Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 11, 2026

Corwin Sullivan

Corwin Sullivan is a Canadian vertebrate palaeontologist known for his research into the evolution of archosaurs.

Last revised
Jul 11, 2026
Read time
≈ 8 min
Length
1,799 w
Citations
26
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Corwin Sullivan
CitizenshipCanadian
Known forArchosaur palaeobiology
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Alberta

Corwin Sullivan is a Canadian vertebrate palaeontologist known for his research into the evolution of archosaurs.

Career

Sullivan completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Victoria, going on to earn a master's degree from the University of Toronto at Mississauga and a doctorate from Harvard University. After spending time as a faculty member at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), he became the inaugural holder of the Philip J. Currie Professorship in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Alberta, named after Philip J. Currie. He also serves as the curator of the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in Grande Prairie, Alberta.1

Sullivan has extensively studied the functional morphology of theropod dinosaurs, especially those phylogenetically close to birds, in an effort to gain insight as to how wings evolved in the theropod lineage.2

Below is a list of taxa that Sullivan has contributed to naming:

Year Taxon Authors
2024 Gandititan cavocaudatus gen. et sp. nov. Han, Yang, Lou, Sullivan, Xu, Qiu, Liu, Yu, Wu, Ke, Xu, Hu, & Lu3
2023 Gremlin slobodorum gen. et sp. nov. Ryan, Micucci, Rizo, Sullivan, Lee, & Evans4
2022 Baisesaurus robustus gen. et sp. nov. Ren, Jiang, Xiang, Sullivan, He, Cheng, & Han5
2022 Confuciusornis shifan sp. nov. Wang, Hu, Zhang, Wang, Zhao, Sullivan, & Xu6
2020 Oksoko avarsan gen. et sp. nov. Funston, Tsogtbaatar, Tsogtbaatar, Kobayashi, Sullivan, & Currie7
2019 Lingyuanosaurus sihedangensis gen. et. sp. nov. Yao, Liao, Sullivan, & Xu8
2018 Bannykus wulatensis gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Choiniere, Tan, Benson, Clark, Sullivan, Zhao, Han, Ma, He, Wang, Xing, & Tan9
2018 Xiyunykus pengi gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Choiniere, Tan, Benson, Clark, Sullivan, Zhao, Han, Ma, He, Wang, Xing, & Tan9
2018 Anomalipes zhaoi gen. et sp. nov. Yu, Wang, Chen, Sullivan, Wang, Wang, & Xu10
2015 Ischioceratops zhuchengensis gen. et sp. nov. He, Makovicky, Wang, Chen, Sullivan, Han, & Xu11
2015 Yi qi gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Zheng, Sullivan, Wang, Xing, Wang, Zhang, O'Connor, Zhang, & Pan12
2014 Zhanghenglong yangchengensis gen. et sp. nov. Xing, Wang, Han, Sullivan, Ma, He, Hone, Yan, Du, & Xu13
2013 Wulatelong gobiensis gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Tan, Wang, Sullivan, Hone, Han, Ma, Tan, & Xiao14
2013 Ganzhousaurus nankangensis gen. et sp. nov. Wang, Sun, Sullivan, & Xu15
2012 Xiangornis shenmi gen. et sp. nov. Hu, Xu, Hou, & Sullivan16
2012 Yutyrannus huali gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Wang, Zhang, Ma, Xing, Sullivan, Hu, Cheng, & Wang17
2011 Zhuchengtyrannus magnus gen. et sp. nov. Hone, Wang, Sullivan, Zhao, Chen, Li, Ji, Ji, & Xu18
2011 Linhevenator tani gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Tan, Sullivan, Han, & Xiao19
2011 Linhenykus monodactylus gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Sullivan, Pittman, Choiniere, Hone, Upchurch, Tan, Xiao, Tan, & Han20
2010 Linheraptor exquisitus gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Choiniere, Pittman, Tan, Xiao, Li, Tan, Clark, Norell, Hone, & Sullivan21
2010 Zhuchengceratops inexpectus gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Wang, Zhao, Sullivan, & Chen22
2009 Anchiornis huxleyi gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Zhao, Norell, Sullivan, Hone, Erickson, Wang, Han, & Guo23
2009 Limusaurus inextricabilis gen. et sp. nov. Xu, Clark, Mo, Chorniere, Forster, Erickson, Hone, Sullivan, Eberth, Nesbitt, Zhao, Hernandez, Jia, Han, & Guo24
2008 Epidexipteryx hui gen. et sp. nov. Zhang, Zhou, Xu, Wang, & Sullivan25
References

