Mátyás Vremir (13 November 1970 – 24 July 2020)[1] was a Romanian geologist and palaeontologist.

Education and career

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Vremir was born on 13 November 1970 in Cluj, the son of artists Mircea Vremir and Ildikó Kováts.[1] He studied geology at Babeş-Bolyai University, obtaining a bachelor's degree in 1999 and a master's degree in 2001.[1] After graduating he had a varied career as a teacher, geological consultant for the petroleum industry in Central Africa and with his own firm in Cluj, and owner of a Tatar-themed bar.[1] He also worked for several museums in Hungary and was affiliated with the Transylvanian Museum Society.[1]

Well known for his eye for fossils, he worked as a palaeontological contractor in Crimea and Bavaria, and conducted his own reconnaissance projects in Romania, in collaboration with American palaeontologist Mark Norell.[1] He is credited with the discovery of Balaur bondoc, a "poodle-sized" dinosaur;[1][2] an Azhdarchidae specimen nicknamed "Dracula" that is the largest-known pterosaur;[3][4][5] and Litovoi tholocephalos, a Late Cretaceous mammal exhibiting insular dwarfism.[1]

Personal life

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Vremir was married to Márta Veress and had two sons.[1] He died of cancer on 24 July 2020.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Brusatte, Steve (2020-08-09). "Mátyás Vremir obituary". The Guardian.
  2. ^ SZÉKELY, BLANKA (19 March 2019). "Rare prehistoric fossils found in Transylvania". Transylvania Now.
  3. ^ Vremir, Mátyás; Dyke, Gareth; Csiki-Sava, Zoltán; Grigorescu, Dan; Buffetaut, Eric (October 2018). "Partial mandible of a giant pterosaur from the uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of the Hațeg Basin, Romania". Lethaia. 51 (4): 493–503. doi:10.1111/let.12268.
  4. ^ Pickrell, John (8 May 2018). "Ancient Flying Predator Found in Transylvania". National Geographic. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Geggel, Laura (25 May 2018). "World's Largest Pterosaur Jawbone Discovered in Transylvania". LiveScience.

Further reading

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