- Guy Ellcock Pilgrim (England, 1875-1943)
- Irajá Damiani Pinto (Brazil, 1919-2014)
- Edna P. Plumstead (South Africa, 1903-1989), paleobotanist and defender of continental drift theory
- Auguste Pomel (France, 1821-1898)
- Yuri Alexandrovich Popov (Russia, 1936- )
- Jean-François-Albert du Pouget (France, 1818-1904)
- Vicentino Prestes de Almeida (Brazil, 1900-1954)
- Llewellyn Ivor Price (Brazil, 1905-1980)
- Donald Prothero (United States, 1954- )
- Mark Purnell (England)
Q
- Heinrich Quiring (Germany, 1883-1964)
R
- Anton Ramovš (Slovenia, 1924-2011)
- Alexandr Rasnitsyn (Russia), expert in paleoentomology
- Guilherme Rau (Brazil, ?-1953)
- David M. Raup (United States, 1933- )
- Emily Rayfield (England)
- Manfred Reichel (Switzerland, 1896-1984)
- Osvaldo Reig (Argentina, 1929-1992)
- Roy Herbert Reinhart (USA, 1919-2005)
- Zeev Reiss (Israel, 1917-1996)
- Robert R. Reisz (Canada, 1947- ), specialist in the study of early amniote and tetrapod evolution
- Bernard Renault (France, 1836-1904), specialist in regard to the anatomy of Carboniferous and Permo-Carboniferous flora
- Eugène Renevier (Switzerland, 1831-1906)
- Charles Repenning (United States, 1922-2005), noted for his work on shrews, fossil rodents, modern pinnipeds and their extinct relatives, the Desmostylia
- Charles E. Resser (United States, 1889-1943)
- Gregory Retallack (United States, 1951- )
- August Emanuel von Reuss (Austria, 1811-1873)
- Armand de Ricqlès (France, 1938-1963), known for work in bone histology and its implications for the growth of dinosaurs
- Elmer S. Riggs (United States, 1869-1963), known for his work with the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois
- François Jules Pictet de la Rive (Switzerland, 1809-1872)
- John T. Robinson (South Africa, 1923-2001), hominid paleontologist
- Boris Rohdendorf (Russia, 1904-1977)
- Josef Victor Rohon (Austria, 1845-1923)
- Alfred Romer (United States, 1894-1973), specialized in vertebrate evolution
- Marcus R. Ross (USA, 1976- ), vertebrate paleontologist
- Claudia Roth (France)
- Santiago Roth (Switzerland / Argentina, 1850-1924)
- Rafael Royo-Torres (Spain)
- Anatoly Konstantinovich Rozhdestvensky (Russia, 1920-1983)
- John Ruben (USA), focused on the respiratory system of birds
- Rudolf Ruedemann (USA, 1864-1956)
- Bruce Runnegar (Australia, 1941- ), known for study of early life forms
- Dale Russell (Canada / United States, 1937- )
- Marcello Ruta (Italy), research primarily focused on the anatomy and evolutionary significance of Paleozoic tetrapods
- Vasiliy E. Ruzhentsev (Russia, 1899-1978)
- Natalia Rybczynski (Canada)
S
- Karol Sabath (Poland, 1963-2007)
- John William Salter (England, 1820-1869)
- Scott D. Sampson (Canada, 1961- )
- William J. Sanders (United States), known for study of fossil elephants
- Ivan Sansom (Wales), focused on the conodont palaeobiology and the early Palaeozoic radiation of vertebrates
- Gaston de Saporta (France, 1823-1895)
- Henri Émile Sauvage (France, 1842-1917)
- R. J. G. Savage (UK, 1927-1998), authority on fossil mammals
- Gunnar Säve-Söderbergh (Sweden, 1910-1948)
- Steven Schafersman (USA)
- Viera Scheibner (Slovakia, 1935- )
- Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (Switzerland, 1672-1733)
- Judith Schiebout (USA)
- Erich Maren Schlaikjer (USA, 1905-1972)
- Philippe-Charles Schmerling (Netherlands / Belgium, 1790-1836)
- Robert M. Schoch (United States)
- J. William Schopf (USA, 1941- )
- Frederick Schram (USA, 1943- )
- Charles Schuchert (USA, 1858-1942), invertebrate paleontologist and leader in paleogeography
