death_place death_date birth_place nationality field birth_date article_title alma_mater
oakland , california 30 october 1945 hopkinton , iowa american paleontology 20 october 1869 john campbell merriam
 university of california , berkeley
john campbell merriam

john campbell merriam -lrb- october 20 , 1869 -- october 30 , 1945 -rrb- was an american paleontologist .
the first vertebrate paleontologist on the west coast of the united states , he is best known for his taxonomy of vertebrate fossils at the la brea tar pits in los angeles , particularly with the genus `` smilodon '' , more commonly known as the sabertooth cat .
