Halszka Osmólska (September 15, 1930 – March 31, 2008) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

paleontologist 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 fossi ...

who had specialized in

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

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 ...

Biography

She was born in 1930 in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

. In 1949, she began to study biology at Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences of the

University of Poznań A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

before moving to Warsaw and studying at the

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

, which she graduated from in 1955. Since then she worked at the Institute of Paleobiology of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society o ...

(PAN). Between 1983–1988, she served as the institute's director. She was a member of the Polish–Mongolian expeditions to the Gobi Desert (1963–1965 and 1967–1971) and she described many finds from these rocks, often with

Teresa Maryańska Teresa Maryańska (1937 – 3 October 2019) was a Polish paleontologist who specialized in Mongolian dinosaurs, particularly pachycephalosaurians and ankylosaurians. Peter Dodson (1998 p. 9) states that in 1974 Maryanska together with Hals ...

. Among the dinosaurs she described are: * ''

Elmisaurus ''Elmisaurus'' (meaning "foot sole lizard") is an extinct genus of caenagnathid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. It was a theropod belonging to the Oviraptorosauria. Discovery In 1970, a paleontological Polish-M ...

'' (and Elmisauridae) (1981), ''

Hulsanpes ''Hulsanpes'' ( meaning " Khulsan foot") is a genus of halszkaraptorine theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now the Barun Goyot Formation of Mongolia, about 75-72 million years ago. The remains were found in 1970 a ...

'' (1982), '' Borogovia'' (1987), and ''

Bagaraatan ''Bagaraatan'' (/'ba-ɣa-raa-tan/ meaning 'small' ''baɣa'' + 'carnivorous animal, beast of prey' ''araatan'' in Mongolian) is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period. Its fossils were found in the Nemegt Formation of Mongoli ...

'' (1996) * with Maryańska, ''

Homalocephale ''Homalocephale'' (from Ancient Greek, Greek ὁμαλός, ''homalos'', "even", and κεφαλή, ''kephalē'', "head") is a genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of what is now the Nemegt Formation, M ...

'', ''

Prenocephale ''Prenocephale'' (meaning "sloping head") is a genus of small pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. It was similar in many ways to its close relative, '' Homalocephale''. Description Adult ''Prenoce ...

'', and ''

Tylocephale ''Tylocephale'' (meaning "swollen head", from the Greek ''τυλη'' meaning 'callus' or 'hard swelling' and ''κεφαλη'' meaning 'head') is a genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period. It was a herbivorous dinos ...

'' (and

Pachycephalosauria Pachycephalosauria (; from Greek παχυκεφαλόσαυρος for 'thick headed lizards') is a clade of ornithischian dinosaurs. Along with Ceratopsia, it makes up the clade Marginocephalia. With the exception of two species, most pachycepha ...

)(1974), ''

Bagaceratops ''Bagaceratops'' (meaning "small-horned face") is a genus of small protoceratopsid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous, around 72 to 71 million years ago. ''Bagaceratops'' remains have been reported from the Barun Goyot Form ...

'' (1975), and '' Barsboldia'' (1981) * with Maryańska and Altangerel Perle, ''

Goyocephale ''Goyocephale'' is an extinct genus of pachycephalosaurian ornithischian that lived in Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous about 76 million years ago. It was first described in 1982 by Altangerel Perle, Teresa Maryańska and Halszka Osmólska f ...

'' (1982) * with Ewa Roniewicz, '' Deinocheirus'' (1967) * with Roniewicz and

Rinchen Barsbold , Rinchyengiin Barsbold, born December 21, 1935 in Ulaanbaatar) is a Mongolian paleontologist and geologist. He works with the Institute of Geology, at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He is an expert in vertebrate paleontology and Mesozoic stratigraphy. Bar ...

, '' Gallimimus'' (1972) * with Kurzanov, '' Tochisaurus'' (1991) * and with several other authors, ''

Nomingia ''Nomingia'' is a genus of oviraptorid theropod dinosaur hailing from the Late Cretaceous Bugin Tsav Beds of Mongolia. Discovery and naming The remains, consisting of most of the vertebral column, pelvic girdle and left tibio-tarsus, holot ...

'' (2000) Her other work included discussions of the

paleobiology Paleobiology (or palaeobiology) is an interdisciplinary field that combines the methods and findings found in both the earth sciences and the life sciences. Paleobiology is not to be confused with geobiology, which focuses more on the interactio ...

of hadrosaurids, and co-editing the two editions of ''

The Dinosauria ''The Dinosauria'' is an extensive book on dinosaurs, compiled by David B. Weishampel, Peter Dodson, and Halszka Osmólska. It has been published in 2 editions, with the first edition published in 1990, consisting of material from 23 scientists.B ...

''. She is recognized for her work in the names of the Mongolian

oviraptorid Oviraptoridae is a group of bird-like, herbivorous and omnivorous maniraptoran dinosaurs. Oviraptorids are characterized by their toothless, parrot-like beaks and, in some cases, elaborate crests. They were generally small, measuring between on ...

Citipati osmolskae ''Citipati'' (; meaning "funeral pyre lord") is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. It is mainly known from the Ukhaa Tolgod locality at the Djadokhta F ...

'', the Chinese

dromaeosaurid Dromaeosauridae () is a family of feathered theropod dinosaurs. They were generally small to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek ('), meaning ...

'' Velociraptor osmolskae'', the Mongolian dromaeosaurid ''

Halszkaraptor escuilliei ''Halszkaraptor'' (; meaning " Halszka's seizer") is a genus of waterfowl-like dromaeosaurid dinosaurs from Mongolia that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. It contains only one known species, ''Halszkaraptor escuilliei''. The type specim ...

'', the archosauriform reptile '' Osmolskina czatkowicensis'', and the Polish

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58lagomorph The lagomorphs are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two living families: the Leporidae (hares and rabbits) and the Ochotonidae (pikas). The name of the order is derived from the Ancient Greek ''lagos'' (λαγ� ...

'' Prolagus osmolskae''. Osmólska was, in recognition of her scientific work, a recipient of a number of awards including the Polish Cross of Merit.Moody, R., & Geological Society of London. (2010). ''Dinosaurs and other extinct saurians: A historical perspective''. London: Geological Society.

Selected publications

* H. Osmólska and E. Roniewicz (1970). Deinocheiridae, a new family of theropod dinosaurs. ''Palaeontologica Polonica'' 21:5-19. * H. Osmólska, E. Roniewicz, and R. Barsbold (1972). A new dinosaur, ''Gallimimus bullatus'' n. gen., n. sp. (Ornithomimidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. ''Palaeontologia Polonica'' 27:103-143. * H. Osmólska (1972). Preliminary note on a crocodilian from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. ''Palaeontologia Polonica'' 27:43-47. * T. Maryańska and H. Osmólska (1974). Pachycephalosauria, a new suborder of ornithischian dinosaurs. ''Palaeontologia Polonica'' 30:45-102. * T. Maryańska and H. Osmólska (1975). Protoceratopsidae (Dinosauria) of Asia. ''Palaeontologica Polonica'' 33:133-181. * H. Osmólska (1976). New light on the skull anatomy and systematic position of ''Oviraptor''. ''Nature'' 262:683-684. * H. Osmólska (1981). Coossified tarsometatarsi in theropod dinosaurs and their bearing on the problem of bird origins. ''Palaeontologica Polonica'' 42:79-95. * T. Maryańska and H. Osmólska (1981). First lambeosaurine dinosaur from the Nemegt Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Mongolia. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 26(3-1):243-255. * T. Maryańska and H. Osmólska (1981). Cranial anatomy of ''Saurolophus angustirostris'' with comments on the Asian Hadrosauridae (Dinosauria). ''Palaeontologia Polonica'' 42:5-24. * H. Osmólska (1982). ''Hulsanpes perlei'' n.g. n.sp. (Deinonychosauria, Saurischia, Dinosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Barun Goyot Formation of Mongolia. ''Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte'' 1982(7):440-448. * A. Perle, T. Maryańska, and H. Osmólska (1982). ''Goyocephale lattimorei'' gen. et sp. n., a new flat-headed pachycephalosaur (Ornithischia, Dinosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 27(1-4):115-127. * T. Maryańska and H. Osmólska (1984). Postcranial anatomy of ''Saurolophus angustirostris'' with comments on other hadrosaurs. ''Palaeontologia Polonica'' 46:119-141. * T. Maryańska and H. Osmólska (1985). On ornithischian phylogeny. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 30(3-4):137-149. * H. Osmólska (1987). ''Borogovia gracilicrus'' gen. et sp. n., a new troodontid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 32(1-2):133-150. * R. Barsbold, H. Osmólska, and S.M. Kurzanov (1987). On a new troodontid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 32(1-2):121-132. * S. M. Kurzanov and H. Osmólska (1991). ''Tochisaurus nemegtensis'' gen. et sp. n., a new troodontid dinosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from Mongolia. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 36(1):69-76. * H. Osmólska (1996). An unusual theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 41(1):1-38. * R. Barsbold and H. Osmólska (1999). The skull of ''Velociraptor'' (Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 44(2):189-219. * R. Barsbold, H. Osmólska, M. Watabe, P.J. Currie, and K. Tsogtbaatar (2000). A new oviraptorosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from Mongolia: the first dinosaur with a pygostyle. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 45(2):97-106. * T. Maryańska, H. Osmólska, and M. Wolsan (2002). Avialan status for Oviraptorosauria. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 47(1):97-116. * H. Osmólska, P.J. Currie, and R. Barsbold (2004). Oviraptorosauria. In: D.B. Weishampel, P. Dodson, and H. Osmólska (eds.), ''The Dinosauria'' (second edition). University of California Press, Berkeley 165-183.

Biography

Selected publications

References

Further reading