Osteology of Deinonychus antirrhopus, an Unusual Theropod from the Lower Cretaceous of Montana

Osteology of Deinonychus antirrhopus, an Unusual Theropod from the Lower Cretaceous of Montana PDF Author: John H. Ostrom
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 1933789395
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Book Description
John H. Ostrom's expeditions to the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana in the 1960s resulted in discoveries and research that would change long-held concepts in paleontology. This fiftieth-anniversary edition of his now well-known description of the type specimen of Deinonychus antirrhopus revisits the work that redefined theropod dinosaurs as the intelligent, agile, and gregarious ancestors of modern birds and led in the late twentieth century to a renaissance in the study of dinosaurs and the evolution of flight.

Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin Area, Wyoming and Montana

Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin Area, Wyoming and Montana PDF Author: John H. Ostrom
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 1933789425
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Book Description
The fiftieth anniversary edition of a landmark publication showcasing prehistoric North American landscapes and ecosystems, from a celebrated paleontologist at Yale University's Peabody Museum The fiftieth anniversary edition of John H. Ostrom's Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation revisits his groundbreaking work pinpointing the age of the continental sequence of the Bighorn Basin area in Wyoming and Montana. The Cloverly Formation is important for understanding the development of North American terrestrial landscapes and prehistoric ecosystems, and current investigations are reinterpreting the age of the Formation with new evidence and data. The reissue of Ostrom's original benchmark research offers contemporary relevance for researchers and students today.

Avian Ancestors

Avian Ancestors PDF Author: Federico Agnolin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400756372
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 100

Book Description
Although consensus exists among researchers that birds evolved from coelurosaurian theropods, paleontologists still debate the identification of the group of coelurosaurians that most closely approaches the common ancestor of birds. The last 20 years witnessed the discovery of a wide array of avian-like theropods that has considerably amplified the anatomical disparity among deinonychosaurians, some of which resemble Archaeopteryx more than Deinonychus. Among these newly discovered theropods that show remarkable bird-like characteristics are the four-winged theropods Microraptor and Anchiornis, and the unenlagiids Unenlagia, Buitreraptor, and Rahonavis. A bizarre group of minute-sized coelurosaurs, the Scansoriopterygidae, also exhibits some avian similarities that lead some authors to interpret them as more closely related to birds than other dinosaurs. With the aim to explore the phylogenetic relationships of these coelurosaurians and birds, we merged recently published integrative databases, resulting in significant changes in the topological distribution of taxa within Paraves. We present evidence that Dromaeosauridae, Microraptoria, Unenlagiidae, and Anchiornis + Xiaotingia form successive sister taxa of Aves, and that the Scansoriopterygidae are basal coelurosaurians not closely related to birds. The implications in the evolutionary sequence of anatomical characters leading to birds, including the origin of flight, are also considered in light of this new phylogenetic hypothesis.

In Search of the Causes of Evolution

In Search of the Causes of Evolution PDF Author: Peter R. Grant
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140083709X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 410

Book Description
Evolutionary biology has witnessed breathtaking advances in recent years. Some of its most exciting insights have come from the crossover of disciplines as varied as paleontology, molecular biology, ecology, and genetics. This book brings together many of today's pioneers in evolutionary biology to describe the latest advances and explain why a cross-disciplinary and integrated approach to research questions is so essential. Contributors discuss the origins of biological diversity, mechanisms of evolutionary change at the molecular and developmental levels, morphology and behavior, and the ecology of adaptive radiations and speciation. They highlight the mutual dependence of organisms and their environments, and reveal the different strategies today's researchers are using in the field and laboratory to explore this interdependence. Peter and Rosemary Grant--renowned for their influential work on Darwin's finches in the Galápagos--provide concise introductions to each section and identify the key questions future research needs to address. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Myra Awodey, Christopher N. Balakrishnan, Rowan D. H. Barrett, May R. Berenbaum, Paul M. Brakefield, Philip J. Currie, Scott V. Edwards, Douglas J. Emlen, Joshua B. Gross, Hopi E. Hoekstra, Richard Hudson, David Jablonski, David T. Johnston, Mathieu Joron, David Kingsley, Andrew H. Knoll, Mimi A. R. Koehl, June Y. Lee, Jonathan B. Losos, Isabel Santos Magalhaes, Albert B. Phillimore, Trevor Price, Dolph Schluter, Ole Seehausen, Clifford J. Tabin, John N. Thompson, and David B. Wake.

Dinosaur Systematics

Dinosaur Systematics PDF Author: Kenneth Carpenter
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521438100
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 360

Book Description
In recent years dinosaurs have captured the attention of the public at an unprecedented scale. At the heart of this resurgence in popular interest is an increased level of research activity, much of which is innovative in the field of palaeontology. For instance, whereas earlier palaeontological studies emphasized basic morphologic description and taxonomic classification, modern studies attempt to examine the role and nature of dinosaurs as living animals. More than ever before, we understand how these extinct species functioned, behaved, interacted with each other and the environment, and evolved. Nevertheless, these studies rely on certain basic building blocks of knowledge, including facts about dinosaur anatomy and taxonomic relationships. One of the purposes of this volume is to unravel some of the problems surrounding dinosaur systematics and to increase our understanding of dinosaurs as a biological species. Dinosaur Systematics presents a current overview of dinosaur systematics using various examples to explore what is a species in a dinosaur, what separates genders in dinosaurs, what morphological changes occur with maturation of a species, and what morphological variations occur within a species.

The Complete Dinosaur

The Complete Dinosaur PDF Author: James Orville Farlow
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253213136
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 792

Book Description
A highly illustrated celebration of dinosaurs for general readers, presenting a thorough survey from the earliest discoveries to contemporary controversies over extinction. Chapters are written by experts in fields including functional morphology, paleobiology, and biogeography, with sections on the discovery of dinosaurs, the study of dinosaurs, groups of dinosaurs, their biology, and dinosaur evolution. Highlights include discussion of new information on the warm-blooded/cold-blooded debate, new insights into the possibility of isolating dinosaur DNA, and a special section on dinosaurs in the media. While touted as accessible, treatment is sophisticated and assumes an educated and highly motivated readership. Includes a glossary, and bandw and color photos, drawings, paintings, and diagrams. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Dinosaurs Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution in Paleontology (The Rediscovered Series)

Dinosaurs Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution in Paleontology (The Rediscovered Series) PDF Author: Michael J. Benton
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 0500774692
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description
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.

Postilla

Postilla PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description

Vertebrate Palaeontology

Vertebrate Palaeontology PDF Author: Michael J. Benton
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118407555
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 504

Book Description
Vertebrate palaeontology is a lively field, with new discoveries reported every week… and not only dinosaurs! This new edition reflects the international scope of vertebrate palaeontology, with a special focus on exciting new finds from China. A key aim is to explain the science. Gone are the days of guesswork. Young researchers use impressive new numerical and imaging methods to explore the tree of life, macroevolution, global change, and functional morphology. The fourth edition is completely revised. The cladistic framework is strengthened, and new functional and developmental spreads are added. Study aids include: key questions, research to be done, and recommendations of further reading and web sites. The book is designed for palaeontology courses in biology and geology departments. It is also aimed at enthusiasts who want to experience the flavour of how the research is done. The book is strongly phylogenetic, and this makes it a source of current data on vertebrate evolution.
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