Download or read book Transylvanian Dinosaurs written by David B. Weishampel and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2011-08-31 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the end of the time of the dinosaurs, Transylvania was an island in what was to become southeastern Europe. The island's limited resources affected the size and life histories of its animals, resulting in a local dwarfism. For example, sauropods found on the island measured only six meters long, while their cousins elsewhere grew up to five times larger. Here, David B. Weishampel and Coralia-Maria Jianu present unique evolutionary interpretations of this phenomenon. The authors bring together the latest information on the fauna, flora, geology, and paleogeography of the region, casting these ancient reptiles in their phylogenetic, paleoecological, and evolutionary contexts. What the authors find is that Transylvanian dinosaurs experienced a range of unpredictable successes as they evolved. Woven throughout the detailed history and science of these diminutive dinosaurs is the fascinating story of the man who first discovered them, the mysterious twentieth-century paleontologist Franz Baron Nopcsa, whose name is synonymous with Transylvanian dinosaurs. Hailed by some as the father of paleobiology, it was Nopcsa alone who understood the importance of the dinosaur discoveries in Transylvania; their story cannot be told without recounting his. Transylvanian Dinosaurs strikes an engaging balance between biography and scientific treatise and is sure to capture the imagination of professional paleontologists and amateur dinophiles alike.

Download or read book Dinosaurs written by David E. Fastovsky and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-27 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fully updated, this lively and beautifully illustrated undergraduate textbook emphasizes understanding science over memorization of dinosaur facts.

Download or read book Dinosaurs Rediscovered The Scientific Revolution in Paleontology written by Michael J. Benton and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 2019-06-11 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fascinating and accessible overview, renowned paleontologist Michael J. Benton reveals how our understanding of dinosaurs is being transformed by recent fossil finds and new technology. Over the past twenty years, the study of dinosaurs has transformed into a true scientific discipline. New technologies have revealed secrets locked in prehistoric bones that no one could have previously predicted. We can now work out the color of dinosaurs, the force of their bite, their top speeds, and even how they cared for their young. Remarkable new fossil discoveries—giant sauropod dinosaur skeletons in Patagonia, dinosaurs with feathers in China, and a tiny dinosaur tail in Burmese amber—remain the lifeblood of modern paleobiology. Thanks to advances in technologies and methods, however, there has been a recent revolution in the scope of new information gleaned from such fossil finds. In Dinosaurs Rediscovered, leading paleontologist Michael J. Benton gathers together all the latest paleontological evidence, tracing the transformation of dinosaur study from its roots in antiquated natural history to an indisputably scientific field. Among other things, the book explores how dinosaur remains are found and excavated, and especially how paleontologists read the details of dinosaurs’ lives from their fossils—their colors, their growth, and even whether we will ever be able to bring them back to life. Benton’s account shows that, though extinct, dinosaurs are still very much a part of our world.

Download or read book Dinosaurs written by Scientific American Editors and published by Scientific American. This book was released on 2014-12-01 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Terrible lizards. That's what the word "dinosaurs" means. Yet dinosaurs are not true lizards, and they are not necessarily terrible either. In fact, paleontologists have overturned one misconception after another, and in this eBook, "Dinosaurs!", we look at what the latest research tells us and what we still have to learn about these endlessly fascinating creatures. Section 1, "Prehistoric Beasts," opens with the behemoths that intrigue many of us from childhood. Some grew to more than 100 feet long, and in "How Dinosaurs Grew So Large and So Small," John R. Horner, Kevin Padian and Armand de Ricqlès examine how growth lines in dinosaur bones provide clues about how quickly these animals reached full size. But how did they live and interact? In "Dinosaurs of the Lost Continent," Scott D. Sampson discusses the relatively recent and surprising revelation that distinct communities of dinosaurs once shared a relatively small landmass in the American West. Paleontologists still are not sure whether Tyrannosaurus rex was primarily a predator or a scavenger, and in "Breathing Life into T. rex," Gregory M. Erickson examines what bite marks and tooth wear say about their behavior. And although most dinosaurs perished in a massive extinction about 66 million years ago, technically they are still around: Birds not only evolved from dinosaurs but also lived alongside them for a while, as Gareth Dyke writes in "Winged Victory." Like the dinosaurs before us, humans are now the dominant species on the planet, but we, too, could face extinction—if not from an asteroid impact, then perhaps from precipitous climate change or nuclear warfare. Dinosaur fossils provide us with tantalizing hints of the fragility of existence—and of the capacity for adaptation.

