Louis L. Jacobs

Emeritus Professor President, Institute for the Study of Earth and Man

Email

jacobs@smu.edu

Phone

214-768-2425

Education

Ph.D. University of Arizona
  • Vertebrate Paleontology
  • Evolution


Websites


http://smu.edu/isem 

Shuler Museum of Paleontology

Courses Taught

Geol 1305 – Oceanography
Geol 1308 – Evolution and Life History
Geol/Biol 3369 – Paleobiology
Geol/Biol 5366 – Vertebrate Origins and Evolution

Research Statement

Louis Jacobs is a vertebrate paleontologist who utilizes the fossil record to answer significant questions about Earth and life history. His fieldwork is currently focused on the iconic, puzzle-like fit of Africa and South America, as viewed through the rocks and fossils of coastal Angola (). In the laboratory, his research utilizes advanced imaging and stable isotope techniques to investigate paleoenvironmental, biogeographic, and phylogenetic issues of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.

Selected Publications

For Teachers and Life-long learners:

Jacobs, L.L., 1993. Cretaceous Airport: The Surprising Story of Real Dinosaurs at DFW. Institute for the Study of Earth and Man, 24 pp.

Jacobs, L.L., 1995. Lone Star Dinosaurs. Texas A&M University Press, 160 pp.

Jacobs, L.L. 2000. Quest for the African Dinosaurs, with a new introduction by the author. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 330 pp.

Jacobs, L.L., Polcyn, M.J., Poff, K., and Poff, N. 2005. Ocean Dallas. National Earth Science Teachers Association Field Trip Guide, 12 pp.

Research Publications 
(since 2009, for complete list see 
LLJCurriculumVitae.pdf )

Jacobs, L.L., Fiorillo, A.R., Nishida, Y., and Fitzgerald, E.M.G. 2009. Mid-Cenozoic marine mammals from Alaska. Papers on Geology, Vertebrate Paleontology, and Biostratigraphy in Honor of Michael O. Woodburne. L. B. Albright III (ed.). Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin 64:171-184.

Jacobs, L.L., Mateus, O., Polcyn, M.J., Schulp, A.S., Scotese, C.R., Goswami, A., Ferguson, K.M., Robbins, J.A., Vineyard, D.P., and Neto, A.B. 2009. Cretaceous paleogeography, paleoclimatology, and amniote biogeography of the low and mid-latitude South Atlantic Ocean. Bulletin of the Geological Society of France, 180(4):333-341.

Mateus, O., Jacobs, L.L., Polcyn, M.J., Schulp. A.S., Vineyard, D.P., Antunes, M.T., Neto, A.B. 2009. The oldest African eucryptodiran turtle from the Cretaceous of Angola. Acta Paleontologica Polonica, 54:581-588.

Adams, T.L., Strganac, C., Polcyn, M.J., and Jacobs, L.L. 2010. High resolution three-dimensional laser-scanning of the type specimen of Eubrontes (?) glenrosensis Shuler, 1935, from the Comanchean (Lower Cretaceous) of Texas: Implications for digital archiving and preservation. Palaeontologica Electronica, http://palaeo-electronica.org/2010_3/226/index.html.

Fiorillo, A.R., McCarthy, P.J., Flaig, P.P., Brandlen, E., Norton, D., Zippi, P., Jacobs, L., and Gangloff, R.A. 2010. Paleontology and paleoenvironmental interpretation of the Kikak-Tegoseak Quarry (Prince Creek Formation: Late Cretaceous), Northern Alaska: A multi-disciplinary study of a high-latitude ceratopsian dinosaur bonebed. Pp. 456-477, in New Perspectives on Horned Dinosaurs. Ryan, M.J, Chinnery-Allgeier, B.J.,
and Eberth, D.A., (eds.), Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

Polcyn, M.J., Jacobs, L.L., Schulp, A.S., and Mateus, O. 2010. The North African mosasaur Globidens phosphaticus from the Maastrichtian of Angola. Historical Biology, 22(1-3):175-185.

Lee, Y.-N., and Jacobs, L.L. 2010. The platacanthomyine rodent Neocometesfrom the Miocene of South Korea and its paleobiogeographical implications. Acta Paleoaeontologica Polonica, 55(4):581-586.

Jacobs, L.L., Strganac, C., and Scotese, C.R. 2011. Plate motions, Gondwana dinosaurs, Noah’s Arks, Ghost Ships, and Beached Viking Funeral Ships. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 83(1): 3-22.

Mateus, O., Jacobs, L.L., Schulp. A.S., Polcyn, M.J., Tavares, T.S., Neto, A.B., Morais, M.L., and Antunes, M.T. 2011. Angolatitan adamastor, a new sauropod dinosaur and the first record from Angola. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 83(1): 221-233.

Lindgren, J., Uvdal, P., Engdahl. A., Lee, A.H., Alwmark, C., Bergquist, K.-E., Nilsson, E., Ekström, Rasmussen, M., Douglas, D.A., Polcyn, M.J., and Jacobs, L.L. 2011. Microspectroscopic evidence of Cretaceous bone proteins. PLoS One, 6(4): e19445. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019445.

Adams, T. L., Polcyn, M. J., Mateus, O., Winkler, D. A. and Jacobs, L. L. 2011. First occurrence of the long-snouted crocodyliform Terminonaris(Pholidosauridae) from the Woodbine Formation (Cenomanian) of Texas. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 31(3): 712-716.

Myers, T.S., Tabor, N.J., and Jacobs, L.L. 2011. Late Jurassic paleoclimate of central Africa. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 311:111-125.

Winkler, D.A., Jacobs, L.L., Kobayashi, Y., and Polcyn, M.J. 2011. CT Reconstructions and relationships of the Early Cretaceous tribosphenidan mammal, Slaughteria eruptens (Trinity Group, Texas, USA).Palaeontologica Electronica, 14(3):http://palaeo-electronica.org.

Louis Jacobs