Mathew Wedel, PhD
Associate Professor, Anatomy
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Website: http://sauroposeidon.wordpress.com
Join year: 2008
2007 Ph.D., Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
Advisors: Kevin Padian and Bill Clemens. Title: Postcranial pneumaticity in dinosaurs and the origin of the avian lung
2001 M.S., Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Advisor: Richard L. Cifelli.Title: The evolution of vertebral pneumaticity in the Sauropoda
1997 B.S., cum laude, Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Advisor: Richard L. Cifelli. Title: A new sauropod from the Early Cretaceous of Oklahoma
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Western Univ. of Health Sciences, 2014-present
- Gross Anatomy Lecture and Lab - ongoing
- Podiatric Medical Principles and Practices - ongoing (intro anatomy lectures)
Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Western Univ. of Health Sciences, 2008-2014
- Gross Anatomy Lecture and Lab - 11 terms (5 summer, 6 fall)
- Podiatric Medical Principles and Practices - 3 terms (intro anatomy lectures)
- Research Capstone Course for MS program - 2 terms
Instructor, School of Natural Science and Writing Program, UC Merced, 2007-2008
- Introduction to Ecology 1 semester
- Human Anatomy Laboratory 1 semester
- Contemporary Biology 1 semester
- Core 1, The World at Home 1 semester
Graduate Student Instructor, Department of Integrative Biology,UC Berkeley,2002-2007
- Biology and anatomy labs 10 semesters
National Science Foundation Graduate Teaching Fellow, UC Berkeley, 2004-2005
- Exploring California Biodiversity 2 semesters
Instructor, Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, 2001
- Introduction to Zoology 1 semester
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Zoology,University of Oklahoma,1998-2001
- Zoology and anatomy labs 7 semesters
- Intensive Summer Anatomy Course, lecture and lab (team taught)
- Medical Gross Anatomy, lecture and lab (team taught)
- Podiatric Medical Principles and Practices, intro anatomy lectures
I am a vertebrate paleontologist, and my main areas of interest are sauropod dinosaurs and the evolution of pneumatic (air-filled) bones in dinosaurs and birds. I study the evolutionary origin of pneumatic bones in archosaurs, the respiratory systems of sauropods and other dinosaurs, and the evolution of large size and long necks in sauropods.
- 2018, Canyonlands Natural History Association, New diverse Late Jurassic biota from Utah, $3880
- 2006, UC Dept. of Integrative Biology,Pneumatic hiatuses in dinosaurs, $4730
- 2005, UC Dept. of Integrative Biology, Micro CT of pneumatic bones in birds, $3760
- Jurassic Foundation, Postcranial pneumaticity in sauropods, $1500
- Sigma Xi GIAR, Pneumatization in birds: micro CT, $780
- 2004, UC Dept. of Integrative Biology, Development of pneumaticity in birds, $2825
- UCMP Samuel Welles Fund, Origin and evolution of pneumaticity, $1000
- UC Museum of Paleontology, The canalis supramedullaris of sauropods, $299
- 2003, UC Dept. of Integrative Biology, Development of pneumaticity in birds, $4700
- UC Dept. of Integrative Biology, Evolution of pneumaticity in dinosaurs, $200
- 2000, OU Graduate College, Evolution of pneumaticity in sauropods, $300
- OU Graduate Student Senate, Evolution of pneumaticity in sauropods, $100
- 1997, OU Honors Council, A new sauropod dinosaur from Oklahoma, $200
- OU Honors Council, A new sauropod from the Antlers Fm., $200
- 2018 - Science Guest of Honor, Norwescon 14, Seattle, WA
- 2010 – Honorable Mention, Most-Cited Paper in 2010, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
- 2009 – Wedel (2009a) is one of the Top 20 Most Downloaded Papers in the Journal of Experimental Zoology
- 2009 – Top Reviewer, Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B
- 2006 – Fourth International Award in Palaeontology Research, Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel – Dinópolis, Spain
- 2005 – George D. Louderback Award, UC Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley
- 2004 – Teaching Effectiveness Award, University of California, Berkeley
- 2004 – Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor, UC Berkeley Dept. of Integrative Biology
- 2004 – First Place, University of Oklahoma Graduate College Student Poster Session
President, Pomona Valley Amateur Astronomers
BOOKS
Wedel, M.J. 2025. Dinosaur Fact Frenzy! Capstone Press, Mankato, MN. 64 pp.
