Book Description
This book synthesises the growing body of evidence which suggests that modern-day birds have evolved from theropod dinosaurs of prehistoric times. The author argues that the ancestor-descendant relationship can also be reversed.
Author : Gregory S. Paul
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 484 pages
File Size : 48,19 MB
Release : 2002-05
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780801867637
This book synthesises the growing body of evidence which suggests that modern-day birds have evolved from theropod dinosaurs of prehistoric times. The author argues that the ancestor-descendant relationship can also be reversed.
Author : Michael Teitelbaum
Publisher : Rourke Publishing (FL)
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 22,56 MB
Release : 1994
Category : Dinosaurs
ISBN : 9780865933538
This book introduces dinosaurs, their physical characteristics, their behavior, and their habitats.
Author : Gregory Paul
Publisher : Macmillan
Page : 452 pages
File Size : 37,43 MB
Release : 2003-04-22
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780312310080
Collects writings by experts in paleontology, from John Horner on dinosaur families to Robert Bakker on the latest wave of fossil discoveries.
Author : Alan Feduccia
Publisher : BrownWalker Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 39,50 MB
Release : 2020-10-15
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1599426064
Birds and dinosaurs have dominated human interest for decades. In this well-supported revolutionary view of the field, critical questions are explored with credible evidence and biological thought. Are birds derived directly from advanced dinosaurs, or are they closely related dinosaur cousins? Did flight originate via the natural "gravity-assisted" trees-down model, or from the improbable “gravity-resisted” ground-up model? Were the earliest birds ground-predators or trunk-climbing gliders? Were dinosaurs hot-blooded with insulating protofeathers, or highly active, cold-blooded reptiles? These are among the questions addressed in this path-breaking book. Current consensus suggests that early birds were earth-bound and flight began on the ground. Reversing that logic, since birds are hot-blooded, by inference so too were dinosaurs, and extraordinarily complex feathers, flight brain and inner ear, evolved before flight in dinosaurs. The iconic early bird Archaeopteryx, despite innumerable flight and arboreal features, is now displayed as an earth-bound predator that could not fly. In reality, we have yet to provide satisfactory explanations for much of the biological origin and early evolution of birds. Among the questions addressed is whether truly feathered dinosaurs are in reality lost or "hidden birds?" The architectural complexity of feathers leads the author to the conclusion that if an animal has evolved extraordinarily complex, aerodynamically-designed feathers, an avian flight hand, flight membranes, and a flight brain, it's a bird. Birds and dinosaurs captivate and enchant the human imagination. These intriguing animals have dominated the field of paleontology and evolution for the past half century, engendering heated debate on avian ancestry, the origin of flight and feathers, and the biology of their fossils. Are birds living dinosaurs? In this series of entertainingly contentious and captivating essays evolutionary biologist Alan Feduccia writes with verve and humor to expose major problems in the field and advocate liberation from the shackles of consensus thinking about birds and dinosaurs. He maintains that the euphoria of paleontologists claiming to have solved the major problems of bird evolution is premature, largely generated by the adoption of a rigid, cult-like methodology, heavily blended with ideology, and excluding many biological and geological principles. He adroitly exposes and elucidates major mistakes in the field and their aftermath. Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs is a lucid revelation of clarity and synthesis, a fascinating unveiling of the underlying science that has produced the good, but also often appalling fossil research and wild speculation in bird and dinosaur evolution. A must read for anyone interested in this rapidly evolving field, the short, concise and incisive essays provide the reader with access to this complex topic. REVIEWS and WORDS OF PRAISE In this strikingly unconventional and brilliant book, Professor Alan Feduccia presents the current status of the recent controversy about the origin of birds with clarity and vigor. A thought-provoking personal exploration of what the bird fossils represent. ---Sankar Chatterjee, Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor of Geosciences and Curator of Paleontology, Texas Tech University. Feduccia's book eloquently reminds us that consensus science is to be shied away from especially when it is used to plead special cases against basic scientific principles. The concept of “lost birds” is particularly intriguing as it defines what birds are and how special science obfuscates the simplicity of evolution. ---David A. Burnham, Associate Researcher, University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. Based on a thorough understanding of the empirical evidence, Feduccia presents a convincing account of avian origins from their putative ancestors. ---Walter J. Bock, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, Columbia University and Research Associate, American Museum of Natural History. With candor, clear thinking, humor, and abundant evidence, Alan Feduccia’s Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs should be mandatory reading for the countless millions who are intrigued by dinosaurs and their relatives, the birds. Feduccia points out the many empirical and logical shortcomings in the stubborn majority view that birds evolved from dinosaurs, an idea now solidly entrenched as dogma in education and popular culture. This new book will be as interesting to those who study human behavior and scientific methods as it will to students of vertebrate evolution. ---David W. Steadman, Curator of Ornithology, Professor of Biology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida.
