| Title | : | Dinosaur Paleobiology |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0470656573 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780470656570 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 |
| Publication | : | First published May 8, 2012 |
Books in the series provide a summary of the current state of knowledge, a trusted route into the primary literature, and will act as pointers for future directions for research. As well as volumes on individual groups, the series will also deal with topics that have a cross-cutting relevance, such as the evolution of significant ecosystems, particular key times and events in the history of life, climate change, and the application of a new techniques such as molecular palaeontology.
The books are written by leading international experts and will be pitched at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers in both the paleontological and biological sciences.
Additional resources for this book can be found at: http: //www.wiley.com/go/brusatte/dinosaurpal....
Dinosaur Paleobiology Reviews
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Dino’s in the Jurassic park
In this dazzling rehash, author Stephen Brusatte tells the story of dinosaurs; their origins, evolution, diversity, habitats and their cataclysmic extinction. This is a captivating narrative that engages the reader till the end of the book. Highly readable and well researched about dinosaurs, and life in late cretaceous era (100 – 66 million Years). The book investigates the events after planet was hit by 6.5-mile-long asteroid (Chicxulub meteorite) at the speed of 67,000 miles per hour, 65.5 million years ago. The fossils from this event are preserved all over the planet, and the author is one of the leading paleontologist in this field.
During the cretaceous period, the planet was largely one supercontinent called Pangea, but it had started to split into several fragments. Europe and Asia were still globed together, and they were linked to North America by a series of islands. But what made dinosaurs big? They had to eat and digest vast quantities of food, they had to grow fast, must be able to breathe very efficiently, and shed excess body heat. This process was enabled by their unique anatomy and body plan that included a highly efficient lung more related to a birdlike lung because many bones of the chest cavity had big openings. There were many air sacs that extended throughout their body that helped lungs to take in enough oxygen to stoke their metabolism.
During the final 20 million years of the Cretaceous era, tyrannosaurs flourished, ruling the river valleys, lakeshores, flood plains, forests, and deserts of North America and China. Colossal tyrannosaurs never seemed to gain a foothold in Europe or the southern continents, where other groups of large predators prospered, but in North America and China, species of tyrannosaurs were unrivaled. They had become the transcendent terrors that fire our imaginations. The species of Tyrannosaurus Rex was not a global but existed only in North West of United States. On that fateful morning 66 million years ago, when a pack of T. Rexes woke up on what would go down as the final day of the Cretaceous Period, all seemed normal in their kingdom, the same as it had been for two millions of years but ended in a cataclysmic event. -
Fundamental introductory textbook to Dinosaur Palaeobiology. Worth it to any student or keen amateur. Stephen Brusatte has a really good style which teaches by example and often outlines key concepts in novel ways. Although I am reading this in 2020 and it could probably use a new edition I feel it was still well worth the investment of time.
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Stephen Brusatte, SB'06
Author
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From the author:
The study of dinosaurs has been experiencing a remarkable renaissance over the past few decades. Scientific understanding of dinosaur anatomy, biology, and evolution has advanced to such a degree that paleontologists often know more about 100-million-year-old dinosaurs than many species of living organisms. This book provides a contemporary review of dinosaur science intended for students, researchers, and dinosaur enthusiasts. It reviews the latest knowledge on dinosaur anatomy and phylogeny, how dinosaurs functioned as living animals, and the grand narrative of dinosaur evolution across the Mesozoic. A particular focus is on the fossil evidence and explicit methods that allow paleontologists to study dinosaurs in rigorous detail. Scientific knowledge of dinosaur biology and evolution is shifting fast, and this book aims to summarize current understanding of dinosaur science in a technical, but accessible, style, supplemented with vivid photographs and illustrations. -
3.75 Mostly because it is a bit too dry, for me that was never a problem until this book. Also some editing mistakes and if I can catch them then they are glaring lol.
I liked the information presented, and it was full of really good information. The pictures and graphs really help give you a good idea of what the author is talking about. I just couldn't stomach the writing style.