Davis, B.M., Haiar, B.K., and Wedel, M.J. (editors) 2022. Boots and burlap: papers in honor of Richard L. Cifelli. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 67(1), 282 pp.
Wedel, V., Hermsen, K., and Wedel, M.J. 2022. Tooth cementum annulations method for determining age at death using modern deciduous human teeth: challenges and lessons learned. pp. 215-225 in Naji, S., Rendu, W., and Gourichon, L. (eds.), Dental Cementum in Anthropology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. doi:10.1017/9781108569507.014
Hallet, M., and Wedel, M.J. 2016. The Sauropod Dinosaurs: Life in the Age of Giants. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 320+xv pp.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Foster, J.R., Trujillo, K.C., Irmis, R.B., Wedel, M.J., Chamberlain, K., Gillette, D.D., and McMullen, S.K. 2026. History, age, and stratigraphy of the type locality of Dystrophaeus viaemalae(Sauropoda) in the lower Morrison Formation of southeastern Utah. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin.Foster et al 2026 Dystrophaeus.pdf
Hart, W.J., Atterholt, J., and Wedel, M.J. 2025. First occurrences of neural canal ridges in Crocodylia. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 70(4): 749–753. https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app70/app012692025.pdf
Atterholt, J., Burton, M.G., Wedel, M.J., Benito, J., Fricano, E., and Field, D.J. 2025. Osteological correlates of the respiratory and vascular systems in the neural canals of Mesozoic ornithurines Ichthyornis and Janavis. The Anatomical Record. Oct. http://doi.org/10.1002/ar.70070.
Díez Díaz, V., van Bijlert, P.A., Sellers, W.I., Wedel, M.J., and Schwarz, D. 2025. Centres of rotation and osteological constraints on caudal ranges of motion in the sauropod dinosaur Giraffatitan brancai. Royal Society Open Science12: 250851. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250851 Aug.
Windholz, G.J., Meso, J.G., Wedel, M.J., and Pittman, M. 2025. First unambiguous record of pneumaticity in the axial skeleton of alvarezsaurians (Theropoda: Coelurosauria). PLoS ONE 20(4): e0320121. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320121
Ramnani, A.S., Landeros, J.T., Wedel, M., Moellmer, R., Wan, S., Shofler, D.W. 2025. Supernumerary muscles in the leg and foot: A review of their types, frequency, and clinical implications. Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association 114(6): 9pp. https://japmaonline.org/view/journals/apms/114/6/23-042.xml
Boisvert, C., Bivens, G.T., Curtice, B., Wilhite, R., and Wedel, M.J. 2025. Census of currently known specimens of the Late Jurassic sauropod Haplocanthosaurus from the Morrison Formation, USA. Geology of the Intermountain West 12:1-23. https://giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.php/GIW/article/view/150
Danison, A., Wedel, M.J., Woodward, H.N., Barta, D.E., Flora, H.M., Lee, A.H., Snively, E. 2024. Probable chimerism, preliminary paleohistology, and taxonomic revision of the giant Jurassic theropod dinosaur Saurophaganax maximus. Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 12:81-114. https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/vamp/index.php/VAMP/article/view/29404
Atterholt, J., Wedel, M.J., Tykoski, R., Fiorillo, A.R., Holwerda, F., Nalley, T.K., Lepore, T., and Yasmer, J. 2024. Neural canal ridges: a novel osteological correlate of postcranial neuroanatomy in dinosaurs. The Anatomical Record, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.25558
Boisvert, C., Curtice, B., Wedel, M., and Wilhite, R. 2024. Description of a new specimen of Haplocanthosaurus from the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry. The Anatomical Record, 1–19. http://doi.org/10.1002/ar.25520
Bas, A., Kay, K., Labovitz, J., and Wedel, M. 2024. New double and multiple variants of fibularis tertius. Extremitas 11: 111-118.https://sauroposeidon.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/bas-et-al-2024-double-and-multiple-peroneus-tertius.pdf
King, J.L., McHugh, J.B., Wedel, M.J., and Curtice, B. 2024. A previously unreported form of dorsal rib pneumaticity in Apatosaurus (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) and implications for pneumatic variation among diplodocid dorsal ribs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2316665
Windholz, G.J., Porfiri, J.D., Dos Santos, D., Bellardini, F., and Wedel, M.J. 2024. A well-preserved vertebra provides new insights into rebbachisaurid sauropod caudal anatomical and pneumatic features. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 69(1):39–47. https://doi.org/10.4202/app.01104.2023
Taylor, Michael P., and Wedel, Mathew J. 2023. Novel pneumatic features in the ribs of the sauropod dinosaur Brachiosaurus altithorax. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 68(4): 709–718.
