Carrano, Matthew
Research Geologist and Curator of Dinosauria
0000-0003-2129-1612
Carrano, Matthew
Research Geologist and Curator of Dinosauria
Large-scale evolutionary patterns within Dinosauria; systematics of basal Theropoda; vertebrate paleoecology of Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems; the dinosaur fossil record.
Background And Education
Education And Training
- Ph.D. in Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago , Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The evolution of dinosaur locomotion: functional morphology, biomechanics, and modern analogs 1995 - 1998
- M.S. in Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago , Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Morphological indicators of foot posture in mammals: a statisticaland biomechanical analysis 1992 - 1995
- B.S. in Geology-Biology, Brown University , Geological Sciences, Mesozoic ungulate parallels: an examination of hadrosaur morphology (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) with an evaluation of patterns of correlation between hadrosaurs and ungulates 1987 - 1991
Awards And Honors
- NMNH Peer Recognition Award, 2019
- Smithsonian Excellence in Exhibitions Award , 2019
- NMNH Science Achievement Award , conferred by NMNH Associate Director For Science, 2018
- Smithsonian Education Award, conferred by Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, 2015
- NMNH Science Achievement Award , conferred by NMNH Associate Director For Science, 2009
Research And Grants
Co-principal Investigator On
- Collaborative Research: Triassic–Jurassic Fossils and the Origins of the Crocodylian Skull awarded by National Science Foundation 2016 - 2020
- Collaborative RUI Research: Microfossil Bonebeds Are an Untapped Resource for Understanding Vertebrate Taphonomy, Paleoecology, and Diversity awarded by National Science Foundation 2011 - 2017
Investigator On
Publications
Selected Publications
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Article
- DeMar, David G., Jones, Marc E. H., and Carrano, Matthew T. 2022. "A nearly complete skeleton of a new eusphenodontian from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA, provides insight into the evolution and diversity of Rhynchocephalia (Reptilia: Lepidosauria)." Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 20, (1) 2093139. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2022.2093139. 2022
- Chiarenza, Alfio Alessandro, Mannion, Philip D., Farnsworth, Alex, Carrano, Matthew T., and Varela, Sara. 2022. "Climatic constraints on the biogeographic history of Mesozoic dinosaurs." Current Biology, 32, (3) 570–585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.061. 2022
- Heckert, Andrew B., Viner, Tabitha C., and Carrano, Matthew T. 2021. "A large, pathological skeleton of Smilosuchus gregorii (Archosauriformes: Phytosauria) from the Upper Triassic of Arizona, U.S.A., with discussion of the paleobiological implications of paleopathology in fossil archosauromorphs." Palaeontologia Electronica, 24, (2) a23:1–35. https://doi.org/10.26879/1123. 2021
- Carrano, Matthew T., Oreska, Matthew P. J., Murch, Abree, Trujillo, Kelli C., and Chamberlain, Kevin R. 2021. "Vertebrate paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous), III: a new species of Albanerpeton, with biogeographic and paleoecological implications." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.2003372. 2021
- D'Emic, Michael D. and Carrano, Matthew T. 2020. "Redescription of Brachiosaurid Sauropod Dinosaur Material From the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA." Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J.: 2007), 303, (4) 732–758. (The Hidden World of Dinosaurs) https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24198. 2020
- Close, Roger A., Benson, Roger B. J., Alroy, John, Carrano, Matthew T., Cleary, Terri J., Dunne, Emma M., Mannion, Philip D., Uhen, Mark D., and Butler, Richard J. 2020. "The apparent exponential radiation of Phanerozoic land vertebrates is an artefact of spatial sampling biases." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287, (1924) Article 20200372. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0372. 2020
- Close, Roger A., Benson, Roger B. J., Alroy, John, Behrensmeyer, Anna K., Benito, Juan, Carrano, Matthew T., Cleary, Terri J., Dunne, Emma M., Mannion, Philip D., Uhen, Mark D., and Butler, Richard J. 2019. "Diversity dynamics of Phanerozoic terrestrial tetrapods at the local-community scale." Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3, (4) 590–597. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0811-8. 2019
