Palaeontologist

John D. Scanlon BSc Hons (Sydney) PhD (UNSW) FCD

Dr Scanlon joined the Riversleigh Fossil Centre in January 2004, after post-doctoral research based at the University of Queensland (1998-2000) and University of Adelaide/South Australian Museum (2001-2003).

Research interests: reptile systematics and evolution, particularly snakes. John has published many technical articles on both recent and fossil Australian snakes of the families Elapidae (venomous snakes), Boidae (pythons) and Madtsoiidae (extinct primitive constrictors), and has also been involved in field and laboratory work and publications on crocodiles, dinosaurs, and other vertebrate groups.

Research publications:

  1. Scanlon, J.D. and R. Shine. 1988. Dentition and diet in snakes: adaptations to oophagy in the Australian elapid genus Simoselaps. Journal of Zoology,London216: 519-528.
  2. Scanlon, J.D. 1992. A new large madtsoiid snake from the Miocene of northern Australia. The Beagle, Records of theNorthern TerritoryMuseumof Arts and Sciences9: 49-59.
  3. Scanlon, J.D. 1993. Madtsoiid snakes from the Eocene Tingamarra Fauna of eastern Queensland. Kaupia: Darmstädter Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte3: 3-8.
  4. Willis, P.M.A., R.E. Molnar and J.D. Scanlon. 1993. An early Eocene crocodilian from Murgon, southeastern Queensland. Kaupia: Darmstädter Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte3: 27-33.
  5. Scanlon, J.D. 1995. First records from Wellington Caves, New South Wales, of the extinct madtsoiid snake Wonambi naracoortensis Smith, 1976. Journal of the Linnean Society ofNew South Wales115: 233-238.
  6. Scanlon, J.D. 1997. Nanowana gen. nov., small madtsoiid snakes from the Miocene of Riversleigh: sympatric species with divergently specialised dentition. Memoirs of theQueenslandMuseum41: 393-412.
  7. Scanlon, J.D. 1998. Prey-scaring by visual pursuit predators: a new use for tail-waving in snakes. Herpetofauna28(2): 5-10.
  8. Scanlon, J.D., M.S.Y. Lee, M.W. Caldwell and R. Shine. 1999. The palaeoecology of the primitive snake Pachyrhachis. Historical Biology13: 127-152.
  9. Mackness, B.S. and J.D. Scanlon. 1999. The first Pliocene record of the madtsoiid snake genus Yurlunggur Scanlon, 1992 from Queensland. Memoirs of theQueenslandMuseum43 (2): 783-785.
  10. Lee, M.S.Y., M.W. Caldwell and J.D. Scanlon. 1999. A second primitive marine snake: Pachyophis woodwardi from the Cretaceous of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Journal of Zoology,London248: 509-520.
  11. Scanlon, J.D. and C.L. Davidson. 1999. Spring breeding aggregation of the Blindsnake Ramphotyphlops nigrescens (Typhlopidae). Herpetofauna29(1): 57-58.
  12. Scanlon, J.D. and M.S.Y. Lee. 2000. The Pleistocene serpent Wonambi and the early evolution of snakes. Nature403: 416-420 (and cover). ( Supplementary Information)
  13. Lee, M.S.Y., J.D. Scanlon and M.W. Caldwell. 2000. Snake origins. Science288: 1343-1344.
  14. Keogh, J.S., I.A.W. Scott and J.D. Scanlon. 2000. Molecular phylogeny of viviparous Australian elapid snakes: Affinities of 'Echiopsis' atriceps (Storr, 1980) and 'Drysdalia' coronata (Schlegel, 1837), with description of a new genus. Journal of Zoology,London252(3): 317-326.
  15. Scanlon, J.D. 2001. Notes on reptiles and amphibians from Bendalong, south coast of NSW, with reproductive data on elapid snakes and a southern record for Hemiaspis signata. Herpetofauna30(2): 36-41.
  16. Lee, M.S.Y. and J.D. Scanlon. 2001. On the lower jaw and intramandibular septum in snakes and anguimorph lizards. Copeia2001(2), 531-535.
  17. Scanlon, J.D. 2001. Sidewinding in terrestrial Australian elapid snakes. Herpetofauna31(1): 11-18.
  18. Scanlon, J.D. 2001. Montypythonoides: the Miocene snake Moreliariversleighensis (Smith and Plane, 1985) and the question of the the geographic origin of pythons. Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists25: 1-35.
  19. Scanlon, J.D. and B.S. Mackness. 2002. A new giant python from the Pliocene Bluff Downs Local Fauna of northeastern Queensland. Alcheringa25(3-4): 425-437.