Matz, D., Jones, T.B., Azari, H., Legleiter, K., Belovich, S., Kirchgessner, A., Grumet, M., Washburn, A., and Wedel, M. 2023. General anatomy learning objectives, pp. 39-47 in Curricular Guide for Podiatric Medical Education. American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine, Rockville, MD. 246 pp.
Aureliano, T., Ghilardi, A.M., Müller, R.T., Kerber L., Fernandes, M.A., Ricardi-Branco, F., and Wedel, M.J. 2023. The origin of an invasive air sac system in sauropodomorph dinosaurs. The Anatomical Record, 1-9.
Curtice, B., Wedel, M.J., Wilhite, D.R., and Boisvert, C. 2023. New material of Haplocanthosaurus (Hatcher 1903) from the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry and a comment on sauropod diversity. In Hunt-Foster, R.K., Kirkland, J.I., and Loewen, M.A. (eds), 14th Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota. The Anatomical Record 306(S1):79-81.
Wedel, M.J., and Atterholt, J. 2023. Expanded neurocentral joints in the vertebrae of sauropod dinosaurs. In Hunt-Foster, R.K., Kirkland, J.I., and Loewen, M.A. (eds), 14th Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota. The Anatomical Record 306(S1):256-257.
Weil, A., Hall, L., and Wedel, M.J. 2023. Microvertebrate expansion of known fauna of the Morrison Formation of Oklahoma will enable more meaningful comparisons with other regions. In Hunt-Foster, R.K., Kirkland, J.I., and Loewen, M.A. (eds), 14th Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota. The Anatomical Record 306(S1): 257-258.
Lei, R., Tschopp, E., Hendrickx, C., Wedel, M., Norell, M., Hone, D.W. 2023. Bite and tooth marks on sauropod dinosaurs from the Morrison Formation. PeerJ 11:e16327
Wedel, M.J., and Taylor, M.P. 2023. The biomechanical significance of bifurcated cervical ribs in apatosaurine sauropods. Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 11:91-100.
Atterholt, J., and Wedel, M.J. 2022. A computed tomography-based survey of paramedullary diverticula in extant Aves. The Anatomical Record 306(1):29-50.https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24923
Smith, D.H., Rodgers, J.M., Dollé, J.-P., and Wedel, M.J. 2022. Giraffes vs. blue whales vs. dinosaurs: contest reveals which one builds its nervous system fastest to evade predators. Scientific American.
Taylor, M.P., and Wedel, M.J. 2022. What do we mean by the directions “cranial” and “caudal” on a vertebra? Journal of Paleontological Techniques 25: 1-24.
Aureliano, T., Ghilardi, A.M., Müller, R.T., Kerber, L., Pretto, F.A., Fernandes, M.A., Ricardi-Branco, F., and Wedel, M.J. 2022. The absence of an invasive air sac system in the earliest dinosaurs suggests multiple origins of vertebral pneumaticity. Scientific Reports. 12:20844.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25067-8December.
Woodruff, D. Cary, Wolff, Ewan D.S., Wedel, Mathew J., Dennison, Sophie, and Witmer, Lawrence M. 2022. The first occurrence of an avian-style respiratory infection in a non-avian dinosaur. Scientific Reports 12, 1954.