- Mary Higby Schweitzer (USA), known for leading the groups that discovered the remains of blood cells in dinosaur fossils and later discovered soft tissue remains in the Tyrannosaurus rex specimen MOR 1125
- William Berryman Scott (USA, 1858-1947), vertebrate paleontologist specializing in mammals
- Samuel Hubbard Scudder (USA, 1837-1911)
- Harry Seeley (England, 1839-1909)
- Adolf Seilacher (Germany, 1925-2014), known for study of trace fossils and of the Ediacaran biota
- Jack Sepkoski (United States, 1948-1999)
- Paul Sereno (USA, 1957- )
- Ethel Shakespear (England, 1871-1946)
- Nathaniel Shaler (USA, 1841-1906)
- Aleksandr Grigorevich Sharov (Russia)
- Charles Davies Sherborn (England, 1861-1942)
- Neil Shubin (United States, 1960- ), known for his discovery of Tiktaalik roseae
- Christian Sidor (USA)
- Gloria Jean Siebrecht (USA, 1940- )
- Ion Th. Simionescu (Romania, 1873-1944)
- George Gaylord Simpson (United States, 1902-1984), expert on extinct mammals and their intercontinental migrations
- Martin I. Simpson (England), expert on Cretaceous fossil crustaceans
- Christopher P. Sloan (United States, 1954- )
- M. Paul Smith (England)
- Boris Sergeyevich Sokolov (Russia, 1914-2013)
- Leonard Frank Spath (England, 1882-1957), specialist in malacology and ammonitology
- Zdeněk Špinar (Czech Republic, 1916-1995)
- Robert Masterman Stainforth (England, 1915-2002), known for his work on the application of planktonic foraminifera to worldwide stratigraphic correlation
- Herbert F. Standing (Madagascar)
- Steven M. Stanley (USA, 1941- ), known for his empirical research documenting the evolutionary process of punctuated equilibrium in the fossil record
- Hans Georg Stehlin (Switzerland, 1870-1941)
- Erik Stensiö (Sweden, 1891-1984)
- Charles Hazelius Sternberg (United States, 1850-1943)
- Charles Mortram Sternberg (USA / Canada, 1885-1981)
- Kaspar Maria von Sternberg (Czech Republic, 1761-1838)
- Ferdinand Stoliczka (Austria / Czech Republic, 1838-1874)
- Henry Stopes (England, 1852-1902)
- Marie Stopes (England, 1880-1958)
- Antonio Stoppani (Italy, 1824-1891)
- Leif Størmer (Norway, 1905-1979)
- J. Willis Stovall (USA, 1891-1953)
- George William Stow (England / South Africa, 1822-1882)
- Samuel Stutchbury (England, 1798-1859), known for co-discovery of Thecodontosaurus
- Hans-Dieter Sues (United States)
- Robert M. Sullivan (USA, 1951- )
- William Elgin Swinton (Scotland / Canada)
- Władysław Szajnocha (Poland, 1857-1928)
T
- Mignon Talbot (United States, 1869-1950)
- Darren Tanke (Canada, 1960- )
- Philippe Taquet (France, 1940- ), specializes in dinosaur systematics of finds primarily in northern Africa
- Leonid Petrovich Tatarinov (Russia, 1926-2011)
- Ian Tattersall (England / USA, 1945- )
- Juan Tavera (Chile, 1917-1991), known for work on marine invertebrate fossils
- Mike P. Taylor (England, 1968- )
- Richard H. Tedford (USA, 1929-2011)
- Curt Teichert (Germany / United States, 1905-1996)
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (France, 1881-1955), took part in the discovery of Peking Man
- Geneviève Termier (France, 1917-2005)
- Henry Testot-Ferry (France, 1826-1869)
- Robert C. Thorne (United States, 1898-1960)
- Raymond Thorsteinsson (Canada, 1921-2012)
- Richard A. Thulborn (England), expert in dinosaur tracks
- Bruce H. Tiffney (USA), known for research on the evolution of flowering plants
- Eduard Toll (Russia)
- Zsófia Torma (Hungary, 1832-1899)
- Ramsay Traquair (Scotland, 1840–1912), expert on fossil fish
- Georges de Tribolet (Switzerland, 1830-1873)
- Ronald Pearson Tripp (England, 1914-2001), specialized in trilobites
- Gustaf Troedsson (Sweden, 1891-1954)
- Joseph Tyrrell (Canada, 1858-1957), discovered Albertosaurus
U
- Viktor Uhlig (Austria, 1857-1911)
