Nov 2026 – David W. Krause, PhD, Sr Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology | Game-changing discoveries of Taeniolabis, the Western Interior’s most iconic early Paleocene mammal

Taeniolabis is an iconic mammal of early Paleocene age from the Western Interior of North America. It is the largest known multituberculate mammal on Earth. Recent discoveries of extraordinarily complete skull material of Taeniolabis in the Denver Formation near Colorado Springs provides the first record of the species from the Denver Basin. Two different species, from two separate stratigraphic horizons, are represented, thus providing profound implications for early Paleocene bio- and geochronology of the Western Interior. Moreover, this new material, in combination with several previously described and undescribed specimens from the Nacimiento Formation of the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, reveal many previously unknown aspects of skull anatomy. It also provides an unparalleled opportunity to assess intraspecific variation in early Paleocene mammals. Interestingly, some of the specimens exhibit peri-mortem and/or postmortem alteration, leading to various intriguing bone modification hypotheses that are still in the process of being tested. The most recent results will be revealed in this presentation.

About the speaker – Dr. David Krause is Senior Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science; Emeritus Distinguished Service Professor at Stony Brook University; Founder and Executive Director of the Madagascar Ankizy Fund; former Editor of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology; and former President of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Born and raised on a cattle ranch in Alberta, Canada, Dr. Krause received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Alberta and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Alberta in 2010, an honorary doctorate from The University of Antananarivo (Madagascar) in 2012, and the Romer-Simpson Medal from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in 2023. Dr. Krause is a 50-year veteran of field research in Canada, the United States, Pakistan, India, and Madagascar and has published over 140 peer-reviewed research articles and edited four monographic volumes.