Mátyás Vremir

Mátyás Vremir (13 November 1970 – 24 July 2020)^[1] was a Romanian geologist and palaeontologist.

Education and career

Vremir was born on 13 November 1970 in Cluj, the son of artists Mircea Vremir and Ildikó Kováts.^[1] He studied geology at Babeş-Bolyai University, obtaining a bachelor's degree in 1999 and a master's degree in 2001.^[1] After graduating he had a varied career as a teacher, geological consultant for the petroleum industry in Central Africa and with his own firm in Cluj, and owner of a Tatar-themed bar.^[1] He also worked for several museums in Hungary and was affiliated with the Transylvanian Museum Society.^[1]

Well known for his eye for fossils, he worked as a palaeontological contractor in Crimea and Bavaria, and conducted his own reconnaissance projects in Romania, in collaboration with American palaeontologist Mark Norell.^[1] He is credited with the discovery of Balaur bondoc, a poodle-sized dinosaur;^[1][2] an Azhdarchidae specimen nicknamed "Dracula" that is the largest-known pterosaur;^[3][4][5] and Litovoi tholocephalos, a Late Cretaceous mammal exhibiting insular dwarfism.^[1]

Personal life

Vremir was married to Márta Veress and had two sons.^[1] He died of cancer on 24 July 2020.^[1]