- Oreska, Matthew P. J. and Carrano, Matthew T. 2019. "Paleocommunity mixing increases with marine transgression in Dinosaur Park Formation (Upper Cretaceous) vertebrate microfossil assemblages." Paleobiology, 45, (1) 136–153. https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2018.36. 2019
- Carrano, Matthew T., Loewen, Mark A., and Evers, Serjoscha W. 2018. "Comment (Case 3506) - Conservation of Allosaurus Marsh, 1877 (Dinosauria, Theropoda): additional data in support of the proposed neotype for its type species Allosaurus fragilis Marsh, 1877." The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 75 59–64. https://doi.org/10.21805/bzn.v75.a014. 2018
- Benson, Roger B. J., Hunt, Gene, Carrano, Matthew T., and Campione, Nicolas. 2018. "Cope's rule and the adaptive landscape of dinosaur body size evolution." Palaeontology, 61, (1) 13–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12329. 2018
- Montoya-Sanhueza, Germ, Moreno, Karen, Bobe, René, Carrano, Matthew T., García, Marcelo, and Corgne, Alexandre. 2017. "Peltephilidae and Mesotheriidae (Mammalia) from late Miocene strata of Northern Chilean Andes, Caragua." Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 75 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2017.01.009. 2017
- Benson, Roger B. J., Butler, Richard J., Alroy, John, Mannion, Philip D., Carrano, Matthew T., and Lloyd, Graeme T. 2016. "Near-Stasis in the Long-Term Diversification of Mesozoic Tetrapods." PLoS Biology, 14, (1) 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002359. 2016
- Carrano, Matthew T. and Choiniere, Jonah. 2016. "New Information on the Forearm and Manus of Ceratosaurus Nasicornis Marsh, 1884 (Dinosauria, Theropoda), with Implications for Theropod Forelimb Evolution." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 36, (2). https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2015.1054497. 2016
- Rauhut, Oliver W. M. and Carrano, Matthew T. 2016. "The theropod dinosaur Elaphrosaurus bambergi Janensch, 1920, from the Late Jurassic of Tendaguru, Tanzania." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 178, (3) 546–610. https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12425. 2016
- Carrano, Matthew T., Oreska, Matthew P. J., and Lockwood, Rowan. 2016. "Vertebrate Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Ii: Paleoecology." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 36, (2). https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2015.1071265. 2016
- Aiello, B. R., Iriarte-Diaz, J., Blob, R. W., Butcher, M. T., Carrano, Matthew T., Espinoza, N. R., Main, R. P., and Ross, C. F. 2015. "Bone strain magnitude is correlated with bone strain rate in tetrapods: implications for models of mechanotransduction." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282, (1810). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0321. 2015
- Mannion, Philip D., Benson, Roger B. J., Carrano, Matthew T., Tennant, Jonathan P., Judd, Jack, and Butler, Richard J. 2015. "Climate constrains the evolutionary history and biodiversity of crocodylians." Nature Communications, 6, (8438). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9438. 2015
- Carrano, Matthew T. and D'Emic, Michael D. 2015. "Osteoderms of the titanosaur sauropod dinosaur Alamosaurus sanjuanensis Gilmore, 1922." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 35, (1). https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2014.901334. 2015
- Evans, David C., Barrett, Paul M., Brink, Kirstin S., and Carrano, Matthew T. 2015. "Osteology and bone microstructure of new, small theropod dinosaur material from the early Late Cretaceous of Morocco." Gondwana Research, 27, (3) 1034–1041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2014.03.016. 2015
- Ksepka, Daniel T., Parham, James F., Allman, James F., Benton, Michael J., Carrano, Matthew T., Cranston, Karen A., Donoghue, Philip C. J., Head, Jason J., Hermsen, Elizabeth J., Irmis, Randall B., Joyce, Walter G., Kohli, Manpreet, Lamm, Kristin S., Leehr, Dan, Patané, José S. L., Polly, P. David, Phillips, Matthew J., Smith, N. Adam, Smith, Nathan D., van Tuinen, Marcel, Ware, Jessica L., and Warnock, Rachel C. M. 2015. "The Fossil Calibration Database, A New Resource for Divergence Dating." Systematic Biology, 64, (5) 853–859. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syv025. 2015
