In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods [Paperback]

Nicholas C. Fraser (Editor), Hans-Dieter Sues (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521458994 | ISBN-13: 978-0521458993 | Publication Date: August 28, 1997

This book is the first attempt to collate all the information known to date on the small vertebrates, e.g. mammals, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, frogs, salamanders, etc., and features contributions by experts with international reputations in their fields. There are chapters on the taxonomy and phylogeny of the key vertebrate groups followed by a section dealing with the most significant fossiliferous assemblages worldwide. The final section looks at how faunal turnover at this time is measured and examines the possibility of mass extinctions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...reviews and resolves a number of old questions....also explores unresolved topics and even raises several new questions." David Weishampel, Nature

"...delves into an interval and a set of vertebrate species that is particularly relevant to the biodiversity of the modern world...as a manual to begin investigating the workings of the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic world, this is a good book." Science

"The papers are wide-ranging, well illustrated, and authoritative, and the editors appear to have kept the authors tightly focused." E. Delson, Choice

"...a comprehensive and integrated work....the book succeeds admirably, containing clear and concise reviews of the key areas and representing an excellent starting point for forays into the primary literature." Michael S.Y. Lee, TREE

"...a beautifully produced and substantial book. Its contents are scholarly, enormously interesting, and on the whole clearly written....This book is a 'must' for any academic library harbouring any palaeontological pretensions." Ian Jenkins, Geological Magazine

Book Description

The early Mesozoic was a critical period in the evolution of life on land when most of today's major groups of terrestrial vertebrates arose and dinosaurs and pterosaurs rose to prominence. This book is the first to collate all the information on the small vertebrates and features contributions by internationally renowned experts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 445 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521458994
• ISBN-13: 978-0521458993
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Paleontology > Vertebrate

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A deceptively populist title...for a very small audience., May 4, 1999

By 

Stephen Marley (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods (Paperback)

In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs (Early Mesozoic Tetrapods) is a collection of research papers presented at workshop for paleontologists and evolutionary biologists. For scientists who were unable to attend the seminar this collection of very specific papers might be valuable. ( Titles such as "A new Bathonian microvertebrate locality in the English Midlands" or "Biotic and climatic changes in the Carnian of Europe and adjacent areas" are examples.) For the amateur paleontologist there is no unifying narrative and little evolutionary chronology presented to assist the reader who wants to grasp the basics of early tetrapod development. This book is inappropriate for the readers looking for an overview of reptilian fauna and evolutionary developments, in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic periods. An advanced degree in paleozoology should be a prerequisite for buyers.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods, December 22, 2002

By 

Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods (Hardcover)

In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods is edited by Nicholas C. Fraser and Hans-Dieter Sues is a collection of abstracts written by thirty-five authors all prominent in their respective fields as a result of a workshop held in Front Royal, Virginia.

These feature contributions by experts with international reputations in thier fields has chapters on Taxonomy and phylogeny, Faunal assemblages and Faunal change. This book is divided into three parts housing their respective chapters.

Phylogeny entails the taxonomy and phylogeny of the principle vertebrate groups ( amphibians, lepidosaurs, crocodylomorphs, and mammals). A persistent problem in the identification of basal taxa of well-known groups is their recognitions in practice. This volumes focuses on several groups of tetrapods that have become much better known in recent years; there have been considerable advances in our understanding of their relationships as a result of both more rigorous phylogenetic analyses and the discovery and examination of new fossil material.

Faunal assemblages dealing with the most significant early Mesozoic tetrapods assemblages woldwide. These chapters examing the different Triassic and Jurassic assemblages are not intended as exhaustive reviews of all early Mesozoic tetrapod-bearing localities. Rather, they reflect areas where the greatest advances have been made in recent years.

Faunal change is the final section, looks at how faunal turnover at that time is measured and examines the possibility of mass extinctions. The considerable abundance of bones of small tetrapods at many localities gives them a great potential advantage as biostrtigraphic indicators over larger forms. It is therefore of interest that the abundance and widespread distribution of sphenodontian lepidosaur in strata of Late Triassic and Jurassic age have been recognized in the past few years.

The early Mesozoic era was a critical period in the evolution of life on land, when most of today's major groups of terrestrial vertebrats (mammals, turtles, lizards, frogs, salamanders), arose and the dinosaurs and pterosaurs rose to prominence. This is NOT a children's book. This book is written for the serious study of comparative anatomy between these species.

If you are looking for a book on current thought and distribution of post dinosauria then this is your book as it explains with fascination at how todays clues bring yesterdays fauna to life.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book only for experts, October 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods (Paperback)

This book seems interesting, but it is written for proffesional paleontologists and evolutionary biologists. The language is very difficult, and it has terms that a layman can't understand. If a reader isn't a proffesional paleontologist or evolutionary biologist, he propably shouldn't by this book.