Éric Buffetaut

Éric Buffetaut (born 19 November 1950) is a French paleontologist, author and researcher at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique since 1976 where he is a Doctor of Science and Director of Research. Buffetaut is a specialist of fossil archosaurs, mainly dinosaurs and pterosaurs, and has published many books on paleontology. He is one of the major paleontologists to support the thesis of the fall of a meteorite as the main cause of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.

Notable works

Below is a list of taxa that Buffetaut has contributed to naming:

• Archaeodontosaurus descouensi (genus and species)
• Caletodraco cottardi (genus and species)
• Castignovolucris sebei (genus and species)
• Chalawan thailandicus (genus and species)
• Dolichochampsa minima (genus and species)
• Eogavialis africanum (genus)
• Euthecodon arambourgi (species)
• Hatzegopteryx thambema (genus and species)
• Isanosaurus attavipachi (genus and species)
• Isalorhynchus genovefae (genus and species)
• Kinnareemimus khonkaenensis (genus and species)
• Liubangosaurus hei (genus and species)
• Normanniasaurus genceyi (genus and species)
• Normannognathus wellnhoferi (genus and species)
• Ostafrikasaurus crassiserratus (genus and species)
• Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae (genus and species)
• Psittacosaurus sattayaraki (species)
• Rhabdodon septimanicus (species, now in the genus Obelignathus)
• Siamamia naga (genus and species)
• Siamodon nimngami (genus and species)
• Siamosaurus suteethorni (genus and species)
• Siamotyrannus isanensis (genus and species)
• Tarascosaurus salluvicus (genus and species)
• Tilemsisuchus lavocati (genus and species)
• Trematochampsa taqueti (genus and species)
• Variraptor mechinorum (genus and species)

Buffetaut demonstrated in 1982 that Dakosaurus and Aggiosaurus are actually members of the Metriorhynchidae.

In 1997, the crocodylomorph Musturzabalsuchus buffetauti was named in his honor. In 2025, the ctenochasmatid pterosaur Garudapterus buffetauti was named in his honor.

Buffeataut works mainly with Mesozoic reptiles including crocodylomorphs, pterosaurs and dinosaurs.

Selected publications

• Les Dinosaures. Que sais-je ? n°2827, PUF, 1994
• Les Dinosaures de France, avec Pascal Robin, BRGM Éditions 1995
• Histoire de la paléontologie. Que sais-je ? n°2190, PUF, avril 1997
• Les Mondes disparus, atlas de la dérive des continents, avec Jean Le Loeuff, Guy Le Roux, Berg International, 1998
• Dans les traces des dinosaures, Les Éditions Pocket
• La Fin des dinosaures : comment les grandes extinctions ont façonné le monde vivant., Fayard, 2003
• Les Dinosaures. Collection "Idées reçues n°123. Éditions Le Cavalier Bleu, 2006
• Les dinosaures sont-ils un échec de l'évolution ?. Éditions du Pommier, 2008
• Que nous racontent les fossiles ?, éditions du Pommier, 2009
• Sommes-nous tous voués à disparaître ? idées reçues sur l'extinction des espèces, Éditions Le Cavalier Bleu, 2012,
• À la recherche des animaux mystérieux : idées reçues sur la cryptozoologie, Le Cavalier Bleu éditions, 2016,

References