Richard A. Thulborn

Richard Anthony (Tony) Thulborn (1940–2025) was a British-born Australian paleontologist known for his pioneering research on dinosaur tracks and the palaeobiology of prehistoric vertebrates. He is recognized as one of the most productive paleontologists of his time and a leading expert in vertebrate ichnology.[1][2]

Career

In 1976, Thulborn joined Dr Mary Wade and a team of volunteers to excavate the Lark Quarry dinosaur tracksite, located near Winton, Queensland. Their work uncovered what remains the world’s only known evidence of a dinosaur stampede, published in 1984, which captivated scientists and the public alike.[3] He later critically reassessed these findings in Lark Quarry Revisited (2013), demonstrating rigorous methods in ichnological interpretation.[4] His work helped secure the site’s inclusion on the Australian National Heritage List in 2004, ensuring its preservation for research and public education.

In 1982, Thulborn debunked the purported plesiosaur embryos discovered by Harry Govier Seeley. Thulborn concluded that Seeley's supposed embryos were actually nodules of mudstone and shale derived from sediments that once filled in a crustacean burrow system and were not even animal body fossils.[5]

Thulborn’s research also included dinosaur locomotion, thermoregulation, tooth wear, jaw action, reproduction, and palaeobiology across diverse taxa.[6][7] He investigated the evolutionary relationships of birds and theropods, including studies on Archaeopteryx, digit homology, and flight mechanics.[8]

Thulborn also made important contributions to understanding Australia’s prehistoric vertebrate diversity, including mammal-like reptiles, dicynodonts, Triassic vertebrate faunas, plesiosaurs, and coprolites.[9] His critical approach and publications influenced both Australian and international palaeontology.

Honours

Thulborn was instrumental in securing recognition for Australia’s fossil heritage. He was widely respected for his scholarship and mentorship.

Death

Richard Anthony Thulborn died on 22 July 2025, aged 81.

References

  1. ^ Holtz, Thomas R. (2012). "Dinosaur Hunters of the Southern Continents". In Brett-Surman, Michael K.; Holtz, Thomas R.; Farlow, James O. (eds.). The complete dinosaur (2nd ed.). Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0253008497.
  2. ^ Collins, Ben (28 May 2012). "James Price Point world's only landscape to be shaped by dinosaur traffic". ABC Kimberley. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 Oct 2014.
  3. ^ Thulborn, R.A.; Wade, M. (1984). "Dinosaur trackways in the Winton Formation (Mid-Cretaceous) of Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 21: 123–141.
  4. ^ Thulborn, R.A. (2013). "Lark Quarry revisited: a critique of methods used to identify a large dinosaurian track-maker, Winton Formation (Albian–Cenomanian), Western Queensland". Historical Biology. 25: 203–219. doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.682172 (inactive 2 September 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2025 (link)
  5. ^ Ellis, Richard, (2003) "The Plesiosaurs" in Sea Dragons - Predators of the Prehistoric Oceans. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0-7006-1269-6.
  6. ^ Thulborn, R.A. (2009). "Tooth wear and jaw action in the Triassic ornithischian dinosaur Fabrosaurus". Historical Biology. 21: 19–33.
  7. ^ Thulborn, R.A. (1992). "Nest of the dinosaur Protoceratops". Lethaia. 25 (2): 145–149. Bibcode:1992Letha..25..145T. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3931.1992.tb01379.x.
  8. ^ Thulborn, R.A. (2008). "The avian relationships of Archaeopteryx, and the origin of birds". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28: 1–16. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[1:TAROAA]2.0.CO;2 (inactive 2 September 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2025 (link)
  9. ^ Thulborn, R.A.; Turner, S. (2003). "The last dicynodont: an Australian Cretaceous relict". Palaeontology. 46: 1–14.

Selected publications

Thulborn, R.A., & Wade, M. (1984). Dinosaur trackways in the Winton Formation (Mid-Cretaceous) of Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 21, 123–141.

Thulborn, R.A. (1984). Preferred gaits of bipedal dinosaurs. Historical Biology, 2(1), 17–32.

Thulborn, R.A. (1990). Dinosaur Tracks. Chapman & Hall.

Thulborn, R.A. (2007). Dinosaur Stampede in the Cretaceous of Queensland. Historical Biology, 19(1), 95–106.

Thulborn, R.A. (2013). Lark Quarry revisited: a critique of methods used to identify a large dinosaurian track-maker, Winton Formation. Historical Biology, 25, 203–219.

Thulborn, R.A. (2009). Tooth wear and jaw action in the Triassic ornithischian dinosaur Fabrosaurus. Historical Biology, 21, 19–33.

Thulborn, R.A. (2008). The avian relationships of Archaeopteryx, and the origin of birds. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28, 1–16.

Thulborn, R.A., & Turner, S. (2003). The last dicynodont: an Australian Cretaceous relict. Palaeontology, 46, 1–14.

Thulborn, R.A. (1973). Thermoregulation in dinosaurs. Lethaia, 6, 225–230.



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