John B. Scannella, Ph.D.
John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology

John was born in Queens, New York, and became interested in dinosaurs at an early age. While growing up in Queens, he read books and watched documentaries about new dinosaur discoveries made in Montana by Museum of the Rockies. He attended Rutgers University and received a bachelor's degree in geological sciences.

Before coming to Montana, he volunteered at the American Museum of Natural History and Rutgers Geology Museum. John studied under former MOR Curator of Paleontology Jack Horner and earned a Doctorate of Philosophy through the Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University in 2015. His dissertation research focused on the famous horned dinosaur Triceratops.

In 2017, he became the John R. Horner curator of paleontology at Museum of the Rockies. John has conducted paleontological fieldwork throughout Montana and collaborates with an international team of colleagues and research associates. Current research projects include exploring prehistoric ecosystems, examining modes of fossil preservation, and deciphering the growth and evolution of dinosaurs.

Contact John via email or 406.994.3982.

IN THE NEWS

• Montana State University Mountains and Minds, Digging Through Time, December 9, 2019. See above to watch the companion video to this article.
• Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Museum of the Rockies’ new paleontologist: Making dinosaur dreams come true, July 9, 2017
• TEDxBozeman, Triceratops through time, May 20, 2015
• CNN, Study: Triceratops took a million years to develop horn, July 1, 2014

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
Funston, G.F., Powers, M.J., Whitebone, S., Brusatte, S., Scannella, J.B., Horner, J.R., Currie, P.J. 2021. Baby tyrannosaurid bones and teeth from the Late Cretaceous of western North America. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.

Scannella, J.B. 2020. A chasmosaurine ceratopsid premaxilla from the basal sandstone of the Hell Creek Formation, Montana. Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology, 8: 154-169.

Woodruff, D.C., Carr, T., Storrs, T., Waskow, K., Scannella, J., Norden, K., and Wilson, J. 2018. The smallest diplodocid skull supports cranial ontogeny and growth-related dietary changes in the largest dinosaurs. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 14341.

Bailleul, A.M., Scannella, J.B., Horner, J.R., and Evans, D.C. 2016. Fusion patterns in the skulls of modern archosaurs reveal that sutures are ambiguous maturity indicators for the Dinosauria. PLoS ONE, 11(2): e0147687. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147687

Scannella, J.B., Fowler, D.W., Goodwin, M.B. and Horner, J.R. 2014. Evolutionary trends in Triceratops from the Hell Creek Formation, Montana. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(28): 10245-10250.

Scannella, J.B. and Fowler, D.W. 2014. A stratigraphic survey of Triceratops localities from the Hell Creek Formation, northeastern Montana (2006-2010) in Through the End of the Cretaceous in the Type Locality of the Hell Creek Formation in Montana and Adjacent Areas, eds. Wilson, G.P., Clemens, W.A., Horner, J.R., Hartman, J.H. (Geological Society of America Special Paper, Boulder, Colorado): 313-332.

Keenan, S.W. and Scannella, J.B. 2014. Paleobiological implications of a Triceratops bonebed from the Upper Hell Creek Formation, Montana in Through the End of the Cretaceous in the Type Locality of the Hell Creek Formation in Montana and Adjacent Areas, eds. Wilson, G.P., Clemens, W.A., Horner, J.R., Hartman, J.H. (Geological Society of America Special Paper, Boulder, Colorado): 349-364.

Scannella, J.B. and Horner, J.R. 2011. ‘Nedoceratops’: An example of a transitional morphology. PLoS ONE, 6(12): e28705. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028705

Fowler, D.W., Freedman, E.A., Scannella, J.B., and Kambic, R.E. 2011. The predatory ecology of Deinonychus and the origin of flapping in birds. PLoS ONE, 6(12): e28964. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028964

Scannella, J.B. and Horner, J.R. 2010. Torosaurus Marsh 1891 is Triceratops Marsh 1889 (Ceratopsidae: Chasmosaurinae): synonymy through ontogeny. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 30(4):1157-1168.