- Edward Oscar Ulrich (United States, 1857-1944), invertebrate paleontologist specializing in Paleozoic fossils
- Franz Unger (Austria, 1800-1870)
V
- Pierre-Joseph van Beneden (Belgium, 1809-1894)
- Gerard Frederick van Tets (England / Canada / Australia, 1929-1995)
- Geerat J. Vermeij (Netherlands / United States, 1946- ), studied marine molluscs
- Édouard de Verneuil (France, 1805-1873)
- Patricia Vickers-Rich (United States / Australia, 1944- )
- Emily H. Vokes (USA, 1930- ), expert on Muricidae
- Alexander von Volborth (Russia, 1800-1876)
- Giovanni Serafino Volta (Italy, 1764-1842)
- Elisabeth Vrba (United States, 1942- ), known for developing the turnover-pulse hypothesis
W
- Charles Wachsmuth (United States, 1829-1896)
- C. H. Waddington (England, 1905-1975)
- Mary Wade (Australia, 1928-2005), known for study of the Ediacaran biota in South Australia
- Peter J. Wagner (USA, 1964- )
- Norman Arthur Wakefield (Australia, 1918-1972)
- Charles Doolittle Walcott (USA, 1850-1927), known for discovery of fossils in the Burgess Shale
- Alick Walker (England, 1925-1999)
- Cyril Walker (England, 1939-2009)
- Arthur Bache Walkom (Australia, 1889-1976), paleobotanist
- Xiaoming Wang (China / United States)
- Jindřich Wankel (Czech Republic, 1821-1897)
- David Ward (England, 1948- )
- Peter Ward (USA, 1949- )
- Matt J. Wedel (United States)
- Wesley Wehr (USA, 1929-2004), known for his studies of Cenozoic fossil floras in western North America
- David B. Weishampel (USA, 1952- )
- Samuel Paul Welles (USA, 1907-1997)
- John W. Wells (USA, 1907-1994), focused on coral research
- Pei Wenzhong (China, 1904-1982)
- Lars Werdelin (Sweden, 1955- )
- Richard Gilbert West (England, 1926- )
- Charles M. Wheatley (United States, 1822-1882)
- Charles Abiathar White (USA, 1826-1910)
- Joseph Frederick Whiteaves (England / Canada, 1835-1909)
- Harry B. Whittington (England, 1916-2010), known for study of fossils from the Burgess Shale
- Christopher H. Whittle (United States, 1959- )
- Joan Wiffen (New Zealand, 1922-2009)
- James Steele Williams (United States, 1896-1957)
- Samuel Wendell Williston (United States, 1851-1918)
- Alice Wilson (Canada, 1881-1964)
- Jeffrey A. Wilson (United States)
- Carl Wiman (Sweden, 1867-1944)
- Tiberius Cornelis Winkler (Netherlands, 1822-1897)
- Henry Witham (England, 1779-1844), an early researcher into the internal structure of fossil plants
- Lawrence Witmer (USA)
- Jack A. Wolfe (USA, 1936-2005), best known for his studies of Tertiary climate in western North America through analysis of fossil angiosperm leaves
- Searles Valentine Wood (England, 1798-1880)
- Henry Woods (England, 1868-1952)
- Arthur Smith Woodward (England, 1864-1944), expert in fossil fish
- Henry Woodward (England, 1832-1921), known for study of fossil crustaceans and arthropods
- Amos Henry Worthen (United States, 1813-1888)
- Trevor H. Worthy (New Zealand, 1957- )
- Claud William Wright (England, 1917-2010)
- Thomas Wright (Scotland, 1809-1884)
- Andre Wyss (United States)
X
- Xu Xing (China), known for discovery and analysis of several dinosaur fossils
Y
- Yang Zhongjian (China, 1897-1979)
- Lorenzo Gordin Yates (United States, 1837-1909)
- Ivan Yefremov (Russia, 1908-1972), originator of taphonomy
- Xiaobo Yu (China)
- Yuan Wang (China)
Z
- Mikhail Zalessky (Russia, 1877-1946)
- Lindsay Zanno (United States)
- Otto Zdansky (Austria, 1894-1988)
- Charles René Zeiller (France, 1847-1915)
- Zhao Xijin (China)
- Vladimir Zherikhin (Russia)
- Zhou Ming-Zhen (China, 1918-1996)
- Zhou Zhonghe (China, 1965- )
- Jiri Zidek (Czech Republic / USA)
- Eduard Meine van Zinderen-Bakker (Netherlands / South Africa, 1907-2002)