Home Research K-Pg Extinction The Dinosaurs Contact About Me
Nicholas R. Longrich
Department of Biology and Biochemistry
University of Bath
Claverton Down
Bath BA2 7AY
United Kingdom
nrl22(at)bath.ac.uk
+44 (0)7474 493239
Current Position
Senior Lecturer, University of Bath 2013 - present
Previous Employment
Donnelley Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University 2009-2012
Education
PhD, Biological Sciences, University of Calgary 2003-2008
MS, Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago 1998-2000
BA, summa cum laude, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University 1994-1998
Research Interests
My research uses fossils to understand major events in the evolution of life on earth, including the origins of complex adaptations, mass extinctions, and adaptive radiations. I focus on a range of study organisms, including dinosaurs, birds, lizards, and snakes, and a variety of problems, including the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction, Paleogene adaptive radiation, the origins of birds, the origins of snakes, biogeographic patterns and processes, and large-scale trends in the evolution of life.
Publications
>50 peer-reviewed articles including 13 high-impact papers in Nature (2), Science (1) PNAS (3), Current Biology (1), Proceedings B (3), PLoS Biology (1) Nature Communications(1) and eLife(1).
2307 citations; H-index = 28, i10-index = 44
2020
A long-billed, possible probe-feeding pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea:? Azhdarchoidea) from the mid-Cretaceous of Morocco, North Africa. Smith, Roy E., David M. Martill, Alexander Kao, Samir Zouhri, and Nicholas Longrich. Cretaceous Research 118 (2020): 104643.
An effect size statistical framework for investigating sexual dimorphism in non-avian dinosaurs and other extinct taxa. Saitta, Evan T., Maximilian T. Stockdale, Nicholas R. Longrich, Vincent Bonhomme, Michael J. Benton, Innes C. Cuthill, and Peter J. Makovicky. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 131, no. 2 (2020): 231-273.
Evidence for tactile foraging in pterosaurs: a sensitive tip to the beak of Lonchodraco giganteus (Pterosauria, Lonchodectidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of southern England. Martill, David M., Roy E. Smith, Nicholas Longrich, and James Brown. Cretaceous Research 117: 104637.
New toothed pterosaurs (Pterosauria: Ornithocheiridae) from the middle Cretaceous Kem Kem beds of Morocco and implications for pterosaur palaeobiogeography and diversity.Jacobs, Megan L., David M. Martill, David M. Unwin, Nizar Ibrahim, Samir Zouhri, and Nicholas R. Longrich. Cretaceous Research 110 (2020): 104413.
2019
Cretaceous dinosaur bone contains recent organic material and provides an environment conducive to microbial communities. Evan T Saitta, Renxing Liang, Maggie CY Lau, Caleb M Brown, Nicholas R Longrich, Thomas G Kaye, Ben J Novak, Steven L Salzberg, Mark A Norell, Geoffrey D Abbott, Marc R Dickinson, Jakob Vinther, Ian D Bull, Richard A Brooker, Peter Martin, Paul Donohoe, Timothy DJ Knowles, Kirsty EH Penkman, Tullis Onstott. eLife 8, e46205.
A new species of Coloborhynchus (Pterosauria, Ornithocheiridae) from the mid-Cretaceous of North Africa.ML Jacobs, DM Martill, N Ibrahim, N Longrich. Cretaceous Research 95, 77-88
Aquatic adaptation in the skull of carnivorous dinosaurs (Theropoda: Spinosauridae) and the evolution of aquatic habits in spinosaurids. TMS Arden, CG Klein, S Zouhri, NR Longrich. Cretaceous Research 93, 275-284
Juvenile spinosaurs (Theropoda: Spinosauridae) from the middle Cretaceous of Morocco and implications for spinosaur ecology. RJ Lakin, NR Longrich. Cretaceous Research 93, 129-142
2018
Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Longrich, N.R., Martill, D. M., Andres, B. PLoS Biology 16 (3), e2001663.
