The Fossils of the Burgess Shale

by Derek E.G. Briggs, Douglas H. Erwin, Frederick J. Collier

Since its discovery in 1909 by Charles Doolittle Walcott, then Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rocky Mountains has fascinated both scientists and the public with its plethora of weird wonders - life forms of the past so unfamiliar they cannot easily be assigned to known taxonomic groups. This century's most significant invertebrate fossil discovery, the Burgess Shale provides an unprecedented window into the explosive evolution during the Cambrian period that began about 540 million years ago, one of the most enigmatic episodes in the history of life. This book provides the first comprehensive set of illustrations of the extraordinary life forms revealed in the Burgess Shale.
In addition to the more common fossilized hard skeletons, the Burgess Shale preserved the soft parts of these organisms, which provide a key to understanding the early evolution of the major groups of animals that inhabit the earth today. The Fossils of the Burgess Shale shows much remarkable detail - including digestive tracts and other internal organs - of creatures preserved in particles of mud fine enough to penetrate every crack and unevenness. The book begins with the history of exploration and research in the Burgess Shale, the geologic setting and preservation of the fossils, and a discussion of the Cambrian radiation, the period when almost all the major phyla of animals evolved. These introductory chapters are followed by 199 high-quality photographs and line drawings with detailed species accounts that describe important features of each specimen, as well as the ecology and taxonomy of each group. A complete list of all currently accepted species described from the Burgess Shale and a comprehensive bibliography follow the illustrations.
The Fossil of the Burgess Shale is a compendium of fascinating Cambrian treasures that offer a rare glimpse into the nature of early life on our planet. They have figured prominently in recent evolutionary debates. The National Museum of Natural History, which houses more than 65,000 fossils collected by Walcott from the Burgess Shale, will open a new exhibition of the specimens in 1995.

Genres: Science, Palaeontology, Evolution, History, Geology, Biology, Nonfiction

238 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Bill Hsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can barely follow the anatomical details and paleontological implications. But I love looking at weird creatures, and there's 80+ of them here.

[Steve Van Slyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the reader really interested in the Burgess Shale fossils I would first recommend they read either Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen J. Gould or The Crucible of Creation: The Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals by Simon Conway Morris, both very good, but latter a little more reflective of current thinking.

Then, after reading one or both of them, this book, which provides only a brief discussion of the history, impact and interpretation of the fossils, I would recommend as a follow-up because it provides photos and reconstructions of many more of the entire assemblage of fossil creatures than does the other two books.

It is astounding to see the wide variety of body plans that "exploded" (over a few million years) after billions of years of mostly microscopic, bacterial forms of life. Now the quest is to determine why the Cambrian Explosion occurred when it did. A leading theory proposes that it has something to do with a "Snowball Earth" phase, a period of global ice and glaciation that covered the entire earth for perhaps 10 million years just prior to arrival of the Burgess Shale fauna.

[Daniel Martins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great follow-up book to either Stephen Jay Gould's Wonderful Life, or Simon Conway Morris's The Crucible of Creation. Made for those who want to see an extensive photographic record of the fossils, as well as a quick morphological description

[Robert Zwilling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent photographs and illustrations of the life found in the Burgess Shale deposits. The commentary is interesting and clearly written so anyone can understand the explanations. It covers a simple history of the finds and the people who found them, a good starting point for anyone wanting to see what precambrian life looked like.