Download or read book Weird Dinosaurs written by John Pickrell and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-28 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A tour de force…highlights the odd reptiles that roamed all corners of the earth millions of years ago.”—Sydney Morning Herald From the outback of Australia to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the savanna of Madagascar, the award-winning science writer and dinosaur enthusiast John Pickrell embarks on a world tour of new finds, meeting the fossil hunters who work at the frontier of discovery. He reveals the dwarf dinosaurs unearthed by an eccentric Transylvanian baron; an aquatic, crocodile-snouted carnivore bigger than T. rex that once lurked in North African waterways; a Chinese dinosaur with wings like a bat; and a Patagonian sauropod so enormous it weighed more than two commercial jet airliners. Other surprising discoveries hail from Alaska, Siberia, Canada, Burma, and South Africa. Why did dinosaurs grow so huge? How did they spread across the world? Did they all have feathers? What do sauropods have in common with 1950s vacuum cleaners? The stuff of adventure movies and scientific revolutions, Weird Dinosaurs examines the latest breakthroughs and new technologies that are radically transforming our understanding of the distant past. “This history of the discovery of some of the most outlandish creatures that ever lived, and the excitement of paleontological research, will be sure to both entertain and instruct.”—Spencer Lucas, author of Dinosaurs: The Textbook, Sixth Edition “Fascinating.... Readers learn of beautiful opalised dinosaur bones from Australia and a crested dinosaur found approximately 13,000 feet up Antarctica's Mt. Kirkpatrick, demonstrating that dinosaurs were widely distributed across the globe.”—Publishers Weekly

Download or read book Dinosaurs by the Decades written by Randy Moore and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-07-23 with total page 502 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing an appealing chronology of "all things dinosaur," this book covers these ancient creatures' roles and surprising importance in science, religion, and society at large. This exhaustive, up-to-date book contains more than 2,000 entries about dinosaurs and dinosaur-related topics. It provides not only detailed information about their discovery, underlying science, and recent technologies and theories but also encompasses all of the facets of dinosaurs in society—for example, their use in consumer marketing and promotion, popularization of dinosaurs in the media, as "proof" for both evolutionists and creationists to substantiate their claims about life's origins, and as cultural artifacts. Organized chronologically, the book offers an informative and entertaining timeline of how dinosaurs have appeared in science, religion, and society since they were discovered in the 1800s, covering everything from dinosaur museum displays to how dinosaurs served advocates of young-Earth creationism. This fascinating work enables a broad appreciation for the surprising significance of dinosaurs in many aspects of our daily lives and modern society.

Download or read book The Complete Dinosaur written by M. K. Brett-Surman and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2012-06-27 with total page 1160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new edition of the illustrated compendium that is “a gift to serious dinosaur enthusiasts” (Science). What do we know about dinosaurs, and how do we know it? How did they grow, move, eat, and reproduce? Were they warm-blooded or cold-blooded? How intelligent were they? How are the various groups of dinosaurs related to each other, and to other kinds of living and extinct vertebrates? What can the study of dinosaurs tell us about the process of evolution? And why did typical dinosaurs become extinct? These questions and more are addressed in this new, expanded edition of The Complete Dinosaur. Written by leading experts on the “fearfully great” reptiles, the book covers what we have learned about dinosaurs, from the earliest discoveries to the most recent controversies. Where scientific contention exists, the editors have let the experts agree to disagree. The Complete Dinosaur is a feast for serious dinosaur lovers, from the enthusiastic amateur to the professional paleontologist. Praise for the first edition: “An excellent encyclopedia that serves as a nice bridge between popular and scholarly dinosaur literature.” —Library Journal (starred review) “Stimulating armchair company for cold winter evenings. . . . Best of all, the book treats dinosaurs as intellectual fun.” —New Scientist “Useful both as a reference and as a browse-and-enjoy compendium.” —Natural History “Copiously illustrated and scrupulously up-to-date.” —Publishers Weekly “The amount of information in [these] pages is amazing. This book should be on the shelves of dinosaur freaks as well as those who need to know more about the paleobiology of extinct animals. It will be an invaluable library reference.” —American Reference Books Annual

Download or read book Fossils of the Carpathian Region written by István Fozy and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2013-12-18 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive review of the fossil record of the Carpathian Basin. Fossils of the Carpathian Region describes and illustrates the region’s fossils, recounts their history, and tells the stories of key people involved in paleontological research in the area. In addition to covering all the important fossils of this region, special attention is given to rare finds and complete skeletons. The region’s fossils range from tiny foraminifera to the Transylvanian dinosaurs and mammals of the Carpathian Basin. The book also gives nonspecialists the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of paleontology. Sidebars present brief biographies of important figures and explain how to collect, prepare, and interpret fossils. “An excellently written scientific book. . . . The good illustrations are an incentive to start reading and dive into the wide area covered by two experts in their respective fields. . . . A rich source of otherwise not published background knowledge on the paleontology and geology of the region.” —Christian A. Meyer, Natural History Museum, Basel “Fossils of the Carpathian Region . . . is beautifully produced with high-quality color illustrations throughout and an exhaustive bibliography and index. . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice “This book fills a gap in the geological texts on the Carpathians, especially in Hungary, and offers a valuable wealth of geological-paleontological and scientific-historical information from the Ordovician to the Pleistocene. This extensive and relatively inexpensive work is an unrivaled recommendation for amateurs and amateur geologists / paleontologists.” —Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie [translated from German]

Download or read book An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology written by Ali Nabavizadeh and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2023-06-13 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This beautifully illustrated exploration of the diversity, anatomy, and evolution of dinosaur feeding adaptations is the first and only in-depth look at this crucial aspect of paleoecology. In An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology, experts Ali Nabavizadeh and David B. Weishampel bring dinosaurs to life on the page by exploring and illustrating their feeding adaptations. Whether dinosaurs were carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous, their evolution produced a multitude of specialized adaptations that helped shape their ecologies. Dinosaur skulls show a variety of bone and joint specializations ideal for withstanding stresses and strains induced by high bite forces with strong jaw musculature. The bladed, steak-knife dentition of many carnivorous dinosaurs was well-suited for slicing meat and crushing bones, while the leaf-shaped, sometimes tightly packed dentition of many herbivorous dinosaurs was ideal for grinding up a variety of plant material. The first book of its kind, An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology is a synthesis of over a century of dinosaur feeding biology research, from the earliest hypotheses in the 1800s to today's studies using advanced techniques. Intended for both researchers and dinosaur enthusiasts alike, this book discusses functional morphological studies highlighting comparative anatomy, tooth wear, muscle reconstruction, and biomechanical analysis using modeling techniques like finite element analysis and multibody dynamics analysis. In addition to the feeding apparatus, Nabavizadeh and Weishampel explore postcranial adaptations and discuss the evolution of dinosaurs and their paleoecology more broadly. Integrating these various factors improves our understanding of dinosaurs as the living beings they were in their ecosystems millions of years ago and ultimately expands our knowledge and perspective of today's ecosystems by framing them in a broader evolutionary context.

Download or read book Traveler Scholar Political Adventurer written by Franz Nopcsa and published by Central European University Press. This book was released on 2014-02-20 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Austro-Hungarian aristocrat of Transylvanian origin, Baron Franz Nopcsa (1877-1933), was one of the most adventuresome travelers and scholars of Southeast Europe in the early decades of the twentieth century. He was also a paleontologist of renown and a noted geologist of the Balkan Peninsula : many of his assumptions have been confirmed by science. The Memoirs of this fascinating figure deal mainly with his travels in the Balkans, and specifically in the remote and wild mountains of northern Albania, in the years from 1903 to 1914. They thus cover the period of Ottoman Rule, the Balkan Wars and the outbreak of the First World War. Nopcsa was a keen adventurer who hiked through regions of northern Albania. With time, he became a leading expert in Albanian studies. He was also deeply involved in the politics of the period. In 1913, Nopcsa even offered himself as a candidate for the vacant Albanian throne. The Introduction also tells of Nopcsa's tragic death: he shot his Albanian secretary and partner before killing himself. The memoirs themselves reveal some references to his homosexuality for those who can read between the lines.

Download or read book The Evolution of Paleontological Art written by Renee M. Clary and published by Geological Society of America. This book was released on 2022-01-28 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This volume samples the history of art about fossils-and the visual conceptualization of their significance-starting with biblical and mythological depictions, extending to renditions of ancient life in long-vanished habitats, and on to a modern understanding that paleoart conveys lessons for the betterment of the human condition. Twenty-nine chapters illustrate how art about fossils has come to be a significant teaching tool not only about evolution of past life, but also about conservation of our planet for the benefit of future generations"--

Download or read book Dinosaurs Rediscovered written by Don Lessem and published by Touchstone Books. This book was released on 1993 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From dinosaurs smaller than chickens to the biggest beasts ever to walk the Earth, here is the exciting story of recent discoveries about dinosaurs and the scientists who made them. Informal and informative.--The Boston Globe. Lessem wrote and hosted a recent Nova series on dinosaurs. Photos and drawings.

Download or read book Hadrosaurs written by David A. Eberth and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2014-11-05 with total page 640 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive study of the Late Cretaceous, duck-billed dinosaur, featuring insights on its origins, anatomy, and more. Hadrosaurs—also known as duck-billed dinosaurs—are abundant in the fossil record. With their unique complex jaws and teeth perfectly suited to shred and chew plants, they flourished on Earth in remarkable diversity during the Late Cretaceous. So ubiquitous are their remains that we have learned more about dinosaurian paleobiology and paleoecology from hadrosaurs than we have from any other group. In recent years, hadrosaurs have been in the spotlight. Researchers around the world have been studying new specimens and new taxa seeking to expand and clarify our knowledge of these marvelous beasts. This volume presents the results of an international symposium on hadrosaurs, sponsored by the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum, where scientists and students gathered to share their research and their passion for duck-billed dinosaurs. A uniquely comprehensive treatment of hadrosaurs, the book encompasses not only the well-known hadrosaurids proper, but also Hadrosaouroidea, allowing the former group to be evaluated in a broader perspective. The 36 chapters are divided into six sections—an overview, new insights into hadrosaur origins, hadrosaurid anatomy and variation, biogeography and biostratigraphy, function and growth, and preservation, tracks, and traces—followed by an afterword by Jack Horner. “Well designed, handsome and fantastically well edited (credit there to Patricia Ralrick), congratulations are deserved to the editors for pulling together a vast amount of content, and doing it well. The book contains a huge quantity of information on these dinosaurs.” —Darren Naish, co-author of Tetrapod Zoology, Scientific American “Hadrosaurs have not had the wide publicity of their flesh-eating cousins, the theropods, but this remarkable dinosaur group offers unique opportunities to explore aspects of palaeobiology such as growth and sexual dimorphism. In a comprehensive collection of papers, all the hadrosaur experts of the world present their latest work, exploring topics as diverse as taxonomy and stratigraphy, locomotion and skin colour.” —Michael Benton, University of Bristol

Download or read book Europe written by Tim Flannery and published by Atlantic Monthly Press. This book was released on 2019-02-12 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A tale of cave bears and comet strikes and a hundred million years of history by the bestselling author of Here on Earth: “Marvelous.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) In Europe: A Natural History, world-renowned scientist, explorer, and conservationist Tim Flannery applies the eloquent interdisciplinary approach he used in his ecological histories of Australia and North America to the story of Europe. He begins 100 million years ago, when the continents of Asia, North America, and Africa interacted to create an island archipelago that would later become the Europe we know today. It was on these ancient tropical lands that the first distinctly European organisms evolved. Flannery teaches us about Europe’s midwife toad, which has endured since the continent’s beginning, while elephants, crocodiles, and giant sharks have come and gone. He explores the monumental changes wrought by the devastating comet strike and shows how rapid atmospheric shifts transformed the European archipelago into a single landmass during the Eocene. As the story moves through millions of years of evolutionary history, Flannery eventually turns to our own species, describing the immense impact humans had on the continent’s flora and fauna—within 30,000 years of our arrival in Europe, the woolly rhino, the cave bear, and the giant elk, among others, would disappear completely. The story continues right up to the present, as Flannery describes Europe’s leading role in wildlife restoration, and then looks ahead to ponder the continent’s future: with advancements in gene editing technology, European scientists are working to recreate some of the continent’s lost creatures, such as the great ox of Europe’s primeval forests and even the woolly mammoth.

Download or read book Dinosaurs of the East Coast written by David B. Weishampel and published by . This book was released on 1996-05-21 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The great dinosaur bonebeds of the American and Canadian West are world famous for spectacular fossil yields. But the eastern U.S. and maritime Canada have been equally inportant to the study of these extraordinary creatures. Dinosaurs of the East Coast combines science, history, and modern reporting to offer a new look at an always fascinating subject. 29 line, 110 halftone illustrations.

Download or read book Morphology and Evolution of Turtles written by Donald B. Brinkman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-09-14 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume celebrates the contributions of Dr. Eugene Gaffney to the study of turtles, through a diverse and complementary collection of papers that showcases the latest research on one of the most intriguing groups of reptiles. A mix of focused and review papers deals with numerous aspects of the evolutionary history of turtles, including embryonic development, origins, early diversification, phylogenetic relationships, and biogeography. Moreover it includes reports on important but poorly understood fossil turtle assemblages, provides historical perspectives on turtle research, and documents disease and variation in turtles. With its broad scope, which includes descriptions of material and new taxa from Australia, Asia, and Europe, as well as North and South America, this work will be an essential resource for anyone interested in the morphology and evolution of turtles. “This volume’s breadth of time, geography, and taxonomic coverage makes it a major contribution to the field and a ‘must have’ for all vertebrate paleontologists.”, James F. Parham, California State University, CA, USA “A comprehensive and sweeping overview of turtle evolution by the top experts in the field that will interest everyone curious about these unique reptiles.” Jason S. Anderson, University of Calgary, Canada “An invaluable addition to the literature that covers the full spectrum of approaches toward understanding the evolution of these noble creatures.” Ann C. Burke, Wesleyan University, CT , USA “A truly comprehensive volume that both the student of fossil turtles, as well as the general reader interested in these enigmatic creatures, will find fascinating.” Tyler Lyson, Yale University, CT, USA​

Download or read book Dinosaur Paleobiology written by Stephen L. Brusatte and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-04-30 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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. The Topics in Paleobiology Series is published in collaboration with the Palaeontological Association, and is edited by Professor Mike Benton, University of Bristol. 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/dinosaurpaleobiology.