Peter Wellnhofer

Who is Peter Wellnhofer?

Peter Wellnhofer is a German paleontologist at the "Bayerische Staatssammlung fur Paläontologie" in Munich. He is best known for his work on the various fossil specimens of Archaeopteryx or "Urvogel", the first known bird. Wellnhofer's other work includes The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs.

Wellnhoferia, a bird closely related to Archaeopteryx, or a species of the Urvogel itself, was named in his honor.

In 2007 a special meeting of pterosaur experts in Munich was dedicated to Wellnhofer, describing him as "the foremost authority on pterosaurs for the last four decades." The meeting produced a festschrift in his honor titled Flugsaurier: pterosaur papers in honour of Peter Wellnhofer.