David Gillette

David Gillette (March 20, 1946 – February 10, 2025) was an American paleontologist best known for his discovery of the dinosaur Diplodocus hallorum in 1985, and more recently for his work studying Pleistocene megafauna such as glyptodonts.

[3] Gillette found eight huge bones of the Diplodocus in northwestern New Mexico in May 1985.

Gillette presented his conclusions in a press conference at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

In 1993, Gillette published his book, Seismosaurus: The Earth Shaker, about his discovery.

It was published by Columbia University Press and illustrated by Mark Hallett.

David Gillette (third from the left on the back row, wearing an orange cap) and other paleontologists at Grand Canyon National Park , 2019
Restoration of Diplodocus hallorum (formerly Seismosaurus )