Malcolm Carnegie McKenna (1930–2008) was an American paleontologist and author on the subject.

He attended the California Institute of Technology and Pomona College, then graduated in paleontology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also earned his Ph.D.[1] He was the curator of vertebrate paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

[2] With Susan K. Bell, he co-authored the 1997 book Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level, a comprehensive work genealogy of Mammalia, including the systematics, relationships, and occurrences of all Mammal taxa, living and extinct, down through the rank of genus.

[1] Since 2013, McKenna has been listed on the Advisory Council of the National Center for Science Education.

[7] McKenna's son, Bruce, is a screenwriter whose work has included the television miniseries The Pacific.