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Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils
Fossils allow us to picture the forms of life that inhabited the earth eons ago. But we long to know how did these animals actually behave? We are fascinated by the daily lives of our fellow creatures―how they reproduce and raise their young, how they hunt their prey or elude their predators, and more. What would it be like to see prehistoric animals as they lived and breathed?
From dinosaurs fighting to their deaths to elephant-sized burrowing ground sloths, this book takes readers on a global journey deep into the earth’s past. Locked in Time showcases fifty of the most astonishing fossils ever found, brought together in five fascinating chapters that offer an unprecedented glimpse at the real-life behaviors of prehistoric animals. Dean R. Lomax examines the extraordinary direct evidence of fossils captured in the midst of everyday action, such as dinosaurs sitting on their eggs like birds, Jurassic flies preserved while mating, a T. rex infected by parasites. Each fossil, he reveals, tells a unique story about prehistoric life. Many recall behaviors typical of animals familiar to us today, evoking the chain of evolution that links all living things to their distant ancestors. Locked in Time allows us to see that fossils are not just inanimate they can record the life stories of creatures as fully alive as any today. Striking and scientifically rigorous illustrations by renowned paleoartist Bob Nicholls bring these breathtaking moments to life.
From dinosaurs fighting to their deaths to elephant-sized burrowing ground sloths, this book takes readers on a global journey deep into the earth’s past. Locked in Time showcases fifty of the most astonishing fossils ever found, brought together in five fascinating chapters that offer an unprecedented glimpse at the real-life behaviors of prehistoric animals. Dean R. Lomax examines the extraordinary direct evidence of fossils captured in the midst of everyday action, such as dinosaurs sitting on their eggs like birds, Jurassic flies preserved while mating, a T. rex infected by parasites. Each fossil, he reveals, tells a unique story about prehistoric life. Many recall behaviors typical of animals familiar to us today, evoking the chain of evolution that links all living things to their distant ancestors. Locked in Time allows us to see that fossils are not just inanimate they can record the life stories of creatures as fully alive as any today. Striking and scientifically rigorous illustrations by renowned paleoartist Bob Nicholls bring these breathtaking moments to life.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published May 18, 2021
71 people are currently reading
1168 people want to read
About the author
Dean R. Lomax
21 books33 followersDr. Dean Lomax is an internationally recognized and award-winning palaeontologist, presenter, and author. He has traveled the globe excavating dinosaurs and has described several new species of prehistoric reptile. He lives in the UK.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
February 27, 2022
4/5⭐
"Jak naprawdę żyły dinozaury. Zachowania zwierząt ukryte w skamieniałościach" to książka napisana przez Deana R. Lomaxa, którą zilustrował Bob Nicholls.
Jest to moim zdaniem idealna pozycja na początek przygody z literaturą populranonaukową. Bałam się, jak to często bywa przy tego rodzaju książkach, że w pewnym momencie ilość informacji mnie przytłoczy, dlatego tym bardziej zdziwiłam się, kiedy taki moment nie nastąpił.
W książce dowiadujemy się mnóstwo faktów i teorii nie tylko na temat dinozaurów, ale też mnóstwa innych zwierząt, które zniknęły już z tego świata. Mamy tu mnóstwo opowieści, które zostały zinterpretowane na podstawie różnych skamielin, kości, bądź jeszcze innych śladów prehistorycznych przyjaciół.
Ciężko odkładało mi się tę książkę, gdyż najzwyczajniej w świecie chciałam dowiadywać się większej ilości szczegółów.
Autor jest doświadczonym archeologiem, który upodobał sobie szczególnie dinozaury i ślady ich istnienia znajdujące się co jakiś czas na świecie, więc powieść tą napisał człowiek, który zna się na rzeczy. Dodatkowo pisze w tak przystępny sposób, że żadne informacje nas nie przytłaczają oraz nie czujemy się tak, jakbyśmy czytali jakiś podręcznik.
Zostały opisane tu bardzo ciekawe skamieniałości, na podstawie których powstały teorie, jak mogły żyć różne stworzenia.
Niesamowicie podobał mi się dobór tych historii oraz zaznaczenie, że różne osoby mają różne pomysły na to, jak mogło być, bądź czemu wydarzyło się coś, co na podstawie innych skamieniałości nie powinno mieć miejsca.
Świetnie się bawiłam i dowiedziałam jeszcze więcej, dlatego niesamowicie polecam tę powieść każdemu fanowi dinozaurów i nie tylko.
"Jak naprawdę żyły dinozaury. Zachowania zwierząt ukryte w skamieniałościach" to książka napisana przez Deana R. Lomaxa, którą zilustrował Bob Nicholls.
Jest to moim zdaniem idealna pozycja na początek przygody z literaturą populranonaukową. Bałam się, jak to często bywa przy tego rodzaju książkach, że w pewnym momencie ilość informacji mnie przytłoczy, dlatego tym bardziej zdziwiłam się, kiedy taki moment nie nastąpił.
