Andrea Cau


Andrea Cau is an Italian vertebrate paleontologist. He specialises in the study of dinosaur cladistics. Cau named the dromaeosaurid theropod Halszkaraptor in 2017. He also reanalysed the theropod Balaur, placing it as a basal avialan rather than a dromaeosaur.
Below is a list of taxa that Cau has contributed to naming:
YearTaxonAuthors
2026Kunpengornis anhuimusei gen. et sp. nov.Huang, Wang, Cau, Mao, Liu & Wang
2025Shri rapax sp. nov.Moutrille, Cau, Chinzorig, Escuillié, Tsogtbaatar, Ganzorig, Mallet & Godefroit
2025Shuilingornis angelai gen. et sp. nov.Wang, Cau, Wang, Kundrát, Zhang, Liu & Chiappe
2023Migmanychion laiyang gen. et sp. nov.Wang, Cau, Wang, Yu, Wu, Wang & Liu
2022Musivavis amabilis gen. et sp. nov.Wang, Cau, Luo, Kundrát, Wu, Zhu, Guo, Liu & Ji
2021Khinganornis hulunbuirensis gen. et sp. nov.Wang, Cau, Kundrát, Chiappe, Ji, Wang, Li & Wu
2021Ceratosuchops inferodios gen. et sp. nov.Barker, Hone, Naish, Cau, Lockwood, Foster, Clarkin, Schneider & Gostling
2021Riparovenator milnerae gen. et sp. nov.Barker, Hone, Naish, Cau, Lockwood, Foster, Clarkin, Schneider & Gostling
2020Kompsornis longicaudus gen. et sp. nov.Wang, Huang, Kundrát, Cau, Liu, Wang & Ju
2020Huinculsaurus montesi gen. et sp. nov.Baiano, Coria & Cau
2017Halszkaraptor escuilliei gen. et sp. nov.Cau, Beyrand, Voeten, Fernandez, Tafforeau, Stein, Barsbold, Tsogtbaatar, Currie & Godefroit
2017Serikornis sungei gen. et sp. nov.Lefèvre, Cau, Cincotta, Hu, Chinsamy, Escuillié & Godefroit
2013Aurornis xui gen. et sp. nov.Godefroit, Cau, Dong-Yu, Escuillié, Wenhao & Dyke
2013Tataouinea hannibalis gen. et sp. nov.Fanti, Cau, Hassine & Contessi
2013Sauroniops pachytholus gen. et sp. nov.Cau, Dalla Vecchia & Fabbri
2011Neptunidraco ammoniticus gen. et sp. nov.Cau & Fanti

Personal life

Cau graduated in 2017 with a PhD in Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Works

  • La rivoluzione piumata. I nuovi dinosauri e l’origine degli uccelli, 5 volumes, self-publishing, 2019-2023.
  • Ricostruire i dinosauri. La scienza che dà un volto ai fossili, self-publishing, 2024.
  • Il dilemma dei dinosauri, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2025.