- Thomas, Daniel B., McGraw, Kevin J., Butler, Michael W., Carrano, Matthew T., Madden, Odile, and James, Helen F. 2014. "Ancient origins and multiple appearances of carotenoid-pigmented feathers in birds." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281, (1788). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0806. 2014
- Campione, Nicolas E., Evans, David C., Brown, Caleb M., and Carrano, Matthew T. 2014. "Body mass estimation in non-avian bipeds using a theoretical conversion to quadruped stylopodial proportions." Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 5, (9) 913–923. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12226. 2014
- Benson, Roger B. J., Campione, Nicolás E., Carrano, Matthew T., Mannion, Philip D., Sullivan, Corwin, Upchurch, Paul, and Evans, David C. 2014. "Rates of Dinosaur Body Mass Evolution Indicate 170 Million Years of Sustained Ecological Innovation on the Avian Stem Lineage." PLoS Biology, 12, (5) 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001853. 2014
- Brusatte, Stephen L., Butler, Richard J., Barrett, Paul M., Carrano, Matthew T., Evans, David C., Lloyd, Graeme T., Mannion, Philip D., Norell, Mark A., Peppe, Daniel J., Upchurch, Paul, and Williamson, Thomas E. 2014. "The extinction of the dinosaurs." Biological Reviews, 90, (2) 628–642. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12128. 2014
- Conrad, Jack L., Head, Jason J., and Carrano, Matthew T. 2014. "Unusual Soft-Tissue Preservation of a Crocodile Lizard (Squamata, Shinisauria) From the Green River Formation (Eocene) and Shinisaur Relationships." Anatomical Record : Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 297, (3) 545–559. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.22868. 2014
- Uhen, Mark D., Barnosky, Anthony D., Bills, Brian, Blois, Jessica, Carrano, Matthew T., Carrasco, Marc A., Erickson, Gregory M., Eronen, Jussi T., Fortelius, Mikael, Graham, Russell W., Grimm, Eric C., O'Leary, Maureen A., Mast, Austin, Piel, William H., Polly, P. David, and Saila, Laura K. 2013. "From Card Catalogs to Computers: Databases in Vertebrate Paleontology." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33, (1) 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2012.716114. 2013
- Oreska, Matthew P. J., Carrano, Matthew T., and Dzikiewicz, Katherine M. 2013. "Vertebrate Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous), I: Faunal Composition, Biogeographic Relationships, and Sampling." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33, (2) 264–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2012.717567. 2013
- Benson, Roger B. J., Butler, Richard J., Carrano, Matthew T., and O'Connor, Patrick M. 2012. "Air-filled postcranial bones in theropod dinosaurs: physiological implications and the 'reptile'–bird transition." Biological Reviews, 87, (1) 168–193. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-185X.2011.00190.x. 2012
- Burch, Sara H. and Carrano, Matthew T. 2012. "An Articulated Pectoral Girdle and Forelimb of the Abelisaurid Theropod Majungasaurus Crenatissimus from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 32, (1) 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2012.622027. 2012
- Fitzgerald, Erich M. G., Carrano, Matthew T., Holland, Timothy, Wagstaff, Barbara E., Pickering, David, Rich, Thomas H., and Vickers-Rich, Patricia. 2012. "First ceratosaurian dinosaur from Australia." Naturwissenschaften, 99, (5) 397–405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-012-0915-3. 2012
- Thomas, Daniel B., James, Helen F., Carrano, Matthew T., and Madden, Odile. 2012. "Searching for Evidence of Fossil Feather Color with Spectroscopy." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 32 183–184. 2012
- Carrano, Matthew T., Benson, Roger B. J., and Sampson, Scott D. 2012. "The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda)." Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 10, (2) 211–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2011.630927. 2012
- Mannion, Philip D., Benson, Roger B. J., Upchurch, Paul, Butler, Richard J., Carrano, Matthew T., and Barrett, Paul M. 2011. "A temperate palaeodiversity peak in Mesozoic dinosaurs and evidence for Late Cretaceous geographical partitioning." Global Ecology and Biogeography, 21, (9) 898–908. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2011.00735.x. 2011
