Ernst Stromer

Ernst Freiherr Stromer von Reichenbach (June 12, 1871 - December 18, 1952) was a German paleontologist best remembered for his expedition to Egypt, during which the discovery of the first known remains of Spinosaurus was made.

From an aristocratic background, Stromer studied palaeontology in Munich. He would then make three expeditions to Egypt to unearth fossils, the most significant being his 1910-1911 expedition. Working with fellow palaeontologist Richard Markgraf, Stromer first described the dinosaur Spinosaurus. He additionally first described the dinosaurus Aegyptosaurus, Bahariasaurus, and Carcharodontosaurus, and the giant crocodilian Stomatosuchus. Due to his criticisms of Nazism, Stromer's career declined in the 1930s and 1940s. Many of the fossils discovered by Stromer were destroyed during World War II, leaving today's scientists only a few photographs of the previously existing specimens to rely on.

In 1929, the fossil bird genus Stromeria (now included in the genus Eremopezus) was named in Stromer's honour by Kálmán Lambrecht. Smith et al. (2001) also named the sauropod Paralititan stromeri in his honour.