W książce dowiadujemy się mnóstwo faktów i teorii nie tylko na temat dinozaurów, ale też mnóstwa innych zwierząt, które zniknęły już z tego świata. Mamy tu mnóstwo opowieści, które zostały zinterpretowane na podstawie różnych skamielin, kości, bądź jeszcze innych śladów prehistorycznych przyjaciół.
Ciężko odkładało mi się tę książkę, gdyż najzwyczajniej w świecie chciałam dowiadywać się większej ilości szczegółów.
Autor jest doświadczonym archeologiem, który upodobał sobie szczególnie dinozaury i ślady ich istnienia znajdujące się co jakiś czas na świecie, więc powieść tą napisał człowiek, który zna się na rzeczy. Dodatkowo pisze w tak przystępny sposób, że żadne informacje nas nie przytłaczają oraz nie czujemy się tak, jakbyśmy czytali jakiś podręcznik.
Zostały opisane tu bardzo ciekawe skamieniałości, na podstawie których powstały teorie, jak mogły żyć różne stworzenia.
Niesamowicie podobał mi się dobór tych historii oraz zaznaczenie, że różne osoby mają różne pomysły na to, jak mogło być, bądź czemu wydarzyło się coś, co na podstawie innych skamieniałości nie powinno mieć miejsca.
Świetnie się bawiłam i dowiedziałam jeszcze więcej, dlatego niesamowicie polecam tę powieść każdemu fanowi dinozaurów i nie tylko.
September 7, 2022
It’s a safe bet that you and I are not going to become fossils studied by scientists millions of years hence. The odds of any particular animal’s bones fossilizing and being uncovered later are vanishingly small. But it is almost a sure bet that some human bones, somewhere, at some time, will become fossils, since there are so many of us.
Because the odds are long, it is all the more astonishing when paleontologists find bones caught in the act of doing something that gives insight into how they lived or died. This book looks at fifty such finds, ranging in time from the Cambrian era half a billion years ago up to the Ice Age only a few thousand years past.
The stories which accompany each of these fossils show that paleontology is an inductive science. The bones themselves are examined in the light of comparative anatomy and implied physiology, and then behavior is extrapolated based on living ancestors. It is fascinating to watch these stories come together, but we must always keep in mind the limitations of inductive reasoning, that it is entirely possible to create connections which are comprehensive, enlightening – and wrong. We can never be sure of the real context in which the fossils have been found, but a great deal of multidisciplinary work has gone into creating these scenarios, and all of them are plausible.
The book is also well illustrated. Each section includes photos or drawings of the bones after the surrounding rock matrix was removed, plus an illustration by Robert Nicholls, who has done a fine job vividly recreating the scene which led to the bones being in that position. I noted that the idea of feathers and hair is so widely accepted now that all of Nicholls’ drawings of terrestrial and avian dinosaurs include them.
So, what kinds of things does the reader learn? There are dramatic fight scenes, which would end up as mortal combat for both participants. The find of a Protoceratops fighting a Velociraptor is well known, and has been widely reported, but the book also includes several other incidents, such as a predatory fish which has embedded itself into a pteranodon, a flying dinosaur that dove underwater to hunt. This seems to have been part of the hunting process for these fish, because several other fossils of that species show them with pteranodon bones in their gut. A more recent set of bones shows a fight to the death of two mammoths, whose tusks became locked together in an eternal deadly embrace. These fossils also show the randomness involved in what gets found and preserved, because they were discovered completely by accident by someone doing something else entirely, and then turned over to an undergraduate to work on as part of a project for his degree.
Some of the fossils seemed like momento mori, reminders of mortality. Dinosaurs have been found with their bones riddled with cancer or parasites, and there is one of a huge snake hovering over a clutch of dinosaur eggs and a newly hatched baby that could have come from an admonitory painting in a medieval church.
Other fossil finds show more pacific scenes. One touchingly presents a parent spreading its wings to cover the clutch of eggs it was protecting, as a mudslide or ash from a volcano overtook it. Another shows a dinosaur curled up in a sleeping position identical to that of some birds today.
There are also descriptions of ancient insects caught in amber, including a section – seriously – on insects caught farting as they were entombed, although I wondered if it was just gas expelled from the body as it was overcome by the tight grasp of the resin. This is followed by jocular discussions of dinosaurs peeing and pooping. The finds that purport to show traces of the furrows in the ground caused by the release of urine from a gigantic reptile are interesting, but highly speculative. A dinosaur’s poop, on the other had, called a coprolite, is a valuable find that can yield clues to how they lived and what they ate.
An interesting segment discusses early mammals. Although most were tiny insectivores, with skulls only 1-5 cm in length, there was also Repenomamus robustus, the largest known species of our own class mammalia before the end of the dinosaur age. It was over a meter long and would have weighed 12-14kg, and fossils have been found with the remains of baby dinosaurs where its stomach would have been, so we mammals weren’t always on the short end of the food chain.
