The story of life in 25 fossils
Subtitle: tales of intrepid fossil hunters and the wonders of evolution
By: Donald R. Prothero
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 389
ISBN-13: 9780231171908
Subjects: Origin; Life; Fossils; Evolution (Biology); Paleontology
Other titles: Story of life in twenty-five fossils
Description: Every fossil tells a story. Prothero recounts the adventures behind the discovery of twenty-five famous, beautifully preserved fossils and explains their significance within the larger fossil record, creating a riveting history of life on our planet.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Planet of the scum. The first fossils ; Cryptozoon; title: Garden of Ediacara. The first multicellular life ; Charnia; title: "Little shellies." The first shells ; Cloudina; title: Oh, give me a home, when the trilobites roamed. The first large shelled animals ; Olenellus; title: Is it a worm or an arthropod? The origin of arthropods ; Hallucigenia; title: Is it a worm or a mollusc? The origin of molluscs ; Pilina; title: Growing from the sea. The origin of land plants ; Cooksonia; title: A fishy tale. The origin of vertebrates ; Haikouichthys; title: Mega-jaws. The largest fish ; Carcharocles; title: Fish out of water. The origin of amphibians ; Tiktaalik; title: "Frogamander." The origin of frogs ; Gerobatrachus; title: Turtle on the half-shell. The origin of turtles ; Odontochelys; title: Walking serpents. The origin of snakes ; Haasiophis; title: King of the fish-lizards. The largest marine reptile ; Shonisaurus; title: Terror of the seas. The largest sea monster ; Kronosaurus; title: Monster flesh-eater. The largest predator ; Giganotosaurus; title: Land of the giants. The largest land animal ; Argentinosaurus; title: A feather in stone. The first bird ; Archaeopteryx; title: Not quite a mammal. The origin of mammals ; Thrinaxodon; title: Walking into the water. The origin of whales ; Ambulocetus; title: Walking manatees. The origin of sirenians ; Pezosiren; title: Dawn horses. The origin of horses ; Eohippus; title: Rhinoceros giants. The largest land mammal ; Paraceratherium; title: The ape's reflection? The oldest human fossil ; Sahelanthropus; title: Lucy in the sky with diamonds. The oldest human skeleton ; Australopithecus afarensis; title: Appendix. The best natural history museums.