  20. Scanlon, J.D. and M.S.Y. Lee. 2002. On varanoid-like dentition in primitive snakes. Journal of Herpetology36(1): 100-106.
  21. Lee, M.S.Y. and J.D. Scanlon. 2002. Snake phylogeny based on osteology, soft anatomy and ecology. Biological Reviews77(3): 333-402.
  22. Lee, M.S.Y. and J.D. Scanlon. 2002. The Cretaceous marine squamate Mesoleptos and the origin of snakes. Bulletin of theNaturalHistoryMuseumZoology Series68(2): 131-142.
  23. Scanlon, J.D. 2003. The Australian elapid genus Cacophis : morphology and phylogeny of rainforest crowned snakes. The Herpetological Journal13(1): 1-20.
  24. Scanlon, J.D., M.S.Y. Lee, and M. Archer. 2003. Mid-Tertiary elapid snakes (Squamata, Colubroidea) from Riversleigh, northern Australia: early steps in a continent-wide adaptive radiation. Geobios36: 573-601.
  25. Scanlon, J.D. 2003. The basicranial morphology of madtsoiid snakes (Squamata, Ophidia) and the earliest Alethinophidia (Serpentes).Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology23: 971-976.
  26. Scanlon, J.D., and M.S.Y. Lee. 2004. Phylogeny of Australasian venomous snakes (Colubroidea, Elapidae, Hydrophiinae) based on phenotypic and molecular evidence. Zoologica Scripta33: 335-366.
  27. Scanlon, J.D. 2004. First known axis vertebra of a madtsoiid snake (Yurlunggur camfieldensis) and remarks on the neck of snakes. The Beagle: Records of the Museums andArtGalleriesof theNorthern Territory20: 207-215.
  28. Scanlon, J.D. 2005. Cranial morphology of the Plio-Pleistocene giant madtsoiid snake Wonambinaracoortensis. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica50: 139-180.
  29. Scanlon, J.D. 2005. Australia's oldest known snakes: Patagoniophis, Alamitophis, and cf. Madtsoia (Squamata: Madtsoiidae) from the Eocene of Queensland. Memoirs of theQueenslandMuseum51: 215-235.
  30. Scanlon, J.D. 2006. Skull of the large non-macrostomatan snake Yurlunggur from the Australian Oligo-Miocene. Nature439: 839-842. ( Supplementary Information)
  31. Archer, M., D.A. Arena, M. Bassarova, R. Beck, K.K. Black, W.E. Boles, P. Brewer, B.N. Cooke, K. Crosby, A. Gillespie, H. Godthelp, S.J. Hand, T. Holt, B. Kear, J. Louys, A. Morrell, J. Muirhead, K. Roberts, J.D. Scanlon, K.J. Travouillon and S. Wroe. 2006. Current status of species-level representation in faunas from selected fossil localities in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland. Alcheringa special issue 1: 1-17.
  32. Shea, G.M. and J.D. Scanlon. 2007. Revision of the small tropical whipsnakes previously referred to Demansia olivacea (Gray, 1842) and Demansia torquata (Günther, 1862) (Squamata, Elapidae).Records of the Australian Museum59:117-142.
  33. Lee, M.S.Y., A.F. Hugall, R. Lawson, and J.D. Scanlon. 2007. Snake phylogeny: Combining morphological and molecular data in parsimony and likelihood analyses. Systematics & Biodiversity5:371-389.
  34. Scanlon, J.D. and S.A. Hocknull. 2008. A dolichosaurid lizard from the latest Albian (mid-Cretaceous) Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science (Fort Hays Studies Special Issue 3 - Proceedings of the Second Mosasaur Meeting), 131-136.
  35. Worthy, T.H. and J.D. Scanlon. 2009. A new genus and species of Magpie goose (Anseranatidae) of Oligo-Miocene age from Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland, Australia.Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology29: 205-211.
  36. Hutchinson, M.N., and J.D. Scanlon. 2009. A new and unusual Plio-Pleistocene lizard (Reptilia: Scincidae) from Wellington Caves, New South Wales, Australia. Journal of Herpetology43: 139-147.
  37. LaDuke, T.C., D.W. Krause, J.D. Scanlon and N.J Kley. 2010. A late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) snake assemblage from the Maevarano Formation, Mahajanga Basin, Madagascar. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology30: 109-138. (Supplement: "Menarana nosymena" (On-line), Digital Morphology.)

