plesiosauria@gmail.com

All rights reserved. Last updated May 2008. This site first opened in June 2001 and is continually under construction.

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Dr. Adam Stuart Smith Department of Geology, Museum Building, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about my research or this website, please contact me, I will be happy to hear from you (plesiosauria@gmail.com). [Research] [Publications] [Employment] [Personal] My Research My research interests focus primarily on Mesozoic marine reptiles, in particular on plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and crocodiles. I recently completed my PhD on the Anatomy and systematics of the Rhomaleosauridae (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria), which was based at the National University of Ireland (University College Dublin). I am currently investigating a number of topics including the palaeobiology of thalattosuchian crocodilians, the 'Leeds Collection' in the National Museum of Ireland (Natural History), a review of Irish Mesozoic marine reptiles, and the description of a rediscovered plesiosaur skeleton in the Warwick Museum. Thanks to funding from SYNTHESYS I have also been able to research material in the Geology Museums in Copenhagen and Stockholm, predominantly plesiosaurs from the Pliensbachian of Denmark and the Maastrichtian of Sweden. My current job as Geoschol Research Assistant, based at TCD, involves the research and production of posters, leaflets, and websites covering Irish earth science topics for schools in Ireland. I am very keen on the public communication of science - hence this website.

Publications

Smith, A. S. 2008. Plesiosaurs from the Pliensbachian (Lower Jurassic) of Bornholm, Denmark. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. (In press)

Smith, A.S. and Dyke, G.J. 2008. The skull of the giant predatory pliosaur Rhomaleosaurus cramptoni: implications for plesiosaur phylogenetics. Die Naturwissenschaften (In press).

Dyke, G.J., Hone, D.W.E., Ibrahim, N. and Smith, A.S. 2008. The pterodactyloid pterosaur Germanodactylus cristatus reunited: new information from the Dublin counterpart. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (In press).

Smith, A. S. 2008. Fossils explained 54: plesiosaurs. Geology Today. 24, (2), 71-75. (download PDF).

Smith, A. S. and Zaton, M. 2007. The first Actinopterygian (Pisces: Osteichthyes) tooth from the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) of The Polish Jura (south-central Poland). Paläontologie, Stratigraphie, Fazies (15), Freiberger Forschungshefte, Reihe C, 254, 35-40. (download PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2007. [Review of Sea Monsters — Prehistoric Creatues of the Deep, by Michael J. Everhart]. Palaeontologia Electronica, 10 (3), R7, 2pp. (download PDF) (view online article)

Smith, A. S. and Radley, J. D. 2007. A marine reptile fauna from the Early Jurassic Saltford Shale
(Blue Lias Formation) of central England. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 56 (4), 253-260. (request reprint from plesiosauria@gmail.com)

Smith, A. S. and Ibrahim, N. 2007. Prehistoric animals - sticking their necks out. Rockwatch, 46, 14-15. (download PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2007. The back-to-front plesiosaur Cryptoclidus (Apractocleidus) aldingeri from the Kimmeridgian of Milne Land, Greenland. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark, 55, 1-7. (download PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2006. Cranial anatomy and systematics of Lower Jurassic pliosaurs - new information from the National Museum of Ireland. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 26 (3), 126A. (download PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2006. Book Review - Starring T.rex! Palaeontological Association Newsletter, 62, 119-122. (download PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2006. Dublin's Jurassic 'Sea-Dragon'. Science Spin - Geoscience, 17, 26-27. (download PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2005. Book Review - Oceans of Kansas - a natural History of the Western Interior Sea. Palaeontological Association Newsletter, 60, 90-92. (download PDF)

Smith A. S. 2005. Are Jaffa Cakes really biscuits? Using cladistics to classify biscuits. Journal of Unlikely Science, 1, (7), 2-6. (Online Version)

Smith, A. S. 2003. Plesiosaurs - Mesozoic marine monsters. Rockwatch, 34, 4-5.

Abstracts of formal presentations & posters

Smith, A. S. 2007. A skeletal reconstruction of Rhomaleosaurus and the systematics of pliosaurs. 55th Annual Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparitive Anatomy. (Oral presentation).

Smith, A. S. 2007. Lower Jurassic pliosaur taxonomy and a skeletal reconstruction of Rhomaleosaurus. Progressive Palaeontology 2007. (Oral presentation). (download abstract book PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2006. Cranial anatomy and systematics of Lower Jurassic pliosaurs. 54th Annual Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparitive Anatomy. (Poster presentation) (download PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2006. Cranial anatomy and systematics of Lower Jurassic pliosaurs - new information from the National Museum of Ireland. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 26 (3), 126A. (Oral presentation) (download PDF)

Smith, A. S. 2006. Cranial anatomy and systematics of Lower Jurassic pliosaurs. Progressive Palaeontology 2006. (Oral presentation).

Smith A. S. 2005. Important plesiosaurs in the National Museum of Ireland (Natural History). Progressive Palaeontology 2005. (Oral presentation).

Smith, A. S. 2005. Important plesiosaurs in the National Museum of Ireland (Natural History). 53rd Annual Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparitive Anatomy. (Poster presentation) (download PDF)

Smith A. S. 2005. Important plesiosaurs in the National Museum of Ireland (Natural History). 48th Annual Irish Geological Research Meeting. (Oral presentation).

Theses

Smith, A. S. 2007. Anatomy and systematics of the Rhomaleosauridae (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria). PhD thesis. University College Dublin, 278pp. (Unpublished) (download PDF - coming soon)

Smith, A. S. 2003. Cladistic analysis of the Plesiosauria (Reptilia: Sauropterygia). Masters thesis in palaeobiology, University of Bristol, 91pp. (Unpublished) (download PDF)

Employment and positions of responsibility

Research Assistant, Geoschol, Trinity College Dublin. Production of earth science material for Irish Schools.

Assistant Editor, Palaeontologica Electronica (April 2007 -Ongoing) (find out more...)

Demonstrator, National University of Ireland (University College Dublin). Informal teaching, group discussion, occasional lecturing. (January 2005 -Ongoing).

Web Content Research Assistant, University of Bristol, in conjunction with the BBC, Open University, and the Natural History Museum, London. Collecting information and producing content for a website to accompany the BBC series, British Isles: A Natural History. (April 2004-January 2005)

Scientific consultant, Qube Software. (2003-Ongoing) (find out more...).

Palaeoartist, numerous commissions. My restorations of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals feature in magazine articles and in museum exhibits.(Ongoing) (find out more...)