- Wilson, Jeffrey A., Barrett, Paul M., and Carrano, Matthew T. 2011. "An associated partial skeleton of Jainosaurus cf. septentrionalis (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Chhota Simla, Central India." Palaeontology, 54, (5) 981–998. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01087.x. 2011
- Hall, Margaret I., Kirk, E. C., Kamilar, Jason M., and Carrano, Matthew T. 2011. "Comment on "Nocturnality in Dinosaurs Inferred from Scleral Ring and Orbit Morphology"." Science, 334, (6063) 1641–1641. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1208442. 2011
- Upchurch, P., Mannion, P. D., Benson, R. B. J., Butler, R. J., and Carrano, Matthew T. 2011. "Geological and anthropogenic controls on the sampling of the terrestrial fossil record: a case study from the Dinosauria." Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 358, (1) 209–240. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP358.14. 2011
- Butler, Richard J., Benson, Roger B. J., Carrano, Matthew T., Mannion, Philip D., and Upchurch, Paul. 2011. "Sea level, dinosaur diversity and sampling biases: investigating the 'common cause' hypothesis in the terrestrial realm." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278, (1709) 1165–1170. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1754. 2011
- Ksepka, Daniel T., Benton, Michael J., Carrano, Matthew T., Gandolfo, Maria A., Head, Jason J., Hermsen, Elizabeth J., Joyce, Walter G., Lamm, Kristin S., Patané, José S. L., Phillips, Matthew J., Polly, P. David, van Tuinen, Marcel, Ware, Jessica L., Warnock, Rachel C. M., and Parham, James F. 2011. "Synthesizing and databasing fossil calibrations: divergence dating and beyond." Biology Letters, 7, (6) 801–803. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2011.0356. 2011
- Mannion, Philip D., Upchurch, Paul, Carrano, Matthew T., and Barrett, Paul M. 2011. "Testing the effect of the rock record on diversity: a multidisciplinary approach to elucidating the generic richness of sauropodomorph dinosaurs through time." Biological Reviews, 86, (1) 157–181. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-185X.2010.00139.x. 2011
- Benson, Roger B. J., Carrano, Matthew T., and Brusatte, Stephen L. 2010. "A new clade of archaic large-bodied predatory dinosaurs (Theropoda: Allosauroidea) that survived to the latest Mesozoic." Naturwissenschaften, 97, (1) 71–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-009-0614-x. 2010
- Carrano, Matthew T., Krause, D. W., O'Connor, P. M., and Sampson, S. D. 2009. "Case 3487: Megalosaurus crenatissimus Depéret, 1896 (currently Majungasaurus crenatissimus; Dinosauria, Theropoda): proposed replacement of the holotype by a neotype." The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 66, (3) 261–264. 2009
- Carrano, Matthew T. and Sampson, S. D. 2008. "The phylogeny of Ceratosauria (Dinosauria : Theropoda)." Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 6, (2) 183–236. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1477201907002246. 2008
- Moreno, Karen, Carrano, Matthew T., and Snyder, Rebecca A. 2007. "Morphological changes in pedal phalanges through ornithopod dinosaur evolution: a biomechanical approach." Journal of Morphology, 268, (1) 50–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10498. 2007
- Krause, D. W., Sampson, S. D., Carrano, Matthew T., and O'Conner, Patrick M. 2007. "Overview of the history of discovery, taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar." Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 8.Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 27, (2) 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[1:OOTHOD]2.0.CO;2. 2007
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2007. "The appendicular skeleton of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar." Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 8.Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 27, (2) 163–179. 2007
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Book
- Carrano, Matthew T. and Johnson, Kirk R. 2019. Visions of lost worlds: the paleoart of Jay Matternes. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books. 2019
- Carrano, Matthew T., Loewen, Mark A., and Sertich, Joseph J. W. 2011. New materials of Masiakasaurus knopfleri Sampson, Carrano, and Forster, 2001, and implications for the morphology of the Noasauridae (Theropoda:Ceratosauria). Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 95. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810266.95.1. 2011
