The Sauropods : Evolution and Paleobiology

Main subject categories: • Sauropods • Evolution • Paleobiology • Saurischia • Saurischia ‒ Evolution • Saurischia ‒ Morphology • Saurischia ‒ AnatomySauropod dinosaurs were the largest animals ever to walk the earth, and they represent a substantial portion of vertebrate biomass and biodiversity during the Mesozoic Era. The story of sauropod evolution is told in an extensive fossil record of skeletons and footprints that span the globe and 150 million years of earth history. This generously illustrated volume is the first comprehensive scientific summary of sauropod evolution and paleobiology. The contributors explore sauropod anatomy, detail its variations, and question the myth that life at large size led to evolutionary stagnation and eventual replacement by more "advanced" herbivorous dinosaurs. Chapters address topics such as the evolutionary history and diversity of sauropods; methods for creating three-dimensional reconstructions of their skeletons; questions of sauropod herbivory, tracks, gigantism, locomotion, reproduction, growth rates, and more. This book, together with the recent surge in sauropod discoveries around the world and taxonomic revisions of fragmentary genera, will shed new light on "nature's greatest extravagances". This Illustrated Volume Is The First Comprehensive Scientific Summary Of Sauropod Evolution And Paleobiology. The Contributors Explore Sauropod Anatomy, Detail Its Variations, And Question The Myth That Life At Large Size Led To Evolutionary Stagnation And Eventual Replacement By More Advanced Herbivorous Dinosaurs.--jacket. Monoliths Of The Mesozoic : An Introduction To The Sauropods : Evolution And Paleobiology -- Overview Of Sauropod Phylogeny And Evolution -- Titanosauria : A Phylogenetic Overview -- Phylogenetic And Taxic Perspectives On Sauropod Diversity -- Sauropodomorph Diversity Through Time : Palaeoecological And Macroevolutionary Implications -- Structure And Evolution Of A Sauropod Tooth Battery -- Digital Reconstructions Of Sauropod Dinosaurs And Implications For Feeding -- Postcranial Pneumaticity In Sauropod And Its Implications For Mass Estimates -- The Evolution Of Sauropod Locomotion : Morphological Diversity Of A Secondarily Quadrupedal Radiation -- Steps In Understanding Sauropod Biology : The Importance Of Sauropod Tracks -- Nesting Titanosaurs From Auca Mahuevo And Adjacent Sites : Understanding Sauropod Reproductive Behavior And Embryonic Development -- Sauropod Histology : Microscopic Views On The Lives Of Giants. Kristina Curry Rogers, Jeffrey A. Wilson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Sauropod dinosaurs were the largest animals ever to walk the earth, and they represent a substantial portion of vertebrate biomass and biodiversity during the Mesozoic Era. The story of sauropod evolution is told in an extensive fossil record of skeletons and footprints that span the globe and 150 million years of earth history. This generously illustrated volume is the first comprehensive scientific summary of sauropod evolution and paleobiology. The contributors explore sauropod anatomy, detail its variations, and question the myth that life at large size led to evolutionary stagnation and eventual replacement by more "advanced" herbivorous dinosaurs. Chapters address topics such as the evolutionary history and diversity of sauropods; methods for creating three-dimensional reconstructions of their skeletons; questions of sauropod herbivory, tracks, gigantism, locomotion, reproduction, growth rates, and more. This book, together with the recent surge in sauropod discoveries around the world and taxonomic revisions of fragmentary genera, will shed new light on "nature's greatest extravagances." This year marks the one hundred sixty-fourth anniversary of Richard Owen's (1841) description of the first sauropod-Cetiosaurus, the "whale lizard"-on the basis of vertebrae and limb elements from localities across England.