Vertebrate Palaeontology

by Michael J. Benton

The story of the evolution of vertebrates is fascinating. Recently, there has been an explosion of new research topics in the field - the closest fossil relatives of the vertebrates, dramatic new fish specimens unlike anything now living, the adaptations required for the move on to land, the relationships of the early amphibians and reptiles, the origins and biology of the dinosaurs, the role of mass extinction in vertebrate evolution, new Mesozoic birds, the earliest mammals, ecology and mammalian diversification, and the origins and evolution of human beings.
This book presents a complete outline of the history of vertebrates, based on the latest studies by palaeontologists around the world. New material comes from North and South America, Australia, Europe, China, Africa and Russia.
A key aim of the book is to show how vertebrate palaeontologists obtain their information. There is an illustrated account of how to dig up a dinosaur and how to interpret the bones. In addition, detailed case studies how palaeontologists study taphonomy, exceptional preservation, the form and function of bizarre animals, and the reconstruction of phylogeny from cladistic analyses of morphological and molecular data.
The new edition is extensively revised, and there is a great deal of new material based on work in the 1990s. There is a new chapter on how to study fossil vertebrates. Another major change is that more emphasis has been given to cladograms. They are set apart from the body of the text, and full lists of diagnostic characters are now given.
The book is designed for palaeontology courses in biology and geology departments. It is also aimed at the enthusiast who wants to experience how leading palaeontologists design their research programs and carry out multidisciplinary studies of ancient vertebrates. The book has a strong phylogenetic focus, and this makes it an up-to-date source of the latest broad-scale systematic data on vertebrate evolution.

Genres: Science, Palaeontology, Dinosaurs, Nonfiction, Evolution, Biology, Reference

Paperback

First published January 28, 1990

About the author

Michael J. Benton FRS is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Bristol. He is particularly interested in early reptiles, Triassic dinosaurs, and macroevolution, and has published over 50 books and 300 scientific articles. He leads one of the most successful palaeontology research groups at the University of Bristol, and has supervised over 60 PhD students.

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as big and heavy as its competitor (or predecessor?) Carroll's Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, this entry into this textbook niche by the esteemed Michael Benton is better, mainly because it focuses less on skeletal anatomy and more on phylogenetic explanations of the origination and diversification of taxa and traits. But the classical anatomy is not ignored, as the book is filled with many figures of many skeletons, many the same as in Carroll's work; instead, skeletal (and yes, dental) terminology is more clearly explained in Benton's work to newbies like me. As with Carroll, I focused on the great Triassic reboot after the great end-Permian extinction, and then the ensuing great competition between the mammalian lineage (what used to be called "mammal-like reptiles in my youth) and the avian lineage (better known as "dinosaurs"). I must admit some disappointment with the Triassic discussion. The story of the reboot and competition is inherently one not just of phylogeny, but also of ecology. Benton's research papers and reviews often connect community ecology with the anatomy and physiology of community member species. However, there is not much of a summary of those sorts of studies in this textbook. Nevertheless, if you want to marvel at the pageant of vertebrate evolution from the Cambrian to now, or just marvel at a part of the pageant, this is a fine book with which to do it.

[Olli-Pekka Paljakka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite difficult and technical. This is clearly aimed at a student of the field, the book assumes the reader is comfortable with Latin names for body parts. That aside, the material is very clearly presented and well argumented. The book moves chronologically pointing out significant fossils and discoveries, making sure to draw a line from basic vertebrates to more complex animals.

[Michal Paszkiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comprehensive, insightful, full of both theories and facts. Quite a considerable amount of topics were really intetesting and applicable to other areas. The graphics and pictures were excellent, although it would have been better to have even more!

[Norman Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the fundamental books for students major in paleobiology, insightful