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Chapter
- Hunt, Gene and Carrano, Matthew T. 2010. "Models and methods for analyzing phenotypic evolution in lineages and clades." In Quantitative Methods in Paleobiology. Alroy, John and Hunt, Gene, editors. 245–269. New Haven, CT: The Paleontological Society. 2010
- Carrano, Matthew T., Wilson, Jeffrey A., and Barrett, Paul M. 2010. "The history of dinosaur collecting in central India, 1828-1947." In Dinosaurs and other Extinct Saurians: a Historical Perspective. Moody, R. T. J., Buffetaut, E., Naish, D., and Martill, D. M., editors. 161–173. London: Geological Society. In Geological Society Special Publication ; no. 343. 2010
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2007. "Walking and running dinosaurs." In Dinosaurs. Holtz, Thomas R., Jr., editor. 308. Random House Children's Books. 2007
Collection Or Series Editor For
- Paleobiology (Journal) 2007 - 2010
- Journal of Paleontology (Journal) 2003 - 2005
- Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (Journal) 2000 - 2003
Presentations
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Presentation
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2015. A curatorial perspective on the Deep Time exhibit renovation [presentation]. The Future of Museum and Gallery Design, Hong Kong University, 2015. Hong Kong.
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2014. Challenges and benefits of using vertebrate microfossil bonebeds for understanding terrestrial paleoecosystems [presentation]. 4th International Palaeontological Congress, 2014. Mendoza.
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2012. Dinosaur detective stories: what do we know about dinosaurs, and how do we know it? [presentation]. Undergraduate Research and Design Symposium. Northern Arizona University., 2012. Flagstaff, AZ.
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2017. Jurassic Park—In Concert [presentation]. National Symphony Orchestra, Wolf Trap, 2017. Vienna, VA.
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2012. Paleoecology and biogeography of the vertebrate fauna of the Morrison Formation, Late Jurassic, western United States [presentation]. Tendaguru and Beyond : Vertebrates in Jurassic Ecosystems (Symposium), Centenary Meeting, Paläontologische Gessellschaft, 2012.
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2011. The evolutionary history of basal tetanuran theropod dinosaurs [presentation]. IV Congreso Latinoamericano Paleontología de Vertebrados, San Juan.
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2009. The phylogeny of megalosauroids (Dinosauria: Theropoda) with implications for the evolution of North African ecosystems [presentation]. First International Congress on North African Vertebrate Palaeontology, 2009. Morocco.
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2016. Vertebrate microfossil bonebeds as benchmarks for terrestrial vertebrate diversity and paleoecology through time [presentation]. Department of Integrated Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 2016. Berkeley, CA.
- Carrano, Matthew T. 2017. Windows into the world of giants [presentation]. Dinosaur Weekend, Burke Museum, University of Washington, 2017. Seattle, WA.
Featured In
Activities
Responsible Collections Areas
- Fossil reptiles and amphibians, especially dinosaurs
Affiliation
Member Of
- George Washington University Adjunct Professor 2004 -
- NMNH - Dept. of Paleobiology
- Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Member-at-Large 2016 - 2019
- Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Bryan Patterson Award Committee 2008 - 2016
- Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Program Committee 2006 - 2009
- The Jurassic Foundation Scientific Board of Directors 2005 - 2009
- Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Romer-Simpson Medal Committee 2003 - 2008
- Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Romer Prize Committee 1999 - 2006
- Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Information Management Committee 2000 - 2004
Has Collaborator
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All People
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Fellowship Advisor
Contact
Location
- National Museum of Natural History Academic Department
Mailing Address
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P.O. Box 37012, MRC 121
Department of Paleobiology
Washington, DC 20013-7012
USA