Another shows an ichthyosaur giving birth, indicating that not all dinosaurs were egg layers. There are more, including mating turtles and an ancient horseshoe crab on a one way journey to oblivion. The book is entertaining and well researched, and those illustrations add immeasurably to it. It would make a good gift to a child showing an interest in science, but it is interesting and fun for adults as well.
Because the odds are long, it is all the more astonishing when paleontologists find bones caught in the act of doing something that gives insight into how they lived or died. This book looks at fifty such finds, ranging in time from the Cambrian era half a billion years ago up to the Ice Age only a few thousand years past.
The stories which accompany each of these fossils show that paleontology is an inductive science. The bones themselves are examined in the light of comparative anatomy and implied physiology, and then behavior is extrapolated based on living ancestors. It is fascinating to watch these stories come together, but we must always keep in mind the limitations of inductive reasoning, that it is entirely possible to create connections which are comprehensive, enlightening – and wrong. We can never be sure of the real context in which the fossils have been found, but a great deal of multidisciplinary work has gone into creating these scenarios, and all of them are plausible.
The book is also well illustrated. Each section includes photos or drawings of the bones after the surrounding rock matrix was removed, plus an illustration by Robert Nicholls, who has done a fine job vividly recreating the scene which led to the bones being in that position. I noted that the idea of feathers and hair is so widely accepted now that all of Nicholls’ drawings of terrestrial and avian dinosaurs include them.
So, what kinds of things does the reader learn? There are dramatic fight scenes, which would end up as mortal combat for both participants. The find of a Protoceratops fighting a Velociraptor is well known, and has been widely reported, but the book also includes several other incidents, such as a predatory fish which has embedded itself into a pteranodon, a flying dinosaur that dove underwater to hunt. This seems to have been part of the hunting process for these fish, because several other fossils of that species show them with pteranodon bones in their gut. A more recent set of bones shows a fight to the death of two mammoths, whose tusks became locked together in an eternal deadly embrace. These fossils also show the randomness involved in what gets found and preserved, because they were discovered completely by accident by someone doing something else entirely, and then turned over to an undergraduate to work on as part of a project for his degree.
Some of the fossils seemed like momento mori, reminders of mortality. Dinosaurs have been found with their bones riddled with cancer or parasites, and there is one of a huge snake hovering over a clutch of dinosaur eggs and a newly hatched baby that could have come from an admonitory painting in a medieval church.
Other fossil finds show more pacific scenes. One touchingly presents a parent spreading its wings to cover the clutch of eggs it was protecting, as a mudslide or ash from a volcano overtook it. Another shows a dinosaur curled up in a sleeping position identical to that of some birds today.
There are also descriptions of ancient insects caught in amber, including a section – seriously – on insects caught farting as they were entombed, although I wondered if it was just gas expelled from the body as it was overcome by the tight grasp of the resin. This is followed by jocular discussions of dinosaurs peeing and pooping. The finds that purport to show traces of the furrows in the ground caused by the release of urine from a gigantic reptile are interesting, but highly speculative. A dinosaur’s poop, on the other had, called a coprolite, is a valuable find that can yield clues to how they lived and what they ate.
An interesting segment discusses early mammals. Although most were tiny insectivores, with skulls only 1-5 cm in length, there was also Repenomamus robustus, the largest known species of our own class mammalia before the end of the dinosaur age. It was over a meter long and would have weighed 12-14kg, and fossils have been found with the remains of baby dinosaurs where its stomach would have been, so we mammals weren’t always on the short end of the food chain.
Another shows an ichthyosaur giving birth, indicating that not all dinosaurs were egg layers. There are more, including mating turtles and an ancient horseshoe crab on a one way journey to oblivion. The book is entertaining and well researched, and those illustrations add immeasurably to it. It would make a good gift to a child showing an interest in science, but it is interesting and fun for adults as well.
November 1, 2023
Rating: 3.5 stars
An interesting book that uses 50 fossils to illustrate how paleontologists determine the manner in which extinct animals behaved. Each fossil is accompanied by photos of the fossil and a grey-scale illustration of the specific animal (and its behaviour) by paleoartist Bob Nicholls. I learned some new things, but this book was too superficial for my taste (I really wanted more detail and specifics), and thus ultimately unmemorable. It's written simply enough so shouldn't pose problems for children interested in fossils.
An interesting book that uses 50 fossils to illustrate how paleontologists determine the manner in which extinct animals behaved. Each fossil is accompanied by photos of the fossil and a grey-scale illustration of the specific animal (and its behaviour) by paleoartist Bob Nicholls. I learned some new things, but this book was too superficial for my taste (I really wanted more detail and specifics), and thus ultimately unmemorable. It's written simply enough so shouldn't pose problems for children interested in fossils.
June 29, 2021
10/10 stars
My full review can be found on my blog.
This time, I have something different for you: a journey through millions of years, full of wonderful, saddening, and/or quite creepy discoveries, and ranging from nearly the beginnings of fossil records to the time of the Ice Age. While probably most of us were at some point in our lives fascinated with dinosaurs, ammonites, mammoths and smilodons, not many chose this childhood fascination as their adult passion. Dean R. Lomax did, and both this fascination, and this passion, are clearly noticeable in his book, which is as entertaining as it is informative.
[...]
To be honest, I didn’t expect to be so beguiled by this book. I was first drawn to it because it promised illustrations of prehistoric animals in unusual situations (and yes, there’s even one memorable illustration of a pooping member of the extinct Borophaginae family, the bone-crushing dogs from North America, and another of a peeing diplodocus – and as a side note, I didn’t know ostriches pee!); I never expected it would rekindle my own fascination with paleontology and fossils. The illustrations by Robert Nicholls are great; they serve as companions to the cases described in the text, and make the accompanying photographs of fossils more evocative and more comprehensible, turning a jumble of bones into a poignant scene from the past. There’s an abundance of both the impeccable, large illustrations (sometimes spanning two pages) and the photographs, and I only regret that I didn’t have the physical book in my hands and had to resort to looking at the pictures on my phone.
But the illustrations are the companion piece; the text is what matters, and this text is both very approachable and easily understandable – clearly directed at the general audience – while remaining scientific. Moreover, it succeeds in imparting highly erudite, often unfamiliar knowledge on laypersons such as me. Lomax is an easy narrator, deftly weaving personal reminiscence and passion among the paleontological facts. It also helps that the facts he chooses are quite astonishing – varying from relatable to unusual or outright unique, from funny to disgusting, from those reminiscent of old tragedies to those showcasing moments of happy tenderness between animals extinct for millions of years.
Of course, with fossils there’s always a lot of room for conjectures and honest mistakes; our beliefs color the facts, especially when the facts are scarce. However, Lomax rarely strays from the path of confirmed, broadly accepted knowledge (at least among paleontologists; I bet many of these little snippets would be new to you!), and Locked in Time remains a scientific book at its heart – while being highly entertaining at the same time. We learn about dinosaur babysitters; fateful fights between a pteranodon and a predatory fish; mammals hunting dinosaurs; dinosaurs with cancer; enormous snakes feasting on tiny sauropod hatchlings; resting and sleeping theropods; evidence of ancient social behavior forever encased in stone; giant burrowing sloths bigger than elephants; even some hair-rising parasites (such as aptly named Xenomorphia resurrecta, a parasitic wasp, whose larvae developed inside fly pupae, eating them alive) and insect farts immortalized in amber. Yes, there is a lot of information about bodily functions of various creatures in this book, clearly certain fascinations stay with some people longer than with others. But, to be fair, you’re bound to get bonus points if you ever use that knowledge in conversations with kids (any kids, really, don’t have to be yours)!
My my, my repertoire of awkward starts to social conversations just got so much bigger! 😀
I had a blast with this book. It’s a wonderful reminder for those who like me had been bitten by the fossil/dinosaur bug in their childhood, but it’s also a great starting point for those who feel that paleontology might be interesting and yet are afraid of the dry scientific language of most adult paleobiology books. Also, if you’re tempted to read more, Locked in Time offers a nice bibliography at the end.
And a last quote, one that very aptly summarizes both the age of life on Earth and our own place within it:
“Before dinosaurs even appeared, trilobites were fossils under their feet.” (p. 110)
I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.
My full review can be found on my blog.
This time, I have something different for you: a journey through millions of years, full of wonderful, saddening, and/or quite creepy discoveries, and ranging from nearly the beginnings of fossil records to the time of the Ice Age. While probably most of us were at some point in our lives fascinated with dinosaurs, ammonites, mammoths and smilodons, not many chose this childhood fascination as their adult passion. Dean R. Lomax did, and both this fascination, and this passion, are clearly noticeable in his book, which is as entertaining as it is informative.
[...]
To be honest, I didn’t expect to be so beguiled by this book. I was first drawn to it because it promised illustrations of prehistoric animals in unusual situations (and yes, there’s even one memorable illustration of a pooping member of the extinct Borophaginae family, the bone-crushing dogs from North America, and another of a peeing diplodocus – and as a side note, I didn’t know ostriches pee!); I never expected it would rekindle my own fascination with paleontology and fossils. The illustrations by Robert Nicholls are great; they serve as companions to the cases described in the text, and make the accompanying photographs of fossils more evocative and more comprehensible, turning a jumble of bones into a poignant scene from the past. There’s an abundance of both the impeccable, large illustrations (sometimes spanning two pages) and the photographs, and I only regret that I didn’t have the physical book in my hands and had to resort to looking at the pictures on my phone.
But the illustrations are the companion piece; the text is what matters, and this text is both very approachable and easily understandable – clearly directed at the general audience – while remaining scientific. Moreover, it succeeds in imparting highly erudite, often unfamiliar knowledge on laypersons such as me. Lomax is an easy narrator, deftly weaving personal reminiscence and passion among the paleontological facts. It also helps that the facts he chooses are quite astonishing – varying from relatable to unusual or outright unique, from funny to disgusting, from those reminiscent of old tragedies to those showcasing moments of happy tenderness between animals extinct for millions of years.
Of course, with fossils there’s always a lot of room for conjectures and honest mistakes; our beliefs color the facts, especially when the facts are scarce. However, Lomax rarely strays from the path of confirmed, broadly accepted knowledge (at least among paleontologists; I bet many of these little snippets would be new to you!), and Locked in Time remains a scientific book at its heart – while being highly entertaining at the same time. We learn about dinosaur babysitters; fateful fights between a pteranodon and a predatory fish; mammals hunting dinosaurs; dinosaurs with cancer; enormous snakes feasting on tiny sauropod hatchlings; resting and sleeping theropods; evidence of ancient social behavior forever encased in stone; giant burrowing sloths bigger than elephants; even some hair-rising parasites (such as aptly named Xenomorphia resurrecta, a parasitic wasp, whose larvae developed inside fly pupae, eating them alive) and insect farts immortalized in amber. Yes, there is a lot of information about bodily functions of various creatures in this book, clearly certain fascinations stay with some people longer than with others. But, to be fair, you’re bound to get bonus points if you ever use that knowledge in conversations with kids (any kids, really, don’t have to be yours)!
My my, my repertoire of awkward starts to social conversations just got so much bigger! 😀
I had a blast with this book. It’s a wonderful reminder for those who like me had been bitten by the fossil/dinosaur bug in their childhood, but it’s also a great starting point for those who feel that paleontology might be interesting and yet are afraid of the dry scientific language of most adult paleobiology books. Also, if you’re tempted to read more, Locked in Time offers a nice bibliography at the end.
And a last quote, one that very aptly summarizes both the age of life on Earth and our own place within it:
“Before dinosaurs even appeared, trilobites were fossils under their feet.” (p. 110)
I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.
May 26, 2021
Make space on your palaeontology shelf! Locked in Time is a highly original book that looks at fossil evidence for animal behaviour. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2021...
November 24, 2024
Książka tylko częściowo jest o dinozaurach - za to w całości o skamieniałościach. Napisana w bardzo przystępny sposób, podzielona na króciutkie historie różnych znalezisk i opatrzona zarówno zdjęciami opisywanych skamieniałości, jak i grafikami ilustrującymi prawdopodobne zdarzenie. (Tu szkoda, że takie ciemne wyszły - nie wiem na ile to kwestia oryginalnych prac, a na ile naszego wydania)
Wciągnęła mnie na tyle, że przeczytałam w dwa dni. Polecam
Wciągnęła mnie na tyle, że przeczytałam w dwa dni. Polecam
March 22, 2023
Good to get out of my comfort zone
April 14, 2021
Did you know that the biggest burrows ever were built by the extinct giant sloths? Or that some dinosaurs were engaged in a sort of mating dance? And that there are fossils of butterflies, molting arachnids and even creatures during sex? These are only some of the fascinating facts from “Locked in Time”, but there is so much more than that in this great book. It isn’t a random collection of dinosaur trivia, but a very well written story, a real page-turner, with interesting insights about evolution, biology and geology.
I’ve read this paleontology book immediately after Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black, about forensic anthropology, and it is funny how similar these two stories are (apparently, there is even such discipline as paleopathology). Both professions not only deal with bones but also use them and various traces as clues to reconstruct the behavior and fates of their subjects, often with astonishing results.
Highly recommended for fans of such books as Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body or The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World.
Thanks to the publisher, Columbia University Press, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.
I’ve read this paleontology book immediately after Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black, about forensic anthropology, and it is funny how similar these two stories are (apparently, there is even such discipline as paleopathology). Both professions not only deal with bones but also use them and various traces as clues to reconstruct the behavior and fates of their subjects, often with astonishing results.
Highly recommended for fans of such books as Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body or The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World.
Thanks to the publisher, Columbia University Press, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.
May 21, 2021
Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils
by Dean R Lomax, Illustrated by Bob Nicholls
⚡️ I was provided an e-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Out now!!)
🌟: 5 / 5
📚: Locked in Time is 50 vignettes of prehistoric life, captured in rare fossil finds, that bring these extinct animals to life.
💭: Let me start by saying this: this book will make you feel things about extinct animals that are normally reserved for your own pets. The 50 vignettes are not only incredible case studies, but they’re written about in a way that I’ve never seen done before— Lomax and Nicholls truly bring all of these animals to life by combining the hard fossil facts with present day animal analogs.
Every story is a little gem in itself, it gives you exactly what you need to know, with no room for the confusion or boredom that easily happens in an over-complicated non-fiction read. This book made me care deeply for a pregnant plesiosaur, ancient turtles caught Doing The Deed, dinosaur babysitters, and so much more. It is truly magical how a bunch of bones stuck in rocks came to life in these pages.
It’s amazing to have a book that can so easily reignite the wonder of dinosaurs and prehistoric life in a sea of nonfiction that makes it seem less fascinating and (at one time) alive than it is. Locked in Time genuinely filled me with so much joy and wonder about not just past animal life, but present-day animal life.
by Dean R Lomax, Illustrated by Bob Nicholls
⚡️ I was provided an e-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Out now!!)
🌟: 5 / 5
📚: Locked in Time is 50 vignettes of prehistoric life, captured in rare fossil finds, that bring these extinct animals to life.
💭: Let me start by saying this: this book will make you feel things about extinct animals that are normally reserved for your own pets. The 50 vignettes are not only incredible case studies, but they’re written about in a way that I’ve never seen done before— Lomax and Nicholls truly bring all of these animals to life by combining the hard fossil facts with present day animal analogs.
Every story is a little gem in itself, it gives you exactly what you need to know, with no room for the confusion or boredom that easily happens in an over-complicated non-fiction read. This book made me care deeply for a pregnant plesiosaur, ancient turtles caught Doing The Deed, dinosaur babysitters, and so much more. It is truly magical how a bunch of bones stuck in rocks came to life in these pages.
It’s amazing to have a book that can so easily reignite the wonder of dinosaurs and prehistoric life in a sea of nonfiction that makes it seem less fascinating and (at one time) alive than it is. Locked in Time genuinely filled me with so much joy and wonder about not just past animal life, but present-day animal life.
June 13, 2022
Gdybym miała 10 lat, pewnie byłabym zachwycona tym "Jak naprawdę żyły dinozaury". Jestem juz jednak dojrzałą kobietą i egzaltowany styl pisania książek popularnonaukowych zwyczajnie mnie męczy. Tego typu metoda na zwiększenie "przystępności" do mnie nie przemawia, a wręcz drażni, bo gdybym chciała żeby ktoś mi tlumaczył jak chłop krowie na rowie, kupiłabym książkę dla dzieci.
Potencjał był, wiedza też, zabrakło FORMY.
Potencjał był, wiedza też, zabrakło FORMY.
August 30, 2025
Bardzo dobrze napisana fabularyzowana opowiesc o zyciu dinozaurow doslownie wyciagnieta ze skamielin. Autor zrobil co w jego mocy. Plus za rysunki, niewatpliwie pomagaja afantastom.
Podobala mi sie zwlaszcza opowiesc o naziemnych przodkach wielorybow i delfinow.
Minusem jest, ze miejscami opowiesci sa nuzace.
Podobala mi sie zwlaszcza opowiesc o naziemnych przodkach wielorybow i delfinow.
Minusem jest, ze miejscami opowiesci sa nuzace.
September 16, 2022
3.5 stars
Really cool examples of extraordinary fossils. Enjoyed the illustrations to help me envision the animals and their environments. I wish the fossil pictures could have been in color because minute differences were difficult to see
Really cool examples of extraordinary fossils. Enjoyed the illustrations to help me envision the animals and their environments. I wish the fossil pictures could have been in color because minute differences were difficult to see
February 14, 2023
Fossilised farts, need I say any more?
June 7, 2022
A marvellous book that showcases some fascinating fossils that gives us a glimpse of how life was like for prehistoric organisms. Along with fascinating artwork by Bob Nicholls, the book gives the history of the fossil, what behaviour is captured by it, and it can tell us (or not) about how prehistoric organisms lived.
The book is organized in chapters that cover a specific behaviour shown by the fossils:
- "Sex" shows us animals caught in the act of copulation, as well as sexual behaviours like 'lekking' dinosaurs. A number of pregnant animal fossils are also featured.
- "Parental Care and Animal Communities" feature brooding oviraptorid dinosaurs, arthropods guarding eggs, shark nurseries and unusual communities that formed around giant clams, floating ocean logs and even inside mammoth bones.
- "Moving and Making Homes" shows us fossils indicating that arthropods moult, animals migrate, and make burrows for homes.
- "Fighting, Biting, and Feeding" are another set of behaviours captured by fossils, showing mammoths and dinosaurs in the act of fighting, with prey found in the stomach of predators showing link (or links) in the ancient food chain.
- "Unusual Happenings" features unusual fossils that show that prehistoric animals also suffer from parasites, bone cancer and bone fractures. Also, that ancient animals poop and pee.
The book is organized in chapters that cover a specific behaviour shown by the fossils:
- "Sex" shows us animals caught in the act of copulation, as well as sexual behaviours like 'lekking' dinosaurs. A number of pregnant animal fossils are also featured.
- "Parental Care and Animal Communities" feature brooding oviraptorid dinosaurs, arthropods guarding eggs, shark nurseries and unusual communities that formed around giant clams, floating ocean logs and even inside mammoth bones.
