Nathalie Bardet

Nathalie Bardet is a French paleontologist whose research focuses on Mesozoic marine reptiles, particularly the evolution, systematics, and paleobiogeography of Cretaceous mosasaurs. Her work has contributed significantly to understanding these large marine predators that dominated the world's oceans during the Late Cretaceous period before the mass extinction event.

Nathalie Bardet is affiliated with the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN) in Paris, one of the world's leading institutions for natural history research. The MNHN's paleontology department houses extensive fossil collections and supports field research programs, including work on fossil sites in Morocco and other regions with significant Mesozoic marine deposits.

Mosasaurs were large marine reptiles that lived during the Late Cretaceous period and were apex predators in the world's oceans before their extinction alongside the non-avian dinosaurs approximately 66 million years ago. Nathalie Bardet's research on mosasaurs has helped clarify their evolutionary relationships, geographic distribution, and patterns of diversification, contributing to broader understanding of marine ecosystem dynamics during the Mesozoic.

Nathalie Bardet has contributed to the description and naming of new fossil species of Mesozoic marine reptiles through her research at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Her publications in peer-reviewed paleontology journals have advanced understanding of mosasaur diversity and the paleobiogeography of marine reptiles across the ancient Tethys and Atlantic seaways.