The first vertebrate animals appear in the fossil record over 520 million years ago. These lineages diversified and eventually crept ashore leading to further evolutionary divergence and the appearance of the familiar charismatic vertebrates of today. From the tiniest fishes, diminutive salamanders, and miniaturized lizards to gargantuan dinosaurs, enormous brontotheres, and immense whales, vertebrates have captured the imagination of the lay public as well as the most erudite academics. They are the among the best studied organisms. This book employs beautifully rendered illustrations of these diverse lineages along with informative text to document a rich evolutionary history. The prolific and best-selling author reveals much of the latest findings regarding the phylogenetic history of vertebrates without overwhelming the reader with pedantry and excessive jargon. Simultaneously, comprehensive and authoritative while being approachable and lucid, this book should appeal to both the scholar, the student, and the fossil enthusiast.
Key Features
- Provides an up-to-date account of evolution of vertebrates
- Includes numerous beautiful color reconstructions of prehistoric vertebrates
- Describes extinct vertebrates and their evolutionary history
- Discusses and illustrates the first vertebrates, as well as familiar lineages of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
- Reviews mass extinctions and other important events in the diversification of vertebrates
Related Titles
Schweitzer, M. H., et al. Dinosaurs: How We know What We Know (ISBN 9780367563813)
Bard, J. Evolution: The Origins and Mechanisms of Diversity (ISBN 9780367357016)
Böhmer, C., et al. Atlas of Terrestrial Mammal Limbs (ISBN 9781138705906)
Diogo, R., et al. Muscles of Chordates: Development, Homologies, and Evolution (ISBN 9781138571167).
Author(s): Donald Prothero
Publisher: CRC Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 296
City: Boca Raton
Cover
Half Title
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction: Finding, Dating, and Classifying Fossils
How Do You Find Fossils?
Dating Fossils
Naming Fossils
How Do We Classify Animals?
Further Reading
Chapter 2: The Origin of Vertebrates
What Is a Vertebrate?
Our Kinfolk in the Sea
Getting a Head: The Vertebrates
Conodonts
Further Reading
Chapter 3: Jawless Fish
Fish in Armor
Heterostracans
Thelodonts
Anaspids
Osteostracans
Galeaspida
Where Did They Come From? Where Did They Go?
Further Reading
Chapter 4: Primitive Gnathostomes
Jaws
Placoderms
Arthrodires
Antiarchs
Chondrichthyans: Sharks, Rays, Skates, and Chimaeras
Acanthodians
Further Reading
Chapter 5: Osteichthyes: The Bony Fish
Fish Bones
The Age of Teleosts
Further Reading
Chapter 6: The Transition to Land: The Tetrapods
Lobe-Finned Fish
Invasion of the Land: The Tetrapods
Further Reading
Chapter 7: Tetrapod Diversify
Amphibians and Their Relatives
Temnospondyls
Lepospondyls
Lissamphibians
Further Reading
Chapter 8: Primitive Reptiles
Land Eggs and the First Amniotes
Parareptiles
Eureptilia
Turtles
Further Reading
Chapter 9: Back to the Sea: Marine Reptiles
Ichthyosaurs and Plesiosaurs
Ichthyosaurs
Plesiosaurs
Placodonts
Further Reading
Chapter 10: The Scaly Ones: Lepidosauria—Lizards and Snakes
Lepidosauria
Rhynchocephalia
Squamates
Snakes
Mosasaurs
Further Reading
Chapter 11: Ruling Reptiles: Archosaurs
Archosauria
Archosauromorphs
Rhynchosauria
Allokotosauria
Proterosuchidae
Mystery Reptiles: Choristoderes
The Crocodile Branch: Pseudosuchia
Phytosaurs
Aetosaurs
Ornithosuchidae
Poposaurs
Rauisuchians
Further Reading
Chapter 12: Crocodylomorphs
Crocodylomorphs: The Crocodiles and Their Kin
“Bunny Crocs”
Notosuchia: The “Southern Crocodiles”
Thalattosuchia and Dyrosauridae: Back to the Ocean
Neosuchia
Further Reading
Chapter 13: Pterosaurs
Ornithodira/Avemetatarsalia
Flying Reptiles: The Pterosauria
Pterosaur Anatomy
Pterosaur Evolution
Further Reading
Chapter 14: The Origin of Dinosaurs
What Is a Dinosaur?
