Glorified dinosaurs
Subtitle: the origin and early evolution of birds
By: Luis M. Chiappe
Publisher: John Wiley
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Hoboken, NJ
Language: eng
Number of pages: 263
ISBN-13: 9780471247234
Subjects: Birds, Fossil; Birds -- Evolution; Paleontology -- Mesozoic
Description: "The last few years have witnessed an unparalleled rate of discoveries of early birds and their dinosaurian predecessors. Written by a recognised authority in the field, Glorified Dinosaurs: The Origin and Early Evolution of Birds provides a comprehensive summary of these discoveries and addresses the fascinating topic of how modern birds evolved from fearsome dinosaurs akin to the celebrated Velociraptor. The book focuses on an evolutionary approach and presents current research and fossil discoveries. The title includes coloured photographs of fossils and fossil localities, many of which have been rarely reproduced elsewhere." "Glorified Dinosaurs: The Origin and Early Evolution of Birds is an invaluable resource for every palaeontologist, ornithologist, evolutionary biologist, geology and life sciences student. It is also an exciting reading for people interested in dinosaurs and avian evolution and for all those with a general interests in the topic."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 252-255) and index
Table of contents: title: Mesozoic birds and their world; title: The ancestry of birds and the origin of flight; title: The bizarre Mononykus and its kin : an evolutionary experiment; title: Archaeopteryx : the earliest bird; title: Rahonavis and other long-tailed birds; title: The first short-tailed birds; title: The great Mesozoic radiation : the flying Enantiornithes; title: Early predecessors of modern birds; title: Hesperornis and its relatives : divers of the cretaceous seas; title: The beginnings of modern birds