Vertebrate Palaeontology - Hardcover

Benton, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0412738007 ISBN 13: 9780412738005

Publisher: Nelson Thornes Ltd, 1997

Synopsis

Discusses such areas as: vertebrate origins; how to study fossil vertebrates; early fishes; the early tetrapods and amphibians; the evolution of early amniotes; reptiles of the Triassic; the evolution of fishes after the Devonian; the age of dinosaurs; the birds; the mammals; human evolution.

About this title

Review:

"This book is a ′must′ for a biology or geology student and researcher concerned by palaeontology. It perfectly succeeds in showing how palaeobiological information is obtained." ( Zentrallblatt fur Geologie und Palaontologie , 2007) "This fine textbook by Michael Benton (Department of Geology University of Bristol) sets the standard in the field – a well–developed and wonderfully researched book that will serve the student community in the study of Palaeontology for years to come." ( Electric Review.Net, September 2004 ) "This is the third edition of a very long running (1990) and highly successful textbook in the field of vertebrate palaeontology...an invaluable aid to those who wish to know more about vertebrate fossils. There are plenty of well–drawn labelled diagrams. The text is clear and the book superbly planned and ordered...A classic textbook..." ( Down to Earth, December 2004 ) [The] simple language and general attitude make it accessible even to readers not familiar with paleontology at all. ...the author has succeeded in making it as comprehensive as possible in respect to such complex factual material. In few other books is the biological diversity of vertebrates presented in such an elegant and precise manner.... These parts of the book impressively show the unusual extent of the author′s knowledge. Michael Benton is an expert on the early evolution of dinosaurs, but his expertise in a range of problems of vertebrate paleontology is astonishing... No doubt that Michael Benton′s professional review of the evolution of the most complex of animals has to be placed high on the evolutionary tree of university textbooks. There is probably no better, more comprehensive and up–to–date source..." ( Journal of Sedimentary Research, March 2005 ) "...a textbook aimed at enthusiasts and undergraduates...it is well laid out and the clear narrative style makes it accessible and easily read. I am sure anyone who wishes to learn more about the history of vertebrates will find it a very useful and informative book with much of interest to be gleaned." ( Glasgow Naturalist, June 2006 )

From the Back Cover:

The story of the evolution of the vertebrates, the animals with backbones, is fascinating. There is currently an explosion of new research ideas in the field – the closest fossil relatives of the vertebrates, dramatic new fish specimens unlike anything now living, the adaptations required for the move on to land, the relationships of the early amphibians and reptiles, the origins and biology of the dinosaurs, the role of mass extinction in vertebrate evolution, new Mesozoic birds, the earliest mammals, ecology and mammalian diversification, the origins and evolution of human beings.

This book presents a complete outline of the history of the vertebrates, based on the latest studies by palaeontologists around the world. The work is international in scope, and new material included here for the first time come from North and South America, Australia, Europe, China, Africa, and Russia.

A key aim of the book is to show how vertebrate palaeontologists obtain their information. There is an illustrated account of how to dig up a dinosaur, and how to interpret the bones. In addition, detailed case studies are presented, which show how palaeontologists study taphonomy, exceptional preservation, form and function of bizarre animals, and reconstruct phylogeny from cladistic analyses of morphological and molecular data.

The new edition is extensively revised, and there is a great deal of new material based on work in the 1990s. There is a new chapter on how to study fossil vertebrates. A further major change is that more emphasis has been given to the cladograms. They are set apart from the body of the text, and full lists of diagnostic characters are now given.

The book is designed for palaeontology courses in biology and geology departments. It is also aimed at the enthusiast who wants to experience the real flavour of how leading palaeontologists design their research programmes and carry out multidisciplinary studies of ancient vertebrates. The book has a strong phylogenetic focus, and this makes it an up–to–date source of the latest broad–scale systematic data on vertebrate evolution.

About this edition

• Publisher: Nelson Thornes Ltd
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0412738007
• ISBN 13: 9780412738005
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 1
• Illustrator: Sibbick John