Paleontologist, zooarchaeologist, author of popular science books

A researcher in the Paleontology Department of the National Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Science. He studies the bones of ancient birds ranging in age from hundreds of years to tens of millions of years. His main areas of research are paleontology (the natural history of birds in Eastern Europe) and zooarchaeology (the history of the relationship between birds and humans).

He is also involved in museum work, organizing the natural history museum’s collections and expanding the comparative collection of skeletons. He regularly teaches at the Maibutni Democratic School and conducts individual educational events.

Leonid is the author of three popular science books; this year, “Chupacabras, Dragons, and Werewolves: Why Did Creatures That Never Existed Go Extinct?” is being published. He is a blogger and the author of the blog “Stromata” (from the Greek for “Patchwork”), where he gathers patches about life, the universe, and everything.

• The Kyiv native switched to speaking exclusively Ukrainian in 1999.
• Swam in the White Sea with a cellmate of Vasyl Stus.
• When I see a bird bone on the street, I can identify from a distance which anatomical element it is, which side of the body, and what species of bird it belongs to.
• Gave a lecture on the theory of evolution to seminarians at the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s theological academy.
• Once, I forgot to put on my glasses and accidentally caught a viper. Since then, I’ve had no fear of snakes.