References

  1. Pascoe, Jennifer. "Evidence of evolution". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  2. Sullivan, Corwin; Hone, David W. E.; Xu, Xing; Zhang, Fucheng (7 July 2010). "The asymmetry of the carpal joint and the evolution of wing folding in maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 277 (1690): 2027–2033. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.2281. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 2880093. PMID 20200032. Retrieved 30 March 2026 – via The Royal Society Publishing.
  3. Han, Fenglu; Yang, Ling; Lou, Fasheng; Sullivan, Corwin; Xu, Xing; Qiu, Wenjiang; Liu, Hanfeng; Yu, Juan; Wu, Rui; Ke, Yuzheng; Xu, Mengyuan; Hu, Jinfeng; Lu, Pikun (31 December 2024). "A new titanosaurian sauropod, Gandititan cavocaudatus gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of southern China". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 22 (1) 2293038. Bibcode:2024JSPal..2293038H. doi:10.1080/14772019.2023.2293038. ISSN 1477-2019. Retrieved 7 May 2026 – via Taylor and Francis Online.
  4. Ryan, M. J.; Micucci, L.; Rizo, H.; Sullivan, Corwin; Lee, Y.-N.; Evans, David Christopher (2023). "New Late Cretaceous leptoceratopsid (Dinosauria: Ceratopsia) from the Oldman Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada". In Lee, Y.-N. (ed.). Windows into Sauropsid and Synapsid Evolution: Essays in Honor of Prof. Louis L. Jacobs. Seoul: Dinosaur Science Center Press. pp. 151–165. ISBN 978-89-5708-358-1.
  5. Ren, Jicheng; Jiang, Haishui; Xiang, Kunpeng; Sullivan, Corwin; He, Yongzhong; Cheng, Long; Han, Fenglu (7 April 2022). "A new basal ichthyosauromorph from the Lower Triassic (Olenekian) of Zhebao, Guangxi Autonomous Region, South China". PeerJ. 10 e13209. doi:10.7717/peerj.13209. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 8995025. PMID 35415016.
  6. Wang, Renfei; Hu, Dongyu; Zhang, Meisheng; Wang, Shiying; Zhao, Qi; Sullivan, Corwin; Xu, Xing (21 December 2022). "A new confuciusornithid bird with a secondary epiphyseal ossification reveals phylogenetic changes in confuciusornithid flight mode". Communications Biology. 5 (1) 1398. doi:10.1038/s42003-022-04316-6. ISSN 2399-3642. PMC 9772404. PMID 36543908.
  7. Funston, Gregory F.; Chinzorig, Tsogtbaatar; Tsogtbaatar, Khishigjav; Kobayashi, Yoshitsugu; Sullivan, Corwin; Currie, Philip John (7 October 2020). "A new two-fingered dinosaur sheds light on the radiation of Oviraptorosauria". Royal Society Open Science. 7 (10) 201184. Bibcode:2020RSOS....701184F. doi:10.1098/rsos.201184. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 7657903. PMID 33204472.
  8. Yao, Xi; Liao, Chun-Chi; Sullivan, Corwin; Xu, Xing (22 March 2019). "A new transitional therizinosaurian theropod from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of China". Scientific Reports. 9 (1) 5026. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.5026Y. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41560-z. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6430829. PMID 30903000.
  9. Xu, Xing; Choiniere, Jonah; Tan, Qingwei; Benson, Roger B. J.; Clark, James; Sullivan, Corwin; Zhao, Qi; Han, Fenglu; Ma, Qingyu; He, Yiming; Wang, Shuo; Xing, Hai; Tan, Lin (10 September 2018). "Two Early Cretaceous Fossils Document Transitional Stages in Alvarezsaurian Dinosaur Evolution". Current Biology. 28 (17): 2853–2860.e3. Bibcode:2018CBio...28E2853X. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.057. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 30146153. Retrieved 13 June 2026 – via Cell.
  10. Yu, Yilun; Wang, Kebai; Chen, Shuqing; Sullivan, Corwin; Wang, Shuo; Wang, Peiye; Xu, Xing (22 March 2018). "A new caenagnathid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Wangshi Group of Shandong, China, with comments on size variation among oviraptorosaurs". Scientific Reports. 8 (1) 5030. Bibcode:2018NatSR...8.5030Y. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-23252-2. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5864915. PMID 29567954.
  11. He, Yiming; Makovicky, Peter J.; Wang, Kebai; Chen, Shuqing; Sullivan, Corwin; Han, Fenglu; Xu, Xing (23 December 2015). Farke, Andrew A. (ed.). "A New Leptoceratopsid (Ornithischia, Ceratopsia) with a Unique Ischium from the Upper Cretaceous of Shandong Province, China". PLOS ONE. 10 (12) e0144148. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1044148H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144148. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4689537. PMID 26701114.
  12. Xu, Xing; Zheng, Xiaoting; Sullivan, Corwin; Wang, Xiaoli; Xing, Lida; Wang, Yan; Zhang, Xiaomei; O'Connor, Jingmai Kathleen; Zhang, Fucheng; Pan, Yanhong (29 April 2015). "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings". Nature. 521 (7550): 70–73. Bibcode:2015Natur.521...70X. doi:10.1038/nature14423. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 25924069. Retrieved 29 January 2025 – via Nature Publishing Group.
  13. Xing, Hai; Wang, Deyou; Han, Fenglu; Sullivan, Corwin; Ma, Qingyu; He, Yiming; Hone, David W. E.; Yan, Ronghao; Du, Fuming; Xu, Xing (5 June 2014). Evans, David C. (ed.). "A New Basal Hadrosauroid Dinosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) with Transitional Features from the Late Cretaceous of Henan Province, China". PLoS ONE. 9 (6) e98821. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...998821X. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098821. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4047018. PMID 24901454.
  14. Xu, Xing; Tan, Qing-Wei; Wang, Shuo; Sullivan, Corwin; Hone, David W. E.; Han, Feng-Lu; Ma, Qing-Yu; Tan, Lin; Xiao, Dong (15 June 2013). "A new oviraptorid from the Upper Cretaceous of Nei Mongol, China, and its stratigraphic implications". Vertebrata Palasiatica. 51 (2): 85–101. ISSN 2096-9899. Archived from the original on 14 October 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2026 – via ResearchGate.
  15. Wang, Shuo; Sun, Chengkai; Sullivan, Corwin; Xu, Xing (17 April 2013). "A new oviraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of southern China". Zootaxa. 3640 (2): 242–257. Bibcode:2013Zoot.36400.2.7W. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3640.2.7. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 26000415. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  16. Hu, Dongyu; Xu, Xing; Hou, Lianhai; Sullivan, Corwin (3 May 2012). "A new enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous of Western Liaoning, China, and its implications for early avian evolution". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (3): 639–645. Bibcode:2012JVPal..32..639H. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.652321. ISSN 0272-4634. Retrieved 8 April 2026 – via Taylor and Francis Online.
  17. Xu, Xing; Wang, Kebai; Zhang, Ke; Ma, Qingyu; Xing, Lida; Sullivan, Corwin; Hu, Dongyu; Cheng, Shuqing; Wang, Shuo (4 April 2012). "A gigantic feathered dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China". Nature. 484 (7392): 92–95. Bibcode:2012Natur.484...92X. doi:10.1038/nature10906. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 22481363. Retrieved 6 April 2026 – via Nature Publishing Group.
