Expert: Aja Hannah - 2/21/2007

Question
When and where was Bob Makela, a paleontoligist born?  He was a partner /friend of Jack Horner and they discovered fossils in MT.  What is his background?  Where can I get a picture of him on-line?  I know that he has passed.  When?  Thanks.

Answer
Thank you for the question and sorry for the delay.

Robert "Bob" Makela was born in Great Falls, Montana and died on June 26, 1987 while in the field after he discovered the first pachycephlasaur in the Two Medicine Formation. Jack Horner first met Bob in the University of Montana, where Bob was studying biology and the teaching of science. Bob and Horner first went into the field together in 1970 at Bear Gulch Limestone. Horner and Bob  continued together and named a new dinosaur they discovered the "Maiasaura" in 1978. From there, Bob and Jack Horner created the idea of dinosaurs being good mothers.

I don't know if you were asking about Jack or Bob in the last part of your questions, but I assumed Bob. I hope the above information helps. If you need more, feel free to ask. A good book to check would be Dinosaur Eggs and Babies, by Kenneth Carpenter, Karl F. Hirsch, and John R. Horner. There is a whole chapter dedicated to him in the beginning and is very informational. It also includes a picture.

As for a picture online, here is a copy of the nest they found together: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Maiasaurusnest.jpg/350p...
There are pictures in books that you may want to copy or check out because Bob Makela isn't as renowned as Jack Horner is. Therefore, a scarce of pictures of him on the Internet.