A new edentulous pterosaur from the Cretaceous Kem Kem beds of south eastern Morocco. DM Martill, DM Unwin, N Ibrahim, N Longrich. Cretaceous Research 84, 1-12
2017
An abelisaurid from the latest Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian) of Morocco, North Africa. Longrich, N. R., Pereda-Suberbiola, X., Jalil, N. E., Khaldourne, F. & E. Jourani. Cretaceous Research 76; 40-52.
A new basal snake from the mid-Cretaceous of Morocco. Klein, C. G., Longrich, N. R., Ibrahim, N., Nouhri, S. & D. M. Martill. Cretaceous Research 72; 134-141.
2016
Severe extinction and rapid recovery of mammals across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary, and the effects of rarity on patterns of extinction and recovery. Longrich, N.R., Scriberas, J. and Wills, M.A., 2016. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 29(8), pp.1495-1512.
Longrich, N. R. A stem lepidosireniform lungfish (Sarcopterygia, Dipnoi) from the Upper Eocene of Libya, North Africa and implications for Cenozoic lungfish evolution. Gondwana Research 42, 140-150.
A ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Eastern North America, and implications for dinosaur biogeography. Longrich, N. R. Cretaceous Research 57, 199-207.
Longrich, N. R. A new species of Pluridens (Mosasauridae Halisaurinae) from the upper Campanian of Southern Nigeria. Cretaceous Research 64, 36-44.
Funston, G. F., Currie, P. J., Eberth, D. A., Ryan, M. J., Chinzorig, T., Badamgarav, D. & N. R. Longrich. The first oviraptorosaur (Dinosauria Theropoda) bonebed: evidence of gregarious behaviour in a maniraptoran theropod. Scientific Reports 6, 35782
2015
Martill, D.M., Tischlinger, H., Longrich, N.R., 2015. A four-legged snake from the Early Cretaceous of Gondwana. Science 349, 416-419.
Longrich, N.R., Vinther, J., Pyron, A., Pisani, D., Gauthier, J.A., 2015. Biogeography of worm lizards (Amphisbaenia) driven by end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 202, 20143034.
2014
Longrich, N.R., 2014. The horned dinosaurs Pentaceratops and Kosmoceratops from the upper Campanian of Alberta and implications for dinosaur biogeography. Cretaceous Research 51, 292-308.
Vinther, J., Stein, M., Longrich, N.R., Harper, D.A., 2014. A suspension-feeding anomalocarid from the Early Cambrian. Nature 507, 496-499.
Darroch, S.A., Webb, A.E., Longrich, N., Belmaker, J., 2014. Palaeocene–Eocene evolution of beta diversity among ungulate mammals in North America. Global Ecology and Biogeography 23 (7) 757-768.
2013
Peterson, J.E., Dischler, C., Longrich, N.R., 2013. Distributions of cranial pathologies provide evidence for head-butting in dome-headed dinosaurs (Pachycephalosauridae). PLoS ONE 8, e68620.
Longrich, N.R., Barnes, K., Clark, S., Millar, L., 2013. Caenagnathidae from the Upper Campanian Aguja Formation of West Texas, and a revision of the Caenagnathinae. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 54, 23-49.
Longrich, N.R., 2013. Judiceratops tigris, a new horned dinosaur from the middle Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 54, 51-65.
2012
Longrich, N.R., Bhullar, A.-B.S., Gauthier, J., 2012. Mass extinction of lizards and snakes at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, 21396--21401.
Longrich, N.R., Vinther, J., Meng, Q., Li, Q., Russell, A.P. 2012. Primitive wing feather arrangement in Archaeopteryx lithographica and Anchiornis huxleyi. Current Biology 22, 1-6.
Longrich, N. R., Bhullar, A-B. S., Gauthier, J. A. 2012. A transitional snake from the Late Cretaceous period of North America. Nature 488, 205-208.
Longrich, N.R., Field, D. 2012. Torosaurus is not Triceratops: ontogeny in chasmosaurine ceratopsids as a case study in dinosaur taxonomy. PLoS ONE 7(2): e32623 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032623
Larson, D., Longrich, N. R., Evans, D., Ryan, M. 2012. Neurankylus lithographicus, a new species of baenid turtle (Paracryptodira: Baenidae) from the Late Cretaceous Milk River Formation of Alberta, Canada. In D. B. Brinkman et al. (eds), Morphology and Evolution of Turtles. Springer, Netherlands. 389-405.