Fowler, D.W., Freedman, E.A., and Scannella, J.B. 2009. Predatory functional morphology in raptors: interdigital variation in talon size is related to prey restraint and immobilisation technique. PLoS ONE, 4(11): e7999. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007999

ABSTRACTS
Carr, R., Lindgren, J., Schweitzer, M., Woodward, H., Scannella, J., 2020. Soft tissue preservation and paleoecology of a new giant plioplatecarpine mosasaur from the Bearpaw Shale of Montana (U.S.A.). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2020: 96A.

Gilbert, M.M., Snively, E., Woodward, H., Cooper, D.M., Scannella, J., Tokaryk, T.T. 2020. Synchrotron microCT comparison of humeri in Triceratops and extant-model Bison consistent with inflationary early growth in ceratopsian dinosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2020: 147A.

Funston, G.F., Powers, M.J., Whitebone, S.A., Brusatte, S., Scannella, J., Horner, J.R., Currie, P.J. 2020. Baby tyrannosaur bones from the Late Cretaceous of western North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2020: 147A.

Scannella, J.B., Woodward, H.N. 2019. Longevity and growth dynamics of Triceratops as revealed by femoral histology. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2019: 187A.

Ikegami, N., Scannella, J., Tomida, Y. 2019. Additional therizinosauroid bones collected from the Upper Cretaceous Mifune Group, Kumamoto, Japan. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2019: 122A.

Williams, S.A., Atwater, A.A., Harmon, R.J., Scannella, J.B. 2019. Moving mammoths and MOR: How to survive your collections move. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2019: 219A.

Atwater, A.L., Scannella, J.B. 2019. A stagodontid marsupial from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Montana. Cretaceous & Beyond: Paleontology of the Western Interior. North Dakota Geological Survey, Miscellaneous Series No. 94: 6.

Williams, S.A., Brochu, C.A., Tremaine, K.M., Carr, R.A., Scannella, J.B. 2019. A basal alligatoroid from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Two Medicine Formation of Montana. Cretaceous & Beyond: Paleontology of the Western Interior. North Dakota Geological Survey, Miscellaneous Series No. 94: 44.

Scannella, J.B., Horner, J.R. Torosaurus or Triceratops? Assessing the postorbital horn core microstructure of the holotype of Torosaurus gladius reveals new insights into ceratopsid horn growth. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2018: 210A.

Carr, R.A.*, Scannella, J.B. A new plioplatecarpine mosasaur from the Bearpaw Formation, Montana, U.S.A.: taxonomic and paleobiologic implications. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2018: 102A.

Fox, M., Scannella, J., Lamm, E.T. Histological Sampling of YPM 1831, the holotype of Torosaurus “gladius”: Fostering Paleontological Discoveries through Museum/Researcher Collaborations. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2018: 129A.

Williams, S., Carr, R.*, Brochu, C., Scannella, J. First occurrence of Leidyosuchus and other crocodyliform fossil material from the Late Cretaceous, Upper Two Medicine Formation of Northwestern Montana. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2018: 240A.

Moore, S., Scannella, J., Leiggi, P., Ancell, C., Weikert, A., Bowen, D., Ikegami, N., Ikebe, S., Kurosu, H., Nomura, M. Our Home, Our World: Forging relationships in Montana and Japan through science education. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2018: 185A.

Carr, R. and Scannella, J. 2017. Preservational and morphological variation in the halecostom fish Hulettia americana from the Jurassic Ellis Group of southern Montana. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts book, 2017: 94A.

Scannella, J. 2016. New insights into the evolution of the premaxilla in the Triceratopsini (Ceratopsidae: Chasmosaurinae) as revealed by a specimen from the basal sandstone of the Hell Creek Formation, Montana. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2016: 218A.

