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In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods

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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.

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.

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.

This is an important collection of papers on land vertebrates from the beginning of the Mesozoic Era, the time interval when modern ecosystems were first established and the first dinosaurs appeared and flourished. It is a must read for anyone seriously interested in early Mesozoic life. Although there has been much progress in recent years this is still a really important compilation of papers on non-dinosaurian tetrapods and faunal communities from the Triassic and Early to Middle Jurassic.