Life History of a Fossil: An Introduction to Taphonomy and Paleoecology

by Pat Shipman

Pat Shipman sets forth the taphonomic methods of analyzing how animal remains are acted upon and altered, both by biological and by geographic phenomena, in their passage from the biosphere of bones and carcass into the lithosphere of fossils. She explains the role of disease, predation, accidents, postmortem destruction, and transport in the life history of a fossil, and provides an introduction to the relevant geological concepts and to faunal analysis.

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Pat Shipman is a professor of anthropology at Penn State University. Coauthor of the award-winning The Ape in the Tree, she writes for American Scientist and lives in Moncure, North Carolina.