2011
Longrich, N. R., Tokaryk, T. T., Field, D. 2011. Mass extinction of birds at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (37): 15253-15257.
Schott, R.K., Evans, D.C., Goodwin, M.B., Horner, J.R., Brown, C.M., Longrich, N.R., 2011. Cranial Ontogeny in Stegoceras validum (Dinosauria: Pachycephalosauria): A Quantitative Model of Pachycephalosaur Dome Growth and Variation. PLoS ONE 6, e21092.
Longrich, N. R. 2011. Titanoceratops ouranos, a giant horned dinosaur from the Late Campanian of New Mexico. Cretaceous Research 32:3 264-276.
Longrich, N. R., Olson, S.L., 2011. The bizarre wing of the Jamaican flightless ibis Xenicibis xympithecus: a unique vertebrate adaptation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278: 2333-2337.
2010
Longrich, N. R., J. R. Horner, G. M. Erickson, and P. J. Currie. 2010. Cannibalism in Tyrannosaurus rex. PLoS ONE 5(10): e13419. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013419.
Lyson, T. R., and N. R. Longrich. 2010. Spatial niche partitioning in dinosaurs from the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278: 3459-3464.
Longrich, N. R., P. J. Currie, and Z.-M. Dong. 2010. A new oviraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia. Palaeontogy 53:945-960.
Longrich, N. R. 2010. Mojoceratops perifania, a new chasmosaurine ceratopsid from the Late Campanian of Western Canada. Journal of Paleontology 84:681-694.
Longrich, N. R., and M. Ryan. 2010. Mammalian tooth marks on the bones of dinosaurs and other Late Cretaceous vertebrates. Palaeontology 53:703-709.
Longrich, N. R., J. T. Sankey, and D. H. Tanke. 2010. Texacephale langstoni, a new genus of pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the upper Campanian Aguja Formation, southern Texas, USA. Cretaceous Research 31:274-284.
Longrich, N. R. 2010. The function of large eyes in Protoceratops: a nocturnal ceratopsian? In: Eberth and Ryan (eds.), Horned Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press.
2009
Longrich, N. R., and P. J. Currie. 2009a. A microraptorine (Dinosauria-Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106:5002-5008.
Longrich, N. R., and P. J. Currie. 2009b. Albertonykus borealis, a new alvarezsaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Maastrichtian of Alberta, Canada: Implications for the systematics and ecology of the Alvarezsauridae. Cretaceous Research 30:239-252.
Longrich, N. R. 2009. An ornithurine-dominated avifauna from the Belly River Group (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous) of Alberta, Canada. Cretaceous Research 30:161-177.
2008
Longrich, N. R. 2008. A new, large ornithomimid from the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada: implications for the study of dissociated dinosaur remains. Palaeontology 51:983-997.
Longrich, N.R. 2008. Small theropod teeth from the Lance Formation of Wyoming. In Sankey, J.T. and Baszio, S. (Eds). The Unique Role of Vertebrate Microfossil Assemblages in Paleoecology and Paleobiology. Indiana University Press, pp 135-158.
2006
Longrich, N. R. 2006. Structure and function of hindlimb feathers in Archaeopteryx lithographica. Paleobiology 32(3):417-431.
Longrich, N. R. 2006. An ornithurine bird from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 43:1-7.
Popular Articles
How the extinction of ice age mammals may have forced us to invent civilization. The Conversation, Jan 3, 2020. Humans were perfectly happy to be hunter-gatherers for 300,000 years. Then the mammoths vanished.
Were other humans the first victims of the Sixth Mass Extinction? The Conversation, Nov 21, 2019. There were nine species of human when we first evolved, now there's just us- because we wiped out the others.
Evolution tells us we might be the only intelligent life in the universe. The Conversation, October 18, 2019. An explanation for the fact that we haven't contacted aliens- the evolution of intelligence may depend on getting lucky, again and again, to evolve a series of complex adaptations.
Mass extinctions made life more diverse- and might again. The Conversation, September 13, 2019. How mass extinctions may increase biodiversity in the long term.
Fellowships and Awards
2013 Oxford Natural History Museum Postdoctoral Fellowship, Oxford University (declined)
2012 Palaeontological Association, President’s Prize for best talk (£200)
2010 National Geographic Waitts Foundation Grant for exploratory fieldwork in the Canadian Arctic of the Northwest Territories ($8,600)
2009 Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Donnelley Postdoctoral Fellowship (2 year, $40,000/yr).
2008 Dinosaur Research Institute Grant $1500 for field work in Big Bend National Park, Texas (w/ J. Sankey)
2005 Society of Canadian Ornithologists Grant
2004 Alberta Ingenuity Graduate Research Studentship, $22,000/yr, 5 year doctoral scholarship
2003 University of Calgary, Dean’s Entry Scholarship
1999 Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, Student Bursary
1999 National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship
1999 Ford Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship (declined)
1998 Princeton University, Charles M. Cannon Memorial Prize for best senior thesis presentation
Funding
2015 Fondes National de la Recherche Luxembourg. 3 years of funding for a PhD student to study lizard extinction, radiation, and biogeography. £90,000
2013 Oxford University Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2 year research postdoctoral fellowship (declined for current position)
2011 Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies. Funding to pursue research on fossil lizards that would be published in Nature and PNAS. $60,000 USD
2010 National Geographic / Waitts Foundation. Funding for fieldwork to prospect the K-Pg boundary in the Canadian Arctic. $14,500 USD
2009-2010 Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship $88,000 USD
2004-2009, Alberta Ingenuity Studentship. 5 year studentship including fees, stipend and research funds. $117,500 CAD
1999-2002 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 3 year studentship including fees and stipend. $76,500 USD
Conference Presentations
Longrich, N. Tetrapodophis amplectus, a four-legged snake from the Early Cretaceous of Gondwana, and implications for the origins and evolutions of snakes. Palaeontological Association annual meeting.
Longrich, N., 2012. Mass extinction of lizards and snakes at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Paleontological Association annual meeting 2012.
Longrich, N., 2010. Survival and extinction at the K-T boundary: New evidence and new perspectives from the vertebrate fauna of continental North America. Journal of Vertebrate Palentology 29: 124A.
Darroch, S. A. F., Webb, A., Longrich, N. 2010 Visualizing Paleocene-Eocene evolution of beta-diversity among ungulate mammals in North America. Paleontological Association Annual Meeting.
Schott, R., Evans, D., Goodwin, M., Brown, C., Longrich, N. 2010. Ontogeny in Stegoceras and the evolution of cranial doming and ornamentation in Pachycephalosauria (Dinosauria: Ornithischia). Journal of Vertebrate Palentology 29: 159A.
Lyson, T., and Longrich, N. R. Spatial niche partitioning in dinosaurs from the Latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of North America. GSA Abstracts with Programs Vol. 42, No. 5.
Longrich, N., 2008c. Aerodynamic function of the hind limb feathers of Archaeopteryx lithographica. Journal of Vertebrate Palentology 28:3A (Romer Prize Symposium)
Currie, P.J., Longrich, N.R., Ryan, M., Eberth, D., Demchig, B., 2008. A bonebed of Avimimus sp. (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert: Insights into social behavior and development in a maniraptoran theropod. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28, 67A.
Longrich, N. R. 2007. Structure and function of hind limb feathers in Archaeopteryx lithographica. Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Program with Abstracts.
Longrich, N. 2007. The better to see you with: the function of large eyes in Protoceratops. Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology Ceratopsian Symposium.
Longrich, N. R. 2005. Semiaquatic marsupials from Dinosaur Provincial Park. Dinosaur Park Symposium.
Longrich, N. R. 2005. Aquatic marsupials from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Program with Abstracts.
Longrich, N. R. 2005. Aquatic specialization in marsupials from the Late Cretaceous. Evolution of Aquatic Tetrapods Fourth Triannual Convention Abstracts: 46.
