Scott A. Thomson is an Australian herpetologist,

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 ...

, and taxonomist, specialising in turtles of the family

Chelidae Chelidae is one of three living families of the turtle suborder Pleurodira, and are commonly called Austro-South American side-neck turtles. The family is distributed in Australia, New Guinea, parts of Indonesia, and throughout most of South Amer ...

Education

Thomson attended the University of Canberra for both his bachelor's and master's degrees in applied sciences, studying

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Career

Thomson is a researcher at the

Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo The Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo ( pt, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, abbreviated MZUSP) is a public natural history museum located in the historic Ipiranga district of São Paulo, Brazil. The MZUSP is an e ...

and curator at the Chelonian Research Institute in Oviedo, Florida. He is active in resolving nomenclatural issues, a member of the Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group of the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

's Species Survival Commission, and co-author of the 2015 checklist of

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

and

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

turtles. Thomson advocates for science-based rather than political- or conservation-driven taxonomy. Thomson has described several extant and

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

turtles, including: * '' Chelodina burrungandjii'' Thomson, Kennett, and Georges 2000 – Arnhem snake-necked turtle, sandstone snake-necked turtle * ''

Chelodina canni ''Chelodina canni'', also known commonly as Cann's snake-necked turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to Australia, where it is found in the northern and northeastern parts of the continent. McCord W, T ...

'' McCord and Thomson 2002 – Cann's snake-necked turtle * '' Chelodina (Chelydera)'' Thomson and Georges 2020 * ''Elseya'' (''Hanwarachelys'') Thomson et al. 2015 * ''

Elseya albagula ''Elseya albagula'', commonly known as the white-throated snapping turtle, is one of the largest species of chelid turtles in the world, growing to about carapace length. The species is endemic to south-eastern Queensland, Australia, in the B ...

'' Thomson, Georges, and Limpus 2006 – white-throated snapping turtle, southern snapping turtle * '' Elseya flaviventralis'' Thomson and Georges 2016 – yellow-bellied snapping turtle * †'' Elseya nadibajagu'' Thomson and Mackness 1999 – ancient snapping turtle * ''

Elseya rhodini ''Elseya rhodini'', the southern New Guinea stream turtle, is a recently described aquatic species of chelid turtle (Austro-South American side necks) found south of the central ranges of New Guinea. It inhabits small streams that flow into the ...

'' Thomson et al. 2015 – southern New Guinea stream turtle, Rhodin's stream turtle * ''

Myuchelys The ''Myuchelys'' is a genus of turtles, the Australian saw-shelled turtles, in the family Chelidae and subfamily Chelodininae. They inhabit the headwaters and tributaries of rivers within their range and this led to the name ''Myuchelys'', whic ...

'' Thomson and Georges 2009 * †''

Rheodytes devisi ''Rheodytes devisi'' is a Pleistocene fossil turtle from the Darling Downs of Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Cou ...

'' Thomson 2000 – DeVis' river diver

References

External links

Thomson's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Scott A. Living people Australian taxonomists Australian herpetologists Australian paleontologists 1966 births