Ecology and Behaviour of Mesozoic Reptiles

By: John L. Cloudsley-Thompson

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Hardcover | 19 January 2005

At a Glance

Hardcover
232 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.39 x 15.6 x 1.42

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$264.27

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Our knowledge of extinct animals depends almost entirely upon the study of fossils. This richly illustrated book clothes the skeletons of dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles with flesh, and shows how these fascinating animals evolved and probably lived. Expert author John L. Cloudsley-Thompson provides an interesting synthesis of current views on their ecology, physiology and behaviour, and outlines the various hypotheses that have been proposed to explain their extinction. Numerous beautiful drawings of the animals and their environment illustrate this exciting monograph.

Industry Reviews

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"... This book offers a very reader-friendly introduction to the surprising detail that can be recovered from the fossil record. Zoologist John Cloudsley-Thompson outlines the reptilian lifesyles associated with marine, aerial and terrestrial environments, and looks at the different fossil groups that occupied them. .... his biological viewpoint and language will be welcomed by many. " (BBC Wildlife Magazine)

"This book offers a very reader-friendly introduction to the surprising detail that can be recovered from the fossil record. ... The author, an expert in living amphibians and reptiles ... . his biological viewpoint and language will be welcomed by many." (Douglas Palmer, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Vol. 23 (6), June, 2005)

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Classification	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Amphibians	p. 3
Reptiles	p. 3
Note on Coloration	p. 7
Diversification of Palaeozoic Reptiles	p. 9
Introduction	p. 9
Continental Drift	p. 10
Reptilian Ancestors	p. 10
Anapsid Reptiles	p. 12
Synapsid Reptiles	p. 14
The Mesozoic Environment	p. 19
Introduction	p. 19
The Triassic Period	p. 20
The Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods	p. 20
Amphibious and Early Marine Mesozoic Reptiles	p. 23
Introduction	p. 23
Locomotion	p. 24
Testudines	p. 26
Respiration	p. 27
Evolution	p. 28
Placodonts and Nothosaurs	p. 29
Placodonts	p. 29
Nothosaurs	p. 31
Claudiosaurians	p. 33
Thalattosaurs, Mosasaurs and Other Sea Lizards	p. 34
Champsosaurs, Phytosaurs and Crocodilians	p. 36
Choristodera	p. 36
Phytosaurs	p. 37
Crocodilians	p. 38
Plesiosaurs and Ichthyosaurs	p. 45
Introduction	p. 45
Swimming	p. 46
Plesiosaurs	p. 46
Ichthyosaurs	p. 48
Plesiosaurs	p. 51
Plesiosaur Diversification	p. 51
Ichthyosaurs	p. 54
Ichthyosaur Diversification	p. 55
Conclusions	p. 59
Aerial Mesozoic Reptiles	p. 61
Introduction	p. 61
Gliding Reptiles	p. 63
Pterosaur Flight	p. 67
Locomotion on the Ground	p. 70
Bipedal Locomotion	p. 70
Quadrupedal Locomotion	p. 71
Rhamphorynchoids	p. 72
Pterodactyloids	p. 77
Cretaceous Pterosaurs	p. 79
Life Styles	p. 82
Feeding	p. 82
Reproduction	p. 83
Enemies	p. 85
Extinction	p. 85
Summary	p. 86
Terrestrial Mesozoic Reptiles: Size, Locomotion and Thermal Physiology	p. 89
Introduction	p. 89
Quadrupedal Locomotion	p. 89
Bipedal Locomotion	p. 90
Weight and Size Limits	p. 92
Thermal Physiology	p. 99
Behavioural Thermoregulation	p. 100
Thermoregulatory Structures	p. 102
Tachymetabolism	p. 103
Anatomical Evidence	p. 104
Bone Histology	p. 105
Energy Flow and Predator: Prey Ratios	p. 107
Palaeolatitudinal Distribution	p. 109
Bradymetabolic Thermoregulation	p. 110
Hair and Feathers	p. 111
Conclusions	p. 111
Therapsids, Anapsids and Early Diapsids	p. 113
Introduction	p. 113
Therapsids and the Origin of Mammals	p. 113
Anapsids	p. 116
Early Diapsids	p. 117
Lepidosauria	p. 117
Squamata	p. 118
Early Archosauromorphs	p. 120
The Dinosaurs: Weapons, Display and Reproduction	p. 125
The Earliest Dinosaurs	p. 125
Dinosaur Weapons	p. 128
Weapons of Attack	p. 128
Defensive Weapons	p. 130
Defensive Display	p. 135
Reproduction	p. 136
Agonistic Behaviour	p. 136
Courtship and Mating	p. 142
Nesting Behaviour	p. 143
Growth and Development	p. 147
Herbivorous Dinosaurs	p. 149
Introduction	p. 149
Teeth, Gastroliths and Digestion	p. 149
Basal Sauropodomorphs - Prosauropods	p. 151
Sauropods	p. 153
Herbivorous Bipeds	p. 156
Fabrosaurids and Heterodontosaurids	p. 157
Hypsilophodontids	p. 158
Iguanodontids	p. 160
Hadrosaurids	p. 160
Psittacosaurids	p. 162
Pachycephalosaurians	p. 163
Horned, Plated and Armoured Dinosaurs	p. 163
Ceratopsians	p. 163
Stegosaurs	p. 165
Ankylosaurs	p. 166
Conclusions	p. 168
Carnivorous Dinosaurs	p. 171
Introduction	p. 171
Dentition	p. 171
Ceratosaurs	p. 172
Maniraptora	p. 174
Dromaeosaurids	p. 176
Troodontids	p. 177
Therizinosaurids - Segnosaurs	p. 178
Carnosaurs	p. 179
Predation and Scavenging	p. 180
Megalosaurids	p. 181
Spinosaurids	p. 181
Allosaurids	p. 183
Tyrannosaurids	p. 184
The Origin of Birds	p. 185
Feathers	p. 186
Flight	p. 187
Conclusions	p. 188
The Cretaceous Extinction	p. 189
Introduction	p. 189
Mass Extinctions	p. 189
The Permian Extinction	p. 190
The Triassic Extinction	p. 191
Terminal Mesozoic Events	p. 191
Dinosaur Extinction: Improbable Hypotheses	p. 192
Cataclysmal Hypotheses	p. 193
Impact with a Meteorite or Bolide	p. 194
Gradualist Hypotheses	p. 195
Longevity, Injuries and Disease	p. 196
Nutritional Factors	p. 197
Thermal Effects	p. 197
Conclusions	p. 199
Epilogue	p. 201
Bibliography	p. 203
Subject Index	p. 213
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Ecology and Behaviour of Mesozoic Reptiles

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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Paperback

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