Dinosaur odyssey : fossil threads in the web of life / Scott D. Sampson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sampson, Scott D.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dinosaurs.

Paleontology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (361 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This captivating book, laced with evocative anecdotes from the field, gives the first holistic, up-to-date overview of dinosaurs and their world for a wide audience of readers. Situating these fascinating animals in a broad ecological and evolutionary context, leading dinosaur expert Scott D. Sampson fills us in on the exhilarating discoveries of the past twenty-five years, the most active period in the history of dinosaur paleontology, during which more "new" species were named than in all prior history. With these discoveries-and the most recent controversies-in mind, Sampson reconstructs the odyssey of the dinosaurs from their humble origins on the supercontinent Pangaea, to their reign as the largest animals the planet has ever known, and finally to their abrupt demise. Much more than the story of who ate whom way back when, Dinosaur Odyssey places dinosaurs in an expansive web of relationships with other organisms and demonstrates how they provide a powerful lens through which to observe the entire natural world. Addressing topics such as extinction, global warming, and energy flow, Dinosaur Odyssey finds that the dinosaurs' story is, in fact, a major chapter in our own story.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1. TREASURE ISLAND

2. STARDUST SAURIANS

3. DRAMATIS DINOSAURAE

4. DRIFTING CONTINENTS AND GLOBE-TROTTING DINOSAURS

5. SOLAR EATING

6. THE RIVER OF LIFE

7. THE GREEN GRADIENT

8. PANOPLY OF PREDATORS

9. HIDDEN STRANDS

10. OF HORN-HEADS AND DUCK-BILLS

11. THE GOLDILOCKS HYPOTHESIS

12. CINDERELLASAURUS

13. JURASSIC PARK DREAMS

14. WEST SIDE STORY

15. THE WAY OF ALL CREATURES

EPILOGUE

NOTES AND REFERENCES

GLOSSARY

ART AND PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS

INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612703508

9781282703506

1282703501

9780520944428

0520944429

OCLC:

464667007