Darren William Naish is a British vertebrate

palaeontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of foss ...

, author and

science communicator Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

. As a researcher, he is best known for his work describing and reevaluating

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s and other

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...

reptiles, including '' Eotyrannus'', '' Xenoposeidon'', and azhdarchid pterosaurs. Much of his research has focused on

Wealden Group The Wealden Group, occasionally also referred to as the Wealden Supergroup, is a group (a sequence of rock strata) in the lithostratigraphy of southern England. The Wealden group consists of paralic to continental (freshwater) facies sedimenta ...

fossils from the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...

. He is founder of the vertebrate palaeozoology blog Tetrapod Zoology, and has written several

popular science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...

books. Naish also makes frequent media appearances and is a scientific consultant and advisor for film, television, museums and exhibitions. Naish is also known for his skepticism and work examining

cryptozoology Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness ...

and

sea monster Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are o ...

sightings and beliefs from a scientific perspective.

Research

He obtained a geology degree at the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

and later studied vertebrate palaeontology under British palaeontologist

David Martill {{Short pages monitor Svpowsketeers

In 2006, Naish started a

weblog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

, Tetrapod Zoology, that covered various aspects of zoology. In 2007 he joined the ScienceBlogs network. In July 2011, the blog moved to the

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...

blog network, as of 31 July 2018 the blog has moved away from Scientific American and is hosted independently. Tetrapod Zoology covers various subjects concerning

tetrapod Tetrapods (; ) are four-limbed vertebrate animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda (). It includes extant and extinct amphibians, sauropsids ( reptiles, including dinosaurs and therefore birds) and synapsids ( pelycosaurs, extinct t ...

s. Topics have included frogs, reptiles, mammals, birds, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and cryptozoology. Together with colleagues Michael P. Taylor and Mathew Wedel, Naish also contributes to the Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week blog. In 2010, Naish published a collection of early articles from Tetrapod Zoology as a book titled ''Tetrapod Zoology Book One''.

Tetrapod Zoology Podcast

The Tetrapod Zoology Podcast was launched on 1 February 2013 and is the official podcast of the TetZooVerse. The podcast covers all things tetrapod and vertebrate palaeontology. The podcast is hosted by Naish and co-host John Conway, For episode 15 the regular hosts were joined by Memo Kosemen, co-author and artist of Cryptozoologicon.

Tetrapod Zoology Convention

TetZooCon is an annual meeting themed around the contents of the Tetrapod Zoology blog. The convention was first held on 12 June 2014 and has taken places in various venues in London. The convention involves talks on a variety of subjects, ranging from palaeontology to cryptozoology, as well as workshops. The convention is organised by Naish and Conway; Darren traditionally gives a talk himself, whereas John Conway hosts a workshop.

Bibliography

* Naish, D. 2021. ''Dinopedia: A Brief Compendium of Dinosaur Lore.'' Princeton University Press. * Naish, D. 2019. ''Hunting Monsters: Cryptozoology and the Reality Behind the Myths'' Sirius Publications. * Naish, D. 2017. ''Evolution in Minutes''.

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

. London. * Naish, D. 2017. ''Hunting Monsters: Cryptozoology and the Reality Behind the Myths''.

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

. * Naish, D., Barrett, P. 2016. ''Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved.'' Smithsonian Books. * Naish, D. 2015. ''Jurassic Record Breakers'',

Carlton Kids Carlton Kids was a British digital terrestrial pay television kids channel, provided by Carlton Television, which started broadcasting in November 1998 and closed in February 2000. Its sister channels were Carlton Food Network, Carlton World, ...

. London. * Conway, J., Kosemen, C. M. & Naish, D. 2013. ''Cryptozoologicon Volume'' I. Irregular Books. * Conway, J., Kosemen, C. M. & Naish, D. 2012. ''All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals''. Irregular Books. * Naish, D. 2011. ''Dinosaur Record Breakers''.

Carlton Books Welbeck Publishing Group, formerly Carlton Publishing Group, is a London-based independent book publisher of fiction, narrative and illustrated non-fiction, as well as gift and children's books. Established in 2019 by Executive Directors Mark Sm ...

, London. * Naish, D. 2010. ''Tetrapod Zoology Book One''. CFZ Press, Bideford. * Moody, R. T. J., Buffetaut, E., Naish, D. & Martill, D. M. 2010. ''Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Saurians: A Historical Perspective''.

Geological Society The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

, London. * Naish, D. 2010. ''Dinosaurs Life Size''.

Barron's Educational Series Kaplan, Inc. is an American for-profit corporation that provides educational and training services to colleges, universities, businesses and individuals around the world. Founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan, the company offers a variety of test pre ...

, New York. * Naish, D. 2009. ''The Great Dinosaur Discoveries''.

A & C Black A & C Black is a British book publishing company, owned since 2002 by Bloomsbury Publishing. The company is noted for publishing '' Who's Who'' since 1849. It also published popular travel guides and novels. History The firm was founded in 18 ...

, London. * Martill, D. M. & Naish, D. 2001. ''Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight''. The

Palaeontological Association The Palaeontological Association (PalAss for short) is a charitable organisation based in the UK founded in 1957 for the promotion of the study of palaeontology and allied sciences. Publications The Association publishes two main journals: ' ...

, London. * Martill, D. M. & Naish, D. 2000. ''Walking With Dinosaurs'': The Evidence.

BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadca ...

, London.

References

External links