For a complete list of publications
RECENT ABSTRACTS
Hullinger, A., Boisvert, C., Bivens, G., Curtice, B., Wedel, M., Wilhite, R., and Foster, J. Submitted. A description of apatosaurine remains from Arches National Park, Utah USA (Upper Jurassic, Morrison Formation). Geological Society of America, Rocky Mountain Section, 75th Annual Meeting.
Bivens, G., Boisvert, C., Wilhite, R., Wedel, M., Curtice, B. 2025. Bite marks on a Camarasaurus humerus and femur from the Jensen-Jensen Quarry (Upper Jurassic, Morrison Formation, Utah, USA). 5th Palaeontological Virtual Congress, Abstracts.
Raber, K., Wedel, M., Atterholt, J., Foster, J., Gray, D., and Bennis, M.B. 2025. A musculoskeletal lesion in a femur of Apatosaurus. 5th Palaeontological Virtual Congress, Abstracts.
Hart, W.J., and Wedel, M.J.2025. First report of neural canal ridges in fossil crocodilians. 5th Palaeontological Virtual Congress, Abstracts.
RECENT INVITED TALKS AND SYMPOSIA
Wedel, M.J. February 14, 2026. Primitive or just understudied? Pneumaticity in Jurassic diplodocids paralleled that of Cretaceous rebbachisaurs and titanosaurs. Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology in Claremont, Calif.
Wedel, M.J. January 10, 2025. Dinosaurs were weird, and our knowledge of them is limited in weird ways. 3rd Annual Blog Summit, Cambridge, MA.
Wedel, M.J. June 23, 2024. Did air-filled bones allow dinosaurs to become gigantic? Public lecture, Colecionadores de Ossos [Bone Collectors], DinoLab, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGN97dkVhCA
Wedel, M.J. June 8, 2024. The sauropod heresies: evolutionary ratchets, the taphonomic event horizon, and all the evidence we cannot see. Keynote lecture, 28th Annual Tate Conference, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College, Casper, WY. (also listed above under Abstracts)
Wedel, M.J. April 25, 2024. The evolution of the sauropod body plan. Guest lecture, Dept. of Biological Science, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA.
SELECTED DOCUMENTATRY AND PODCAST APPEARANCES
December 27, 2017, Apatosaurus. I Know Dino Podcast
May 20, 2017, Life in the Age of Giants. Fist Full of Podcasts
October 17, 2011, Weird or What: Monsters. History Channel Canada
August 19, 2011, Jurassic CSI: Megasaurus. National Geographic Channel
December 13, 2009, Clash of the Dinosaurs: Generations. Discovery Channel
September 24, 2009, Animal Armageddon: The Next Extinction. Animal Planet
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING (employer, supervisor, duties)
2016 - Johns Hopkins University Press, Vincent Burke, book proposal reivew
2015-16 - Capstone Press, Anthony Wacholtz, fact checking and proofing art for basic science database
2015 - Capstone Press, Anthony Wacholtz, fact checkin and proofing art for dinosaur database and book series
2014 - Capstone Press, Shelly Lyons, research fact checking, for dinosaur database
2013 - Mega Brands America, Inc., Theresa Wong, research,fact checking, and proofing art for Go Dig dinosaur card game
2012-13 - Scholastic, Inc., Sam Nisson, research, fact checking, and proofing art for The Magic School Bus, Dinosaurs game
2012 - Leapfrof Enterprises, Inc. Carolyn Jaynes, reserach, fact checking, and proofing art for Leapand the Lost Dinosaur
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Academic editor for PeerJ since March, 2014, with 25 papers handled to date (17 published).
Over 90 peer reviews for Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, AMNH Novitates, Anatomical Record, Annals of the Carnegie Museum, Biological Reviews, Biology Letters, Bonner Zoologische Beiträge, BYU Geology Notes, Comptes Rendus Palevol, Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology (University of Michigan), Cretaceous Research, Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae, Geology of the Intermountain West, Historical Biology, Journal of Experimental Zoology, Journal of Morphology, Journal of Peleontological Techniques, Journal of Systematic Paleontology, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, III Latin-American Congress of Vertebrate Paleontology, Nature Scientific Reports, Naturwissenschaften, Neus Jahrbuch, Palaeontologica Electronica, Palaeonotology, PaleoBios, PeerJ, PLoS ONE, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, and Indiana University Press.