Peter Wellnhofer

Peterwell Hofer ( * 1936 in Munich) is a German paleontologist. He is regarded as one of the world's leading experts on pterosaurs ( Pterosauria ) and the " first bird " Archaeopteryx.

Life and work

Peter Wellhofer is a geologist and in 1964 at the Munich Ludwig- Maximilians- University Dr. rer. nat. doctorate. He then accepted a position as a curator at the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology. In this capacity, he was responsible for the collection of fossil vertebrates. He later became the chief curator and deputy director of the State Collection. During this time, the focus of corrugated Hofer's research was on the flying dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, the " first bird " Archaeopteryx and the dinosaurs. Among his works are in addition to the band Pterosauria, in the book edited by him handbook of Paläoherpetologie / Handbook of paleoherpetology and numerous trade publications, a number of the general public of certain writings on pterosaurs and Archaeopteryx.

Awards

1997 Wellhofer was awarded the Inge and Werner Grüter Award for successful science communication.

Works (selection)

• Archaeopteryx and problems of the theory of evolution. Minerva publication, Munich 1978
• Pterosaurs. Pterosauria. Ziemsen, Lutherstadt Wittenberg 1980
• Solnhofen limestone. Ancient birds and pterosaurs. Friends of the Museum at Sole Hofer shares Club, Solnhofen 1983
• Dinosaurs - facts and theories. Stiftung St. Gallen Museums, St. Gallen 1991
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs. Salamander Books, London 1991
• Archaeopteryx. The first bird of Solnhofen. Arrow, Munich 2008