Dinosaurs (eBook)

Spencer G. Lucas is the curator of paleontology at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. He has published more than 500 scientific articles and authored or coedited close to twenty volumes, including Chinese Fossil Vertebrates (2001).

List of Boxed ReadingsPreface1. IntroductionWhat Are Dinosaurs?When and Where Did Dinosaurs Live?Why Study Dinosaurs?Key TermsReview QuestionsFind a Dinosaur!2. Evolution, Phylogeny, and ClassificationEvolutionPhylogenyClassificationDinosaurs and EvolutionSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther Reading3. Fossils, Sedimentary Environments, and Geologic TimeFossilsSedimentary EnvironmentsGeologic TimeCollecting Dinosaur FossilsSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther Reading4. The Origin of DinosaursDinosaurs as ReptilesDinosaurs as DiapsidsDinosaurs as ArchosaursThe Archosaurian Ancestry of DinosaursThe Phylogeny of DinosaursThe Oldest DinosaursSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingFind a Dinosaur!5. TheropodsThe Phylogeny of TheropodsWhat Is a Theropod?Primitive TheropodsTetanuransAvetheropodsTheropod EvolutionSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingFind a Dinosaur!6. SauropodomorphsProsauropodsSauropodsSauropod EvolutionSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingFind a Dinosaur!7. OrnithopodsHeterodontosaursPrimitive OrnithopodsIguanodontiansHadrosaursOrnithopod EvolutionSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingFind a Dinosaur!8. Stegosaurs and AnkylosaursPrimitive ThyreophoransStegosaursAnkylosaursSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingFind a Dinosaur!9. Ceratopsians and PachycephalosaursCeratopsiansPachycephalosaursSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingFind a Dinosaur!10. The Dinosaurian WorldContinental Drift, Sea Level, and ClimateLate Triassic: Beginning of the Age of DinosaursEarly–Middle Jurassic: Dinosaurs Establish DominanceLate Jurassic: The Golden Age of DinosaursEarly Cretaceous: A TransitionLate Cretaceous: The Last DinosaursFive Dinosaur FaunasSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther Reading11. Dinosaur HuntersEarliest DiscoveriesComplete SkeletonsTwo Great ExpeditionsThe Calm Before the Storm?The Dinosaur RenaissanceChanging Ideas in Dinosaur ScienceSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther Reading12. Dinosaur Trace FossilsDinosaur FootprintsDinosaur EggsDinosaur GastrolithsDinosaur Tooth MarksDinosaur CoprolitesSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingFind a Dinosaur!13. Dinosaur Biology and BehaviorDinosaur BiologyDinosaur BehaviorSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther Reading14. Hot-Blooded Dinosaurs?Some Terms and ConceptsThe EvidenceWhat Type(s) of Metabolism Did Dinosaurs Have?SummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther Reading15. Dinosaurs and the Origin of BirdsWhat Is a Bird?The Genus ArchaeopteryxNondinosaurian Ancestors of BirdsOrigin and Evolution of Avian FlightEvolution of BirdsSignificance of Dinosaurs as Bird AncestorsSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingFind a Dinosaur!16. The Extinction of DinosaursThe Terminal Cretaceous ExtinctionNature of the EvidenceSingle Cause: Asteroid ImpactMultiple CausesMinimizing the DamageAnswer the Question!SummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther Reading17. Dinosaurs in the Public EyeDinosaurs: Denotation and ConnotationDinosaurs in the NewsDinosaurs in BooksDinosaurs in ArtDinosaur ToysDinosaurs in Cartoons and MoviesDinosaurs on the Worldwide WebDinosaur Science and Public DinosaursSummaryKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingAppendix: A Primer of Dinosaur AnatomyPosture and OrientationSkull, Lower Jaw, and TeethBackboneForelimbHind LimbStructure and FunctionKey TermsReview QuestionsFurther ReadingGlossaryA Dinosaur DictionaryIndex