Biography.guide
Home › People › Paleontologist › Eric Buffetaut
Portrait of Eric Buffetaut

Eric Buffetaut

b. 1950

French paleontologist

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Eric Buffetaut

Born 1950. Eric Buffetaut is a French paleontologist, researcher, university teacher and non-fiction writer, known for Archosaur.

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,

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Known for
Archosaur
Education
Pierre and Marie Curie University, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, University of Paris
Positions held
Director of Research at CNRS
Employers
Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, Pierre and Marie Curie University, National Center for Scientific Research
Also known as
Éric Buffetaut

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Eric Buffetaut's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Eric Buffetaut?

French paleontologist

When was Eric Buffetaut born?

Eric Buffetaut was born on 19 November 1950 in Porte-Joie.

What is Eric Buffetaut's occupation?

Eric Buffetaut is a paleontologist, researcher, university teacher and non-fiction writer.

What is Eric Buffetaut known for?

Eric Buffetaut is known for Archosaur.

What nationality is Eric Buffetaut?

Eric Buffetaut is French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Eric Buffetaut

· Wikidata: Q287973

· DBpedia: Éric Buffetaut

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Eric Buffetaut. https://biography.guide/eric-buffetaut/

MLA: "Eric Buffetaut." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/eric-buffetaut/.

Chicago: "Eric Buffetaut." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/eric-buffetaut/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:17 UTC