Pterosaurs - Witton, Mark P

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Résumé :
For 150 million years, the skies didn't belong to birds--they belonged to the pterosaurs. These flying reptiles, which include the pterodactyls, shared the world with the nonavian dinosaurs until their extinction 65 million years ago. Some pterosaurs, such as the giant azhdarchids, were the largest flying animals of all time, with wingspