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Introduction to the Study of Dinosaurs
This highly accessible introduction to dinosaurs places scientific method at the crux of the studies, teaching students about scientific research and principles as they learn about dinosaurs. Now in its second edition, the text includes updates on recent finds, increased coverage of evolution and physiology, and an expanded and improved illustration program.
576 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Anthony J. Martin
8 books31 followersAnthony (Tony) Martin is a Professor of Practice at Emory University, where he has taught classes in geology, paleontology, and environmental sciences. His research specialty is ichnology, the study of modern and ancient traces caused by animal behavior, such as tracks, trails, burrows, and nests. He is the author of nine books, including DINOSAURS WITHOUT BONES, THE EVOLUTION UNDERGROUND, TRACKING THE GOLDEN ISLES, and LIFE TRACES OF THE GEORGIA COAST. His latest book is LIFE SCUPLTED, published June 2023. In 2015 - in recognition of his accomplishments in scientific exploration and public outreach - he was elected as a Fellow in The Explorers Club and a Fellow in the Geological Society of America. He and his wife Ruth live in Decatur, Georgia.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 29, 2024
This book is woefully out of date, and I cannot recommend it.
Let's just start with Page 1:
"Because this book is about dinosaurs, probably the most appropriate way to start it is to discuss what constitutes a dinosaur. However, is defining what is and is not a dinosaur is a difficult task for children, adults in the general public, and dinosaur experts alike. Here is a prelaminary attempt at a working definition:
A dinosaur was a reptile-like or bird-like animal with an upright posture that spent most (perhaps all) of its life on land.
The term "reptile-like" is in recognition that although dinosaurs certainly were derived evolutionarily from reptilian ancestors, they were clean different from the reptiles we see today, such as crocodiles, alligators, and lizards. Hence, these modern animals are not "living dinosaurs," nor were their ancient counterparts. Anatomical distinctions and differing lineage separate modern reptiles and dinosaurs, although both groups had common ancestors. Nevertheless, because dinosaurs were descended directly from reptile-like ancestors, they have many features similar to modern reptiles which warranted their original classification as such (Chapters 4 and 5) Yet some dinosaurs also had some anatomical and attributed behavioral characteristics similar to modern birds and, according to a preponderance of evidence, birds were indeed derived from dinosaurian ancestors (Chapter 16). For now think of dinosaurs as transitional organisms between certain ancestral reptiles and modern birds; these relations will be expanded upon and clarified later."
This is nonsense:
1) All dinosaurs are reptiles.
2) All birds are dinosaurs.
3) Just to make this really clear, all dinosaurs - including birds - are reptiles. This isn't some new-fangled theory either, T.H. Huxley first tried combining all Reptiles and Birds together into one clade in the Victorian period.
4) "Modern" reptiles cannot be the litmus test for Reptilia, especially given that this is a book about paleontology. There are myriad clades of reptiles which are no longer extant, we don't boot them out of Reptilia just because of how similar they are to extant reptiles.
5) Dinosaurs - and therefore birds - are part of Archosauria along with the Crocodylia (and like 5 extinct clades). Crocodilians are literally more closely related to every dinosaur that ever existed than they are to any other extant reptile.
6) Avian dinosaurs - i.e. birds - evolved from precisely one clade of Dinosauria. The other groups have nothing to do with birds, so they cannot be transitional.
7) "Transitional" is just a poor way of framing animals which existed and were fascinating in their own right.
The whole book is like this. It can't quite decide if it wants to commit to teaching a scientific framework, or if it wants to sort of perpetuate popular misconceptions. And it is from 2001, so it is just very out of date. Paleontology moves fast, and this is old!
I cannot recommend this.
Let's just start with Page 1:
"Because this book is about dinosaurs, probably the most appropriate way to start it is to discuss what constitutes a dinosaur. However, is defining what is and is not a dinosaur is a difficult task for children, adults in the general public, and dinosaur experts alike. Here is a prelaminary attempt at a working definition:
A dinosaur was a reptile-like or bird-like animal with an upright posture that spent most (perhaps all) of its life on land.
The term "reptile-like" is in recognition that although dinosaurs certainly were derived evolutionarily from reptilian ancestors, they were clean different from the reptiles we see today, such as crocodiles, alligators, and lizards. Hence, these modern animals are not "living dinosaurs," nor were their ancient counterparts. Anatomical distinctions and differing lineage separate modern reptiles and dinosaurs, although both groups had common ancestors. Nevertheless, because dinosaurs were descended directly from reptile-like ancestors, they have many features similar to modern reptiles which warranted their original classification as such (Chapters 4 and 5) Yet some dinosaurs also had some anatomical and attributed behavioral characteristics similar to modern birds and, according to a preponderance of evidence, birds were indeed derived from dinosaurian ancestors (Chapter 16). For now think of dinosaurs as transitional organisms between certain ancestral reptiles and modern birds; these relations will be expanded upon and clarified later."
This is nonsense:
1) All dinosaurs are reptiles.
2) All birds are dinosaurs.
3) Just to make this really clear, all dinosaurs - including birds - are reptiles. This isn't some new-fangled theory either, T.H. Huxley first tried combining all Reptiles and Birds together into one clade in the Victorian period.
4) "Modern" reptiles cannot be the litmus test for Reptilia, especially given that this is a book about paleontology. There are myriad clades of reptiles which are no longer extant, we don't boot them out of Reptilia just because of how similar they are to extant reptiles.
5) Dinosaurs - and therefore birds - are part of Archosauria along with the Crocodylia (and like 5 extinct clades). Crocodilians are literally more closely related to every dinosaur that ever existed than they are to any other extant reptile.
6) Avian dinosaurs - i.e. birds - evolved from precisely one clade of Dinosauria. The other groups have nothing to do with birds, so they cannot be transitional.
7) "Transitional" is just a poor way of framing animals which existed and were fascinating in their own right.
The whole book is like this. It can't quite decide if it wants to commit to teaching a scientific framework, or if it wants to sort of perpetuate popular misconceptions. And it is from 2001, so it is just very out of date. Paleontology moves fast, and this is old!
I cannot recommend this.
November 6, 2007
This book contains a lot of information, but some of it is inaccurate. The author often goes on tangents and includes pages of mathematical formulas that should not be included in an introductory text.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews