The story of life in 25 fossils : tales of intrepid fossil hunters and the wonders of evolution / Donald R. Prothero.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Prothero, Donald R., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fossils.

Paleontology.

Life--Origin.

Life.

Evolution (Biology).

Physical Description:

viii, 389 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Story of life in twenty-five fossils

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, [2015]

Summary:

Every fossil tells a story. Prothero recounts the adventures behind the discovery of twenty-five famous, beautifully preserved fossils and explains their significance within the larger fossil record, creating a riveting history of life on our planet.

Contents:

Planet of the scum. The first fossils ; Cryptozoon

Garden of Ediacara. The first multicellular life ; Charnia

"Little shellies." The first shells ; Cloudina

Oh, give me a home, when the trilobites roamed. The first large shelled animals ; Olenellus

Is it a worm or an arthropod? The origin of arthropods ; Hallucigenia

Is it a worm or a mollusc? The origin of molluscs ; Pilina

Growing from the sea. The origin of land plants ; Cooksonia

A fishy tale. The origin of vertebrates ; Haikouichthys

Mega-jaws. The largest fish ; Carcharocles

Fish out of water. The origin of amphibians ; Tiktaalik

"Frogamander." The origin of frogs ; Gerobatrachus

Turtle on the half-shell. The origin of turtles ; Odontochelys

Walking serpents. The origin of snakes ; Haasiophis

King of the fish-lizards. The largest marine reptile ; Shonisaurus

Terror of the seas. The largest sea monster ; Kronosaurus

Monster flesh-eater. The largest predator ; Giganotosaurus

Land of the giants. The largest land animal ; Argentinosaurus

A feather in stone. The first bird ; Archaeopteryx

Not quite a mammal. The origin of mammals ; Thrinaxodon

Walking into the water. The origin of whales ; Ambulocetus

Walking manatees. The origin of sirenians ; Pezosiren

Dawn horses. The origin of horses ; Eohippus

Rhinoceros giants. The largest land mammal ; Paraceratherium

The ape's reflection? The oldest human fossil ; Sahelanthropus

Lucy in the sky with diamonds. The oldest human skeleton ; Australopithecus afarensis

Appendix. The best natural history museums.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780231171908

0231171900

OCLC:

900031557