- "Moving and Making Homes" shows us fossils indicating that arthropods moult, animals migrate, and make burrows for homes.
- "Fighting, Biting, and Feeding" are another set of behaviours captured by fossils, showing mammoths and dinosaurs in the act of fighting, with prey found in the stomach of predators showing link (or links) in the ancient food chain.
- "Unusual Happenings" features unusual fossils that show that prehistoric animals also suffer from parasites, bone cancer and bone fractures. Also, that ancient animals poop and pee.
February 23, 2022
The best book about dinosaurs for the lay reader. I love to read about ages past including the very distance past, but I'm not interested in the statistics. It's the routines of daily life that I find fascinating. So it is a source of frustration to me that most books about the dinosaurs are either mostly about the scientists who made a discovery, the technology used, and stats about the fossil: size, weight age etc. BORING.
I am not interested in the fossil! I want to time travel back and see the dinosaur. That's what makes this book so good: each chapter is an examination of what a fossil shows about the daily life of the fossilized critter. How did it die? What did it eat? How did it fit into the ecology of its time? How did it care for its young, how did it hunt, what diseases did it have?
There are fossils that show the fossilized food recently eaten, fossils of young in a nest, even fossilized farts! A T Rex that probably died of starvation due to damage done to its jaw by a parasite. And lots more. Definitely the book for people who want to learn about dinosaurs as living creatures
I am not interested in the fossil! I want to time travel back and see the dinosaur. That's what makes this book so good: each chapter is an examination of what a fossil shows about the daily life of the fossilized critter. How did it die? What did it eat? How did it fit into the ecology of its time? How did it care for its young, how did it hunt, what diseases did it have?
There are fossils that show the fossilized food recently eaten, fossils of young in a nest, even fossilized farts! A T Rex that probably died of starvation due to damage done to its jaw by a parasite. And lots more. Definitely the book for people who want to learn about dinosaurs as living creatures
June 9, 2021
This was an unexpected (but delightful) find from my favourite used bookstore-similar I suppose to some of the finds described within…
It’s a curious sort of disorder that books I hate I can describe exactly why and how I hate them. Books I love on the other hand I find it harder to describe.
This book similarly defies apt description. It’s wonderfully written by Dean Lomax, and lovingly illustrated with both Bob Nicholls’ excellent reconstructions as well as actual photographs of the fossils being described.
Many of the fossils depicted in here were enough to make me gasp.
The detail!
Preserved!
Millions of years!
Each of the finds depicted are so improbable in their survival that I feel so fortunate being simply here to see them.
It’s a curious sort of disorder that books I hate I can describe exactly why and how I hate them. Books I love on the other hand I find it harder to describe.
This book similarly defies apt description. It’s wonderfully written by Dean Lomax, and lovingly illustrated with both Bob Nicholls’ excellent reconstructions as well as actual photographs of the fossils being described.
Many of the fossils depicted in here were enough to make me gasp.
The detail!
Preserved!
Millions of years!
Each of the finds depicted are so improbable in their survival that I feel so fortunate being simply here to see them.
April 13, 2021
A fascinating look into daily life in a lost world. Dinosaurs are legendary creatures, but we know little about them. Lomax, a Paleontologist, changes that, explaining how he thinks they lived. Not only their legendary battles but also their mating rituals, childbearing, eating habits and even their waste disposal. What we can learn about prehistoric creatures (there are also mammals, fish and even insects) necessarily requires speculation, but Lomax builds scientific theories based on the last traces of these animals: fossils. From fights, to pregnant females, remains of smaller animals in the alimentary tract of larger creatures, to farts preserved by amber, the author gives readers an encompassing insight into the early life of our planet. The comparisons he draws with animals alive today, make for interesting reading. And the illustrations by Bob Nicholls make everything easier to grasp. In a world full of books about dinosaurs, this one is truly original and very interesting.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Columbia University Press!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Columbia University Press!
January 22, 2025
Cudowna książka o paleontologii. Dinozaury fascynowały mnie od dziecka więc nie ukrywam że z ogromną przyjemnością sięgnąłem po tą lekturę.Książka bardzo wciągająca z wieloma barwnymi obrazami oraz zdjęciami znalezisk. Napisana w sposób lekko humorystyczny jednak przekazujący dużo informacji. Gorąco polecam każdemu. Osobiście miałem niezwykle mile spędzone godziny miałem z tą książką, a czytanie o znajdowaniu sików zauropodów albo "gazów" owadów zachowanych w bursztynie, szczerze mnie rozbawiło
November 8, 2024
Honestly such a unique book in the paleontology space. I loved Locked in Time from cover to cover. The way Lomax breaks down the stories that each of these 50 fossils can tell us is remarkable! It’s all so digestible, and holds your attention throughout! Definitely a must read if you’re interested in Paleontology :)
January 5, 2025
We found this book at the outstanding Kimmeridge museum. It’s not related to the Kimmeridge finds but is very interesting in its own field. Enthusiasm and knowledge in equal parts, an entertaining, knowledgeable and thought provoking read.
