Mistaken Extinction: Dinosaur Evolution and the Origin of Birds
Did the dinosaurs disappear, or did they merely take flight? InThe Mistaken  Extinction, two eminent paleontologists make a case for the continued existence of dinosaurs, at  least in the form of some relatively diminutive descendants: birds. To prove their point, Lowell  Dingus and Timothy Rowe first review leading theories about the dinosaurs' extinction, pointing to  the shortcomings of each. Instead of dying out, Dingus and Rowe write, the dinosaurs merely evolved  into another form. For skeptics troubled by such a direct link between their backyard blue jay and the  lumbering T. rex, the authors point to problems with the current Linnean system of classifying life.  Under a rival system known as cladistics, they contend that it's possible to identify the anatomical  characteristics shared by birds and dinosaurs. It's an intriguing hypothesis, and one open to  considerable debate. Either way, this beautifully illustrated and admirably comprehensive volume has  much to offer birders and dinosaur buffs alike.