Author : Charlotte Lewis Brown
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 34 pages
File Size : 11,91 MB
Release : 2011-06-28
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 0062038508
Amazing creatures flew through the air and swam in the seas during the Age of the Dinosaurs! Strange and wonderful creatures shared the Earth with the dinosaurs. Kronosaurus ruled the seas with teeth as big as bananas and jaws more powerful than a Tyrannosaurs-rex’s. Flying Pterodaustros spit water through hundreds of long, thin teeth. Deinosuchus, the giant crocodile, preyed on unlucky dinosaurs. These and other amazing animals are introduced to young readers in an easy-to-read text and dynamic illustrations. Beyond the Dinosaurs is a Level Two I Can Read, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the engaging stories, longer sentences, and language play of Level Two books are proven to help kids take their next steps toward reading success.
Author : Sébastien Steyer
Publisher : Indiana University Press
Page : 202 pages
File Size : 26,38 MB
Release : 2012-06
Category : Nature
ISBN : 0253223806
Explores the Earth prior to dinosaurs and examines the creatures that lived here.
Author : A. J. Veldmeijer
Publisher : Sidestone Press
Page : 138 pages
File Size : 15,78 MB
Release : 2012
Category : History
ISBN : 9088900930
Pterosaurs or flying reptiles were the first vertebrates to evolve flight. These distant relatives of modern reptiles and dinosaurs lived from the Late Triassic (over 200 million years ago) to the end of the Cretaceous (about 65 million years ago) a span of some 135 million years. When they became extinct, no relatives survived them and as a result these prehistoric animals cannot readily be compared with our modern-day fauna. So what do we know of these highly succsessful animals? The present summary answers this and many more questions based on the most recent results of modern scientific research. After a short introduction to palaeontology as a science and its history related to pterosaurs, it explains what pterosaurs were, when and where they lived, and what they looked like. Topics such as disease, injury and reproduction are also discussed. Separated from this text are 'Mark explains' boxes. Each of these explanations puts one specific species in the spotlight and focuses on its lifestyle. They show how diverse pterosaurs were, from small insectivorous animals with a wingspan of nearly 40 centimetres to the biggest flying animals ever to take to the air, with wingspans of over 10 metres and with a way of life comparable to modern-day storks. The text is illustrated with many full colour photographs and beautiful palaeo-art prepared by experts in the field.
Author : Matthew Rake
Publisher : Hungry Tomato ®
Page : 36 pages
File Size : 26,7 MB
Release : 2015-08-01
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 146779113X
Come along with Ackerley the Acanthostega to visit the Triassic and Jurassic periods, 203-145 million years ago. Watch the first dinosaurs appear. See them grow in size and numbers to dominate on land, in the air, and in the oceans. Discover the facts, fossils, and fun science behind Earth's earliest dinosaurs, as well as flying reptiles, mighty sea beasts, and the first birds. This second part of the exciting story of life on Earth unfolds through amazing lifelike illustrations and fascinating diagrams, all narrated by a friendly prehistoric guide.
Author : David White
Publisher :
Page : 237 pages
File Size : 20,52 MB
Release : 2000
Category : Dinosaurs
ISBN :
Introduction to the giants that roamed the earth millions of years ago. Combines adventure-filled stories with true-to-life narrative and facts.
Author : Gregory S. Paul
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 363 pages
File Size : 24,88 MB
Release : 2016-10-25
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1400883148
A fully updated and expanded new edition of the acclaimed, bestselling dinosaur field guide The bestselling Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs remains the must-have book for anyone who loves dinosaurs, from amateur enthusiasts to professional paleontologists. Now extensively revised and expanded, this dazzlingly illustrated large-format edition features some 100 new dinosaur species and 200 new and updated illustrations, bringing readers up to the minute on the latest discoveries and research that are radically transforming what we know about dinosaurs and their world. Written and illustrated by acclaimed dinosaur expert Gregory Paul, this stunningly beautiful book includes detailed species accounts of all the major dinosaur groups as well as nearly 700 color and black-and-white images—skeletal drawings, "life" studies, scenic views, and other illustrations that depict the full range of dinosaurs, from small feathered creatures to whale-sized supersauropods. Paul's extensively revised introduction delves into dinosaur history and biology, the extinction of nonavian dinosaurs, the origin of birds, and the history of dinosaur paleontology, as well as giving a taste of what it might be like to travel back in time to the era when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Now extensively revised and expanded Covers nearly 750 dinosaur species, including scores of newly discovered ones Provides startling new perspectives on the famed Brontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Features nearly 700 color and black-and-white drawings and figures, including life studies, scenic views, and skull and muscle drawings Includes color paleo-distribution maps and a color time line Describes anatomy, physiology, locomotion, reproduction, and growth of dinosaurs, as well as the origin of birds and the extinction of nonavian dinosaurs