George Fryer Sternberg (1883–1969) was a paleontologist best known for his discovery in Gove County,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

of the "fish-within-a-fish" of ''

Xiphactinus audax ''Xiphactinus'' (from Latin and Greek for "sword-ray") is an extinct genus of large (Shimada, Kenshu, and Michael J. Everhart. "Shark-bitten Xiphactinus audax (Teleostei: Ichthyodectiformes) from the Niobrara Chalk (Upper Cretaceous) of Kansas." ...

'' with a recently eaten ''

Gillicus arcuatus ''Gillicus'' was a relatively small, 2-metre long ichthyodectiform fish that lived in the Western Interior Seaway, in what is now central North America, during the Late Cretaceous. Description Like its larger relative, ''Ichthyodectes ctenodon ...

'' within its stomach. Sternberg was born in Lawrence, Kansas, and began leading fossil-hunting expeditions in the early 1900s. He became field paleontologist and curator of the museum of natural history at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas in 1927. George F. Sternberg was the son of

Charles Hazelius Sternberg Charles Hazelius Sternberg (June 15, 1850 – July 20, 1943) was an American fossil collector and paleontologist. He was active in both fields from 1876 to 1928, and collected fossils for Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel C. Marsh, and for the ...

and nephew of

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

George M. Sternberg Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg (June 8, 1838 – November 3, 1915) was a U.S. Army physician who is considered the first U.S. bacteriologist, having written ''Manual of Bacteriology'' (1892). After he survived typhoid and yellow fever, ...

(1838–1915). The

Sternberg Museum of Natural History Fort Hays State University (FHSU) is a public university in Hays, Kansas. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with a total enrollment of approximately 15,100 students. History FHSU ...

Fort Hays State University Fort Hays State University (FHSU) is a public university in Hays, Kansas. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with a total enrollment of approximately 15,100 students. History FHSU ...

Hays, Kansas Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 21,116. It is ...

is named for his work and contributions to paleontology. The surname also honors the Sternberg fossil-hunting family, including his father, Charles Hazelius Sternberg (1850–1943), and his brother

Charles Mortram Sternberg Charles Mortram Sternberg (1885–1981) was an American-Canadian fossil collector and paleontologist, son of Charles Hazelius Sternberg. Late in his career, he collected and described ''Pachyrhinosaurus'', ''Brachylophosaurus'', ''Parksosaurus ...

(1885–1981). Sternberg formed a mentor relationship with Marion Charles Bonner of Leoti, Kansas, and through this relationship acquired many fossils from the Niobrara Cretaceous chalk for the museum's displays and archives. The most notable specimen Bonner donated and Sternberg prepared for display was a nearly complete '' Dolichorhynchops osbornii'' in 1956. Sternberg retired from the museum in 1961. He died October 23, 1969.

References

1883 births 1969 deaths American paleontologists {{paleontologist-stub