Book chapters:

  1. Scanlon, J.D. 1997. Reptiles / Snakes / Elapids. Pages 349-357 in M. Aldhamland, G. Hewitt, E. Johnson, and J. Simpson (eds). Readers Digest Encyclopaedia of Australian Wildlife. Readers Digest (Australia), Sydney.
  2. Brochu, C.A., J. Long, C. McHenry, J.D. Scanlon, and P. Willis. 2000. A guide to dinosaurs. Pages 112-205 in M.K. Brett-Surman (ed.), Time-Life Guides: Dinosaurs. Time-Life Books / Weldon Owen, Sydney.
  3. Scanlon, J.D. 2006a. Dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles of Australasia. Pages 265-290 in J.R. Merrick, M. Archer, G. Hickey & M. Lee (eds), Evolution and Biogeography of Australasian Vertebrates. AuSciPub, Sydney.
  4. Scanlon, J.D. 2006b. Origins and radiations of snakes in Australasia. Pages 309-330 in J.R. Merrick, M. Archer, G. Hickey & M. Lee (eds), Evolution and Biogeography of Australasian Vertebrates. AuSciPub, Sydney.

Miscellaneous other publications:

  1. Scanlon, J.D. 1982. Communal egg-laying by the Yellow-faced whipsnake (Demansia psammophis). Herpetofauna13(2): 25.
  2. Scanlon, J.D. Herpetological records from northern NSW. Herpetofauna16(1-2): 38-39.
  3. Scanlon, J.D. 1988. The snakes of Riversleigh. Riversleigh Notes3: 7-8.
  4. Scanlon, J.D. 1990. Dipping into the Cretaceous inland sea: hunting fossil reptiles in Queensland. Riversleigh Notes9: 8.
  5. Scanlon, J.D. 1991. Read Darwin instead! (Review of 'Charles Darwin: the man and his influence' by P.J. Bowler) The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 August 1991: 39.
  6. Scanlon, J.D. 1993. An Alpine excursion: geology and vertebrate palaeontology of old Europe. Riversleigh Notes22: 7-8.
  7. Hoser, R.T. and J.D. Scanlon. 1994. The reptiles of the Dalby district and adjacent parts of the Darling Downs (Queensland). Journal of the Northern Ohio Association of Herpetologists16: 21-30.
  8. Scanlon, J.D. 1997. Mysterious origins of Australian snakes. Riversleigh Notes33: 2-6.
  9. Scanlon, J.D. 1999. Fire versus ice (Letter on size estimates for Wonambi naracoortensis). New Scientist 2188 (29 May): 54.
  10. Scanlon, J.D. 1999. The Master's voice (Letter on anthropomorphic language as shorthand for natural selection). New Scientist 2190 (12 June): 55.
  11. Scanlon, J.D. 1999. Former Expats (Letter on crow biogeography). Nature Australia26(6): 5.
  12. Scanlon, J.D. and M.S.Y. Lee. 2001. The Serpent Dreamtime. Nature Australia27(3): 36-45.
  13. Scanlon, J.D. 2002. Book Review, "Fossil Snakes of North America: Origin, Evolution, Distribution, Paleoecology" by J. Alan Holman, 2000. Herpetofauna32(1): 57-59.
  14. Lee, M.S.Y. and J.D. Scanlon. 2003. An Ideal Serpent. Nature Australia27(1): 15-16.
  15. Scanlon, J.D. 2005. Fossil Facts: Riversleigh's Tertiary vertebrates. Australian Age of Dinosaurs3: 74-75.
  16. Scanlon, J.D. 2006. Hiatus A Site - Crocodiles and their prey in interesting times. Riversleigh Notes63: 1-5.
  17. Scanlon, J.D. 2006. Beating the air (letter on Darwin, subspecies, and conservation). New Scientist 12 August 2006: 19.
  18. Scanlon, J.D. 2006. New turtle from Riversleigh. Riversleigh Notes65: 6-7.
  19. Scanlon, J.D. 2007. Long wait for a snake skull. Australian Age of Dinosaurs5: 74-80.
  20. Scanlon, J.D. 2008. An Australian dolichosaur!Australian Age of Dinosaurs6: 6-7.

Unpublished reports and theses:

  1. Scanlon, J.D. 1981. The collared whipsnakes of north-eastern Australia. BHP Science Prize submission, 20 pp.
  2. Scanlon, J.D. and T. Sprague. 1984. A study of the Ringtail possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus. 3rd Year Zoology report, University of Sydney, 53 pp.
  3. Scanlon, J.D. 1985. Phylogeny and relationships of the elapid snake genus Simoselaps Jan, 1859: the evolution of a group of burrowing snakes. BSc Honours thesis, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, 153 pp.
  4. Scanlon, J.D. 1996. Studies in the palaeontology and systematics of Australian snakes. PhD thesis, Faculty of Science, The University of New South Wales, 648 pp + Appendix.

Coauthors:


Associated Institutions: