Stephen Wroe

Stephen Wroe
Alma materUniversity of New South Wales
Known forCarnivores, marsupials
Scientific career
FieldsBiomechanics, Palaeontology, Physical anthropology, Zoology
InstitutionsUniversity of New England (Australia)

Stephen Wroe (also known as Steve Wroe) is an Australian vertebrate palaeontologist,[1] biomechanist,[2] YouTuber, and science communicator.

As a researcher, he is best known for his work describing and evaluating carnivores, especially measuring their bite force quotient.[3]

Currently, he is Professor in Evolutionary Biology at the University of New England (Australia)'s School of Environmental and Rural Science.[4]

Education

He obtained a science degree with honors at the University of New South Wales in 1991 and obtained a Ph.D. in paleontology at the same university in 1999.[5]

Career

Wroe worked briefly as a research fellow at the Australian Museum before taking up a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Sydney.[5] In 2005 he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship [6] and an Australian Research Council Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award in 2013 [7][8].

Publications

  • Attard, M.; Wroe, S (June 2012). "The thylacine myth". Australasian Science. 33 (5): 19–22. ISSN 1442-679X.
  • Roe, S. (2005). "On little lizards and the big extinction blame game" (PDF). Guest Editorial. Quaternary Australasia. 23 (1): 8–12. ISSN 0811-0433.
  • Wroe, Stephen (May 1999). "Killer Kangaroos and Other Murderous Marsupials". Scientific American. 280 (5): 68–74. ISSN 0036-8733. JSTOR 26058244.
  • Wroe, Stephen (2004). "Factors behind the rarity of large mammalian carnivores". Australasian Science: 21–23. ISSN 1442-679X.
  • Wroe, Stephen; Field, Judith; Fullagar, Richard (Winter 2002). "Lost Giants" (PDF). Nature Australia. 27 (5). Australian Museum: 54–61. ISSN 1324-2598.

Media

Wroe was quoted by BBC News on the issue of whether Neanderthals could speak.[9]

TV Shows

He has appeared in:

Year Title Season Episode No. Series Title Network
2001 Marsupial Carnivores 1 9 Killer Instinct with Rob Bredl Amazon Prime
2002 What Killed the Mega Beasts? - - - Discovery Channel
2009 Death of the Mega Beasts - - - Discovery Channel
2009 Monster Shark 1 5 Prehistoric Predators National Geographic Channel

YouTube Channel

Wroe's YouTube channel is called "Real Paleontology".[1]

Honours

Wroe has had the species Protamalleus stevewroei named after him.[3]

References

  1. ^ Cooper, Dani (6 September 2007). "Thylacine skull shows how the dingo did it". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  2. ^ Choi, Charles Q. (4 August 2008). "110-ton shark's bite more powerful than T. rex's". NBC News via LiveScience. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b Churchill, Timothy J.; Archer, Michael; Hand, Suzanne J. "Three new malleodectids (Marsupialia, Malleodectidae) from the late Oligocene and early Miocene deposits of the Riversleigh World Heritage area, northwestern Queensland". Alcheringa. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2543075. ISSN 0311-5518. The species name stevewroei honours Professor Steve Wroe for his significant contributions to Australian mammalian palaeontology, particularly in the description and interpretation of fossil dasyuromorphians. The name also acknowledges his influential research into the biomechanics of bite force in extinct mammalian carnivores, which has greatly advanced understanding of functional morphology and predatory adaptations in deep time.
  4. ^ "Zoology Staff". Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law. University of New England. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Stephen Wroe". une.au.academia.edu. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Staff Profiles". University of New England. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  7. ^ "Discovery Projects: Grant ID DP140102656". Research Data Australia. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  8. ^ "Grant DP140102656 — The University of New England". Australian Research Council. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  9. ^ Hogenboom, Melissa (20 December 2013). "Neanderthals could speak like modern humans, study suggests". BBC News. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
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