List of Boxed Readings Preface 1. Introduction What Are Dinosaurs? When and Where Did Dinosaurs Live? Why Study Dinosaurs? Key Terms Review Questions Find a Dinosaur! 2. Evolution, Phylogeny, and Classification Evolution Phylogeny Classification Dinosaurs and Evolution Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading 3. Fossils, Sedimentary Environments, and Geologic Time Fossils Sedimentary Environments Geologic Time Collecting Dinosaur Fossils Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading 4. The Origin of Dinosaurs Dinosaurs as Reptiles Dinosaurs as Diapsids Dinosaurs as Archosaurs The Archosaurian Ancestry of Dinosaurs The Phylogeny of Dinosaurs The Oldest Dinosaurs Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Find a Dinosaur! 5. Theropods The Phylogeny of Theropods What Is a Theropod? Primitive Theropods Tetanurans Avetheropods Theropod Evolution Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Find a Dinosaur! 6. Sauropodomorphs Prosauropods Sauropods Sauropod Evolution Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Find a Dinosaur! 7. Ornithopods Heterodontosaurs Primitive Ornithopods Iguanodontians Hadrosaurs Ornithopod Evolution Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Find a Dinosaur! 8. Stegosaurs and Ankylosaurs Primitive Thyreophorans Stegosaurs Ankylosaurs Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Find a Dinosaur! 9. Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs Ceratopsians Pachycephalosaurs Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Find a Dinosaur! 10. The Dinosaurian World Continental Drift, Sea Level, and Climate Late Triassic: Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs Early-Middle Jurassic: Dinosaurs Establish Dominance Late Jurassic: The Golden Age of Dinosaurs Early Cretaceous: A Transition Late Cretaceous: The Last Dinosaurs Five Dinosaur Faunas Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading 11. Dinosaur Hunters Earliest Discoveries Complete Skeletons Two Great Expeditions The Calm Before the Storm? The Dinosaur Renaissance Changing Ideas in Dinosaur Science Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading 12. Dinosaur Trace Fossils Dinosaur Footprints Dinosaur Eggs Dinosaur Gastroliths Dinosaur Tooth Marks Dinosaur Coprolites Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Find a Dinosaur! 13. Dinosaur Biology and Behavior Dinosaur Biology Dinosaur Behavior Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading 14. Hot-Blooded Dinosaurs? Some Terms and Concepts The Evidence What Type(s) of Metabolism Did Dinosaurs Have? Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading 15. Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds What Is a Bird? The Genus Archaeopteryx Nondinosaurian Ancestors of Birds Origin and Evolution of Avian Flight Evolution of Birds Significance of Dinosaurs as Bird Ancestors Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Find a Dinosaur! 16. The Extinction of Dinosaurs The Terminal Cretaceous Extinction Nature of the Evidence Single Cause: Asteroid Impact Multiple Causes Minimizing the Damage Answer the Question! Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading 17. Dinosaurs in the Public Eye Dinosaurs: Denotation and Connotation Dinosaurs in the News Dinosaurs in Books Dinosaurs in Art Dinosaur Toys Dinosaurs in Cartoons and Movies Dinosaurs on the Worldwide Web Dinosaur Science and Public Dinosaurs Summary Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Appendix: A Primer of Dinosaur Anatomy Posture and Orientation Skull, Lower Jaw, and Teeth Backbone Forelimb Hind Limb Structure and Function Key Terms Review Questions Further Reading Glossary A Dinosaur Dictionary Index
The perfect textbook for nonscience majors, this volume clarifies the evolution, phylogeny, and classification of the various species while modeling the best approach for navigating new and existing research. Revised to reflect recent fossil discoveries and the current consensus on dinosaur science, the text is structured around major taxonomic groups and concludes with updated chapters on the behavior and extinction of the species, their biological relationship to birds, and their representation (or misrepresentation) in popular culture.
Spencer G. Lucas is the curator of paleontology at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. He has published more than 500 scientific articles and authored or coedited close to twenty volumes, including Chinese Fossil Vertebrates (2001).
I don't think that you can produce a better book than what Spencer Lucas has written. It has been well proved over many years, and this thoroughly updated edition meets the demands of the rapidly evolving science. -- Sherwood W. Wise Jr., professor of geological sciences, Florida State University This book is the best available introduction to dinosaurs for college students, as earlier editions have been. -- John Cisne, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, Cornell University Dinosaurs is a concise, well-written, and profusely illustrated introduction to this ever-fascinating subject. It is ideally suited for college-level courses. -- Hans-Dieter Sues, senior scientist and curator of vertebrate paleontology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, coauthor of Triassic Life on Land: The Great Transition
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