April 12, 2024
Well this was a non-stop delight. Funny, informative, passionate, gorgeously illustrated. A must-read
March 25, 2025
Extraordinary book and amazing illustrations!
September 21, 2022
10/5, polecam bardzo! Świetnie napisana, wciąga od pierwszej strony! Aż żałuję, że już ją przeczytałam.
January 4, 2023
I really appreciated the broad assembly/diversity of specimen examples and their associated behavioral stories which helped bring a new dimension to the interpretation of prehistoric life and the fossil record. This was not just a variety of fossil specimens but a ‘why it was important’ through understanding their living behavioral contributions at each point in time. The way the book was written really added context to help understand the varied elements of ancient life and how it progressed through time. I highly recommend for any paleo or even modern biology enthusiasts.
March 8, 2024
Książka pełna ciekawostek i wpasowująca się w mój aktualny fix, ale cos mi w niej nie gra. Może za mało obrazków i wizualizacji. Trochę też chaosu.
August 9, 2021
I loved this book so much that I’ve decided to create a profile here just to write this review.
Locked in Time is a fantastic read, I could not put it down. This book gives you a rare insight into prehistoric life. The way it’s written with each section focused on a different type of behaviour is brilliant. Each of the extraordinary fossils is beautifully brought to life by Dr Dean Lomax, described in great detail with pictures of the actual specimens, supported by analogies from modern animals. And if this isn't enough to get your imagination going, you can rely on stunning illustrations by the super talented Bob Nicholls (would frame some of them I could!).
It’s well written, accessible and engaging, as if you’re listening to a good friend telling you stories about life millions of years ago. I was hooked from the start. Dr Lomax’s passion for palaeontology and prehistoric life jumps off the pages as he takes you on this amazing journey. The amount of work and heart put into this book is astounding. It’s an informative and entertaining read and will leave you hungry for more. As for me personally, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I’d highly recommend Locked in Time to anyone interested in dinosaurs, palaeontology and prehistoric life (or life in general). I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m sure you will too.
Locked in Time is a fantastic read, I could not put it down. This book gives you a rare insight into prehistoric life. The way it’s written with each section focused on a different type of behaviour is brilliant. Each of the extraordinary fossils is beautifully brought to life by Dr Dean Lomax, described in great detail with pictures of the actual specimens, supported by analogies from modern animals. And if this isn't enough to get your imagination going, you can rely on stunning illustrations by the super talented Bob Nicholls (would frame some of them I could!).
It’s well written, accessible and engaging, as if you’re listening to a good friend telling you stories about life millions of years ago. I was hooked from the start. Dr Lomax’s passion for palaeontology and prehistoric life jumps off the pages as he takes you on this amazing journey. The amount of work and heart put into this book is astounding. It’s an informative and entertaining read and will leave you hungry for more. As for me personally, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I’d highly recommend Locked in Time to anyone interested in dinosaurs, palaeontology and prehistoric life (or life in general). I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m sure you will too.
September 29, 2021
An incredible concept for a book about palaeontology. I've never read anything like this before. I'd heard of such special fossils like the 'fighting dinosaurs' before, but some of the examples included in Locked in Time seriously blew me away. A pregnant walking whale? Two mammoths fighting to their death? Fossilised pee traces? As the book is written in a conversational tone, you find yourself drawn into Lomax's storytelling, as if he's talking to a friend. The way the book is structured, with 50 different fossils, reads like a series of mini stories which I thought worked nicely. Though, I found myself wanting to read "just one more!" every time, but it was always several more. Locked in Time would make an AMAZING TV show!
After my uni degree, I have kept palaeontology as a bit of a hobby and feel like I'm living my palaeontology life through Dr Lomax's adventures in his books. I especially liked the little personal anecdotes in the book as well as the engaging voice throughout. I hope there is a follow up book. Well done, Dr Lomax!
After my uni degree, I have kept palaeontology as a bit of a hobby and feel like I'm living my palaeontology life through Dr Lomax's adventures in his books. I especially liked the little personal anecdotes in the book as well as the engaging voice throughout. I hope there is a follow up book. Well done, Dr Lomax!
February 20, 2022
This was SUCH a fun read. Each story was short and interesting and I kept telling myself that I'd only read a few and then put the book down and save more stories for the next night and instead I devoured this book so quickly. Usually, with paleontology books, I end up having to google a lot of the animals discussed and I love that I didn't have to do that with this book. It was full of relevant images and I love that an illustration was included with each story. It really brought the book to life.
November 7, 2021
This is a great book! It is packed with information, but each entry is wonderfully concise. There are a lot of paragraphs that end at the end of the page. I like that. My only complaint is that the lovely illustrations are not in color, which is my complaint about a lot of science books.
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