  18. Hone, David W. E.; Wang, Kebai; Sullivan, Corwin; Zhao, Xijin; Chen, Shuqing; Li, Dunjin; Ji, Shuan; Ji, Qiang; Xu, Xing (August 2011). "A new, large tyrannosaurine theropod from the Upper Cretaceous of China". Cretaceous Research. 32 (4): 495–503. Bibcode:2011CrRes..32..495H. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2011.03.005. Retrieved 28 April 2026 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  19. Xu, Xing; Tan, Qingwei; Sullivan, Corwin; Han, Fenglu; Xiao, Dong (7 September 2011). Farke, Andrew Allen (ed.). "A Short-Armed Troodontid Dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia and Its Implications for Troodontid Evolution". PLoS ONE. 6 (9) e22916. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...622916X. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022916. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3168428. PMID 21915256.
  20. Xu, Xing; Sullivan, Corwin; Pittman, Michael; Choiniere, Jonah N.; Hone, David; Upchurch, Paul; Tan, Qingwei; Xiao, Dong; Tan, Lin; Han, Fenglu (24 January 2011). "A monodactyl nonavian dinosaur and the complex evolution of the alvarezsauroid hand". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 108 (6): 2338–2342. Bibcode:2011PNAS..108.2338X. doi:10.1073/pnas.1011052108. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3038769. PMID 21262806.
  21. Xu, Xing; Choiniere, Jonah N.; Pittman, Michael; Tan, Qingwei; Xiao, Dong; Li, Zhiquan; Tan, Lin; Clark, James M.; Norell, Mark A.; Hone, David W. E.; Sullivan, Corwin (19 March 2010). "A new dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Wulansuhai Formation of Inner Mongolia, China". Zootaxa. 2403 (1). Bibcode:2010Zoot.24033.1.1X. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2403.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  22. Xu, Xing; Wang, Kebai; Zhao, Xijin; Sullivan, Corwin; Chen, Shuqing (4 November 2010). Farke, Andrew Allen (ed.). "A New Leptoceratopsid (Ornithischia: Ceratopsia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Shandong, China and Its Implications for Neoceratopsian Evolution". PLoS ONE. 5 (11) e13835. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...513835X. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013835. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 2973951. PMID 21079798.
  23. Xu, Xing; Zhao, Qi; Norell, Mark; Sullivan, Corwin; Hone, David; Erickson, Gregory; Wang, XiaoLin; Han, FengLu; Guo, Yu (16 December 2008). "A new feathered maniraptoran dinosaur fossil that fills a morphological gap in avian origin". Science Bulletin. 54 (3): 430–435. doi:10.1007/s11434-009-0009-6. ISSN 2095-9273. Retrieved 23 May 2026 – via ResearchGate.
  24. Xu, Xing; Clark, James M.; Mo, Jinyou; Choiniere, Jonah; Forster, Catherine A.; Erickson, Gregory M.; Hone, David W. E.; Sullivan, Corwin; Eberth, David A.; Nesbitt, Sterling J.; Zhao, Qi; Hernandez, Rene; Jia, Cheng-kai; Han, Feng-lu; Guo, Yu (18 June 2009). "A Jurassic ceratosaur from China helps clarify avian digital homologies". Nature. 459 (7249): 940–944. Bibcode:2009Natur.459..940X. doi:10.1038/nature08124. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 19536256. Retrieved 24 February 2025 – via Nature Publishing Group.
  25. Zhang, Fucheng; Zhou, Zhonghe; Xu, Xing; Wang, Xiaolin; Sullivan, Corwin (23 October 2008). "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran from China with elongate ribbon-like feathers". Nature. 455 (7216): 1105–1108. Bibcode:2008Natur.455.1105Z. doi:10.1038/nature07447. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 18948955. Retrieved 13 June 2026 – via Nature Publishing Group.