Dinosaurs: A Concise Natural History

The ideal textbook for non-science majors, this lively and engaging introduction encourages students to ask questions, assess data critically and think like a scientist. Building on the success of previous editions, Dinosaurs has been thoroughly updated to include new discoveries in the field, such as the toothed bird specimens found in China and recent discoveries of dinosaur soft anatomy. Illustrations by leading paleontological illustrator John Sibbick and new, carefully-chosen photographs, clearly show how dinosaurs looked, lived and their role in Earth history. Making science accessible and relevant through clear explanations and extensive illustrations, the text guides students through the dinosaur groups, emphasizing scientific concepts rather than presenting endless facts. Grounded in the common language of modern evolutionary biology – phylogenetic systematics – students learn to think about dinosaurs the way that professional paleontologists do.

ISBN-13: 9781108469296

Media Type: Paperback(4th Revised ed.)

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Publication Date: 07-01-2021

Pages: 534

Product Dimensions: 8.66(w) x 10.87(h) x 0.91(d)

David E. Fastovsky is Professor and Chair of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Rhode Island. His interest in dinosaurs began in his early years when he read about a paleontologist's adventures in the Gobi Desert early in the twentieth century. Dinosaurs won out years later when he had the tough decision of choosing between a career in music or paleontology. He has since carried out fieldwork all over the world. He is known as a dynamic teacher as well as a respected researcher on the environments in which dinosaurs roamed, as well as their extinction. David B. Weishampel is Professor at the Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research focuses on dinosaur evolution and how dinosaurs function, and he is particularly interested in herbivorous dinosaurs and the dinosaur record of Europe. He is senior editor of The Dinosauria and has contributed to a number of popular publications, including acting as consultant to Michael Crichton in the writing of The Lost World, the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's film Jurassic Park. He was recently honoured in an International Symposium on duck-billled dinosaurs, dedicated to him and his research. John Sibbick has been creating illustrations of extinct life forms and their environments for over thirty years, producing numerous books on dinosaurs, as well as pterosaurs, and general books on prehistoric life. His work has appeared in scientific magazines, television documentaries and museums, and featured on a set of stamps depicting dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles for the United Kingdom's Royal Mail.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Of the First Edition: "...well-written, highly visual, engaging, and informative book ... Highly recommended."
CHOICE

Of the First Edition: "If you wish to know about the jaw mechanics in Euornithopoda, or if the giant femur of an adult Maiasaura makes you happy, this book will become the best gift for you! … The indices of subjects and genera are very detailed and useful. It is great that the Latin name is translated for each taxon … an outstanding synthesis of the modern knowledge on dinosaurs. And it will remain so for at least 1-2 decades. The reviewer has no idea other than to recommend this book strongly for everyone deeply interested in the world of dinosaurs and the evolutionary theory."
Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie

Of the First Edition: "… it is undoubtedly the case that Fastovsky and Weishampel have been at the forefront of this genre. … concise as well as being accessible and highly informative on the topic of dinosaurs and the science that can be applied to understanding them. As a well-structured, thoughtful and helpful undergraduate teaching guide it is absolutely excellent."
David Norman, The Geographical Journal

Of the First Edition: "Overall I find Dinosaurs: A Concise Natural History to be a welcome improvement over what in my opinion was already the best dinosaur textbook on the market."
William Parker, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

"… the most comprehensive and useful text on dinosaurs on the market. It's both authoritative and whimsical, providing the student with a great background on dinosaurs and on the sciences needed to understand them. It's fun to read and [has] great illustrations too."
Kevin Padian, Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley

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Table of Contents

Part I. Remembrance of Things Past: 1. To Catch a Dinosaur; 2. Dinosaur Days; 3. Who's Related to Whom – and How Do We Know?; 4. Who Are the Dinosaurs?; 5. In The Beginning; Part II. Saurischia: Meat, Might, Muscle, and Magnitude: 6. Theropoda I: Nature Red In Tooth and Claw; 7. Theropoda II: Meet the Theropods; 8. Theropoda III: The Origin and Early Evolution of Birds; 9. Sauropodomorpha: The Big, the Bizarre, and the Majestic; Part III. Ornithischia: Armored, Horned, and Duck-Billed Dinosaurs: 10. Thyreophora: the Armor-bearers; 11. Marginocephalia: Bumps, Bosses, and Beaks; 12. Ornithopoda: Mighty Mesozoic Masticators; Part IV. Endothermy, Endemism, and Extinction: 13. The Paleobiology of Dinosaurs I; 14. The Paleobiology of Dinosaurs II; 15. The Flowering of the Mesozoic; 16. A History of Dinosaur Paleontology Through the Ideas of Dinosaur Paleontologists ; 17. The Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction: The Frill is Gone; Glossary; Index of Subjects; Index of Genera. Show More