Preface: why this book?; Part I. Reaching Back in Time: 1. To catch a dinosaur; 2. Dinosaur days; 3. Who's related to whom - and how do we know?; 4. Who are the dinosaurs?; Part II. Ornithischia: Armored, Horned, and Duckbilled Dinosaurs: 5. Thyreophora: the armor-bearers; 6. Marginocephalia: bosses, bumps, and beaks; 7. Ornithopoda: the Tuskers, Antelopes and 'Mighty Ducks' of the Mesozoic; Part III. Saurischia: Meat, Might, and Magnitude: 8. Sauropodomorpha: the big, the bizarre, and the majestic; 9. Theropoda I: nature red in tooth and claw; 10. Theropoda II: the origin of birds; 11. Theropoda III: early birds; Part IV. Endothermy, Endemism, and Extinction: 12. Dinosaur thermoregulation: some like it hot; 13. The flowering of the Mesozoic; 14. Thoughts of a paleontologist: a history of ideas in paleontology; 15. The Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction: the frill is gone.
A lively, well-illustrated text emphasizing the understanding of science over memorization of dinosaur facts.
David Fastovsky is Professor of Geology at the University of Rhode Island and tutor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. His interest in dinosaurs started as a child when he read about a 1920's fossil collector's adventures in the Gobi Desert. Dinosaurs won out years later when he had the tough decision of choosing between a career in music (he takes his viola on his many field trips) or paleontology, and he has had many of his own adventures in far-flung parts of the world. He's known as a dynamic teacher as well as a respected researcher with a focus on the environments in which dinosaurs roamed. When dinosaur fossils are found he's called on to reconstruct the place where they lived. He has made several television documentary appearances, and was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the Geological Society of America in 2006. David B. Weishampel is professor in the Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution at The Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on dinosaur evolution and how dinosaurs function and he is particularly interested in herbivorous dinosaurs and the dinosaur record of Europe. Among his many publications 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.
'I am excited to see that they authors have selected not to overwhelm the student with detail.' Mark Oiumette, Hardin-Simmons University 'Does an excellent job of explaining cladistics.' Bill Zinsmeister, Purdue University 'Well written ...the author's sense of humor makes it enjoyable to read; it summarizes most of the important topics in dinosaur paleontology using current information.' Carol Waddell-Sheets, Canisius College 'This is an outstanding contribution for anyone teaching a course involving dinosaurs... it is reasonably short and very much up to date.' Sherwood Wise, Florida State University 'It's a nice length - subjects are discussed with the appropriate amount of depth and level of coverage. The writing style and tone is engaging and I like the incorporation of phylogeny.' David Varricchio, Montana State University 'Very up-to-date information ... superior illustration.' John Taylor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
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