Valentina Karatajūtė-Talimaa

Valentina Karatajūtė-Talimaa (7 December 19302 August 2022 ) was a Lithuanian geologist and paleontologist. Best known for her contributions to the world of vertebrate fossils and vertebrate paleontology, She discovered over 100 new species during her career. After finishing secondary school, she originally planned to study architecture with the intent to explore the world's beauty, but her brother convinced her that studying geology would better fulfill this dream.

Karatajūtė-Talimaa participated in many paleontological and geological expeditions over the course of her career.

Contributions to paleontology & research focus Valentina Karatajute-Talimaa made significant contributions in the study of early vertebrates, with a focus on chondrichthyans. Some of her research spanned from the Middle Ordovician to upper Silurian strata. One of her notable contributions involves the investigation of isolated scale remains found in these strata. These remains have been attributed to chondrichthyans, including a diverse array of taxa such as elegestolepids, sinacanthids, Tezakia, Canyonlepis, Tantalepis, Kannathalepis, Pilolepis, and the widely distributed mongolepids. This extensive collection of remains, largely microscopic in nature, has provided valuable insights into the early evolution and diversity of chondrichthyans during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. Karatajute-Talimaa's work extended to the re-assessment and re-definition of members of the Mongolepidida, a group she first described in collaboration with colleagues in 1990. The Mongolepids were initially discovered in the Chargat Formation in north-western Mongolia, with species such as Mongolepis rozmanae, Teslepis jucunda, and Sodolepis lucens. Her research also contributed to the extension of the stratigraphic ranges of Mongolepis and Teslepis into the Aeronian and Sheinwoodian periods. The Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences awarded Karatajūtė-Talimaa the Academician Juozas Dalinkevičius Prize in April 2003 for her contributions towards research in Lithuanian stratigraphy, and research on the oldest Paleozoic vertebrates. She was also a recipient of the Golden Hammer, an award for her accomplishments in the field of geological sciences. She also wrote and published 14 different papers along with finishing and publishing the Thelodonti with the help of Susan Turner and Tiiu Märss in the multi-volume universal monograph Handbook of Palaeoichthyology.