A CAREER IN PALEONTOLOGY |
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What is a Paleontologist? A palaeontologist is a scientist who studies ancient life by way of fossils. Fossils are the remains of ancient plants and animals and are abundant throughout the world. | ||
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What are Some of the Different Fields of Paleontology? Vertebrate Palaeontology - The study of fossil animals with backbones. Many people think of dinosaurs when they think of palaeontology but fossil vertebrates include birds (which are actually dinosaurs), mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Invertebrate Palaeontology - The study of fossil animals without backbones. Palaeobotany - The study of fossil plants. Palynology - The study of organic-walled microfossils, especially pollens and spores. Palaeoecology - The study of ancient environments and the organisms living in them. This branch of palaeontology has become popular in the last 20 years and is often an important part of the study of the other areas of palaeontology. Taphonomy - This is the study of how an organism enters the fossil record. It includes the study of death, decay, burial and fossilization of an organism. Taphonomy is usually one aspect of the study of the other areas of palaeontology. Micropalaeontology - The study of microscopic fossils that are important to the petroleum and mining industries. Most universities with courses in economic geology offer courses in micropalaeontology. | ||
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What Should I do to Become a Paleontologist? First of all, get excellent grades in high school in all your courses especially the following... 
Be sure to bone up on, (excuse the pun), all the textbooks and material you can find about ancient life and especially the area in which you wish to study (dinosaurs, mammals, plants etc...). Use the internet to find sources of information that will help you learn more. Visit museums, talk to experts, join up for field trips that many museums offer. Once you have finished high school (and hopefully with great marks!), you need to go to a University that offers a degree in Earth Sciences. Very few Universities offer degrees in Paleontology. Apparently, most Paleontologists have their degrees in either Zoology or Geology. You will need a Masters or Ph.D in order to be able to do the following: If you are interested in assisting paleontologists by preparing fossils or collecting fossils under supervision, then you need only get an undergraduate degree. (This takes about 3-4 years in most Universities.) | ||
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What Universities offer the Courses I Need? The following is a list of some Universities in Canada and the United States that offer courses in Earth Science. If you know of more, please let me know so I can include them here.
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