Longrich, N. R. 2004. Aquatic specialization in mammals from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24,3
Undergraduate Teaching
2014-2019 Final Year Project Students. Oversaw independent research projects by undergraduates at the University of Bath
Tutorials. Teaching 3 tutorial groups with a focus on writing and presentation skills
Fall 2015-2019 Life of Earth 1 , University of Bath. Convener and lecturer. Undergraduate course, with a series of one-hour lectures covering the diversity and evolution of chordates and an introduction to biodiversity and evolution.
Spring 2014-2020, Life of Earth 2. University of Bath. Undergraduate course, with a series of one-hour lectures covering the diversity and evolution of chordates.
Spring 2014-2020 Ecology and Evolution, University of Bath. Undergraduate course, 3 one-hour lectures on adaptive radiation, biogeography, and diversity gradients.
Spring 2014-2018 Field Course, University of Bath. Intensive 1-week field course in which students are asked to design, execute and present on an original piece of research conducted in the field.
Fall 2015-2019 Concepts in Evolution, University of Bath. Convener and lecturer. Undergraduate course, 6 one-hour lectures covering arms races, mutualism, sexual selection, human evolution.
Spring 2011 Geology 125 History of Life, Yale University (undergraduate course; lecturing responsibilities for six one-hour lectures)
Spring 2012 Geology 125 History of Life, Yale University
Fall 2006 Ecology 301, University of Calgary (teaching assistant)
Lectures and Public Talks
May 2011, Boston Museum of Science
May 2011, New York Paleontological Society
November 2010, Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, External Advisory Board Meeting
January 2009, University of Alaska Kodiak College, Kodiak Island, Alaska.
December 2008, Linnean Society of New York
March, 2008, University of Alberta Paleontological Society
March 30, 2007 invited lecture, Department of Geology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Fall 2006, Alberta Paleontological Society
Field Work
2010 Northwest Territories Arctic Dinosaur Expedition. Led expedition searching for K-T vertebrates near the Mackenzie River Valley in the Northwest Territories and collected duckbill dinosaur fossils.
2010 Southern Alberta. Led prospecting for K-T vertebrate sites in the Alberta foothills and continued fieldwork along South Saskatchewan River.
2009 Southern Alberta. Led prospecting for dinosaur remains in the Oldman Formation, recovering a partial skeleton of the rare Chasmosaurus irvinensis.
2008 Big Bend National Park, Texas. Collaborated with J. Sankey
Outreach
I have worked closely with University media relations at Bath, Yale, and Calgary to put together press releases on my research to communicate science to the general public. Select examples of media coverage:
Tetrapodophis (Martill, Tischlinger and Longrich, 2015)
July 23, 2015, BBC World Service, “The four-legged hugging snake”
Yale Scientists name Obamadon, a slender-jawed lizard, after the President
Dec. 10, 2012. The Boston Globe.
Torosaurus and Triceratops (Longrich and Field, 2011)
March 5, 2012, The New York Times, “Triceratops’ Quiet Cousin, the Torosaurus, gains new legitimacy”.
K-T bird extinction (Longrich et al., 2011)
September 20, 2011, bbc.co.uk, “Old fossils solve mystery of earliest bird extinction”
T. rex cannibalism (Longrich et al., 2010)
October 18, 2010, Slate.com, “What Did Dinosaur Meat Taste Like?”
Mojoceratops (Longrich, 2010)
July 17, NPR, “Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me”
July 9, 2010, New York Times, “From a Museum Basement, a ‘New’ Dinosaur”
Mammalian gnaw on dinosaur bones (Longrich and Ryan, 2010)
June 21, 2010, New York Times, ‘The fossil record of prehistoric gnawing’
Albertonykus (Longrich and Currie, 2009a)
Sept 27 2008, Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update with Amy Poehler
Referee for Peer-reviewed Publications
Science
Current Biology
Proceedings B
Naturwissenschaften
Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society
Palaeontology
Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
Auk
Lethaia
Geological Journal
Cretaceous Research
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
American Museum Novitates
Peabody Museum Bulletin
Historical Biology
Paleontologia Electronica
Peer J
PLoS ONE