Further Reading
Chapter 15: Ornithischians I: Origins and the Thyreophora
The Ornithischians
Early Ornithischians
Thyreophorans: Stegosaurs and Ankylosaurs
Roofed Lizards: The Stegosaurs
Turtle-Shell Dinosaurs: The Ankylosaurs
Further Reading
Chapter 16: Ornithischians II: Hadrosaurs and Marginocephalians
Neornithischia
Ornithopoda: The “Bird-Footed” Dinosaurs
The Hadrosaurs
Pachycephalosaurs: The “Boneheads”
Ceratopsia: The Horned Dinosaurs
Further Reading
Chapter 17: Sauropods: Long-Necked Giants
The Largest Land Animals
The Origin of Sauropods
Jurassic Park of the Sauropods
Diplodocoids
Macronarians
Titanosaurs
Size Matters
Sauropod Physiology
Further Reading
Chapter 18: Theropods: Carnivorous Dinosaurs
Theropoda
Early Theropods
Tetanurae: Carnosauria
Carnosauria: Spinosauridae
Carnosauria: Megalosauridae
Carnosauria: Metriacanthosauridae
Carnosauria: Allosauridae and Carcharodontosauridae
Tetanurae: Coelurosauria
Coelurosauria: Tyrannosaurs
Coelurosauria: Compsognathidae
Coelurosauria: Ornithomimids
Coelurosauria: Maniraptora: Therizinosaurs
Coelurosauria: Maniraptora: Oviraptorosauria
Coelurosauria: Eumaniraptora: Dromaeosaurs
Further Reading
Chapter 19: Birds: The Flying Dinosaurs
Birds Are Dinosaurs
Mesozoic Bird Evolution
The Cenozoic Radiation of Aves
Neognath Birds
Neoaves
Terror from the Skies
Terror Birds
Further Reading
Chapter 20: Synapsids: The Origin of Mammals
The Origin of Mammals
To Be a Mammal
Early Synapsids: “Pelycosaurs”
Later Synapsids: “Therapsids”
The Third Wave: “Cynodonts”
Further Reading
Chapter 21: Primitive Mammals: Mesozoic Mammals, Monotremes, and Marsupials
Mesozoic Mammals
Morganucodonts
Docodonts
Monotremes and Their Relatives
Multituberculates
Eutriconodonts
Therian Ancestors
The Marsupials or Metatheria
Further Reading
Chapter 22: The Placental Explosion: The Mammals Diversify
Placentals
Xenarthra: Sloths, Armadillos, and Anteaters
Afrotheria
Further Reading
Chapter 23: Laurasiatheria I: Carnivores, Bats, Insectivores, and Their Kin
The Laurasiatheres
Insectivores
Chiroptera (Bats)
Pholidota (Pangolins)
Carnivorous Mammals
Creodonts
Carnivorans
Further Reading
Chapter 24: Laurasiatheria II: The Ungulates
Horns, Hooves, and Flippers
Artiodactyls
Perissodactyls
Miscellaneous Mammals with Hooves
Pantodonts
Further Reading
Chapter 25: Euarchontoglires: Rodents, Rabbits, Primates—And Humans
The Euarchontoglires
Glires
Rodents
Lagomorpha
Euarchonta
Tree Shrews
Colugos
Primates
Strepsirhini
Haplorhini
Hominoidea (Apes and Humans)
Human Evolution
Further Reading
Index