Hanson, D.A., Scannella, J. 2016. Skull variability within a population of the large oreodont Megoreodon grandis from a single locality in West Central Montana-a preliminary assessment. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2016: 149A.

Wilson, J.P., Scannella, J.B. 2016. Comparative cranial osteology of subadult centrosaurine dinosaurs from the Two Medicine Formation, Montana. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2016: 252A.

Scannella, J.B., Wolff, E., Horner, J.R. 2015. Severe cranial pathologies in Triceratops from the Hell Creek Formation, Montana. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2015: 208A.

Wilson, J.P., Scannella, J.B., Horner, J.R. 2015. A reassessment of cranial ontogeny in Einiosaurus procurvicornis and Achelousaurus horneri: implications for centrosaurine taxonomy and evolution. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2015: 238A-239A.

Strosnider, D.R., Scannella, J.B., Horner, J.R., and Varricchio, D.J. 2014. Faunal composition of the lower Two Medicine Formation (Campanian), Montana. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 46(5):90.

Scannella, J., Fowler, D., Goodwin, M., and Horner, J. 2013. The clandestine role of heterochrony in ceratopsian evolution as revealed by juvenile Triceratops. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2013: 206A.

Bailleul, A., Scannella, J., and Horner, J. 2013. Ontogeny of cranial sutures in Alligator mississippiensis: implications for maturity assessment in non-avian dinosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2013: 81A.

Fowler, D., Freedman Fowler, E., Scannella, J., and Horner, J. 2013. The influence of multi-niche ontogeny on differential survivorship across the K-Pg boundary. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2013: 129A.

Scannella, J., Fowler, D., Goodwin, M., and Horner, J. 2012. Transitional Triceratops: details of an ontogenetic sequence from the upper middle unit of the Hell Creek Formation, Montana. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2012: 166A.

Fowler, D., Scannella, J., Goodwin, M., and Horner, J. 2012. How to eat a Triceratops: large sample of toothmarks provides new insight into the feeding behavior of Tyrannosaurus. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2012: 96A.

Scannella, J., Fowler, D., Trevethan, I., Roberts, D., and Horner, J. 2011. Individual variation in Triceratops from the Hell Creek Formation, Montana: implications for dinosaur taxonomy. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2011: 187A.

Baker, K., Scannella, J., Hall, L., and Horner, J. 2011. Biogeographic implications of a partial ceratopsid skeleton from the lower Two Medicine Formation (Campanian), Montana. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2011: 65A-66A.

Fowler, D., Scannella, J., and Horner, J. 2011. Reassessing ceratopsid diversity using unified frames of reference. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2011: 111A.

Fowler, D.W., Freedman, E.A., Scannella, J.B., and Kambic, R.E. 2011. The predatory ecology of Deinonychosauria: foot use compared among dromaeosaurids, troodontids and basal birds. Dinosaur Tracks 2011, An International Symposium, Obenkirchen, Abstract Volume and Field Guide to Excursions: 22.

Scannella, J. 2010. Triceratops: a model organism for deciphering dinosaur heterochrony. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2010: 158A.

Trevethan, I. and Scannella, J. 2010. A morphometric analysis of cranial sexual variation in the extant phylogenetic bracket of the Dinosauria: implications for fossil studies. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2010: 176A.

Padian, K., Horner, J., Fowler, D., and Scannella, J. 2010. How a synergy of species recognition and social signaling explains cranial anatomy and ontogeny in several groups of dinosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2010:143A.

Scannella, J. 2009. And then there was one: synonymy consequences of Triceratops cranial ontogeny. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts book, 2009: 177A.

Scannella, J.B. and Fowler, D.W. 2009. Anagenesis in Triceratops: evidence from a newly resolved stratigraphic framework for the Hell Creek Formation. 9th North American Paleontological Convention, abstracts volume. Cincinnati Museum Center Scientific Contributions, 3: 148-9.