Flying dinosaurs : how fearsome reptiles became birds / John Pickrell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pickrell, John, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pterosauria--Evolution.

Pterosauria.

Dinosaurs--Flight.

Dinosaurs.

Birds--Evolution.

Birds.

Feathers, Fossil.

Feathers--Evolution.

Feathers.

Dinosaurs--Evolution.

Paleontology--History--21st century.

Paleontology.

Discoveries in science--History--21st century.

Discoveries in science.

Dinosaurs--Purchasing.

Reptiles, Fossil--Purchasing.

Reptiles, Fossil.

Dinosaurs--Collection and preservation--Corrupt practices.

Reptiles, Fossil--Collection and preservation--Corrupt practices.

Corruption.

Purchasing.

History.

Evolution.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 215 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, [2014]

Summary:

"The discovery of stunning, feathered dinosaur fossils coming out of China since 2006 suggests that these creatures were much more bird-like than paleontologists previously imagined. Further evidence--bones, genetics, eggs, behavior, and more--has shown a seamless transition from fleet-footed carnivores to the ancestors of modern birds. Mixing colorful portraits with news on the latest fossil findings and interviews with leading paleontologists in the United States, China, Europe, and Australia, John Pickrell explains and details dinosaurs' development of flight. This special capacity introduced a whole new range of abilities for these animals and helped them survive a mass extinction when thousands of other dinosaur species that once populated the Earth did not. Pickrell also turns his journalistic eye toward the stories behind the latest discoveries, investigating the role of the Chinese black market in trading fossils, the controversies among various dinosaur hunters, the interference of national governments intent on protecting scientific information, and the race to publish findings first that make this research such a dynamic area of science."--from cover, page [2].

Contents:

Foreword / by Philip Currie

Preface

Introduction : a whole new world

Before we begin

1. The missing link

2. A feathered revolution begins

3. The dinosaur hunters

4. From dinosaur to bird

5. Fake fossils

6. The evolution of feathers

7. The struggle to the skies

8. Sex for T. rex

9. Colouring in the dinosaurs

10. Back from the dead

11. The survival game

Relationships of the theropod dinsaurs

An A-Z of feathered dinosaurs.

Notes:

"First published in Australia by NewSouth, an imprint of the University of New South Wales Press, Ltd."--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (page 207) and index.

ISBN:

0231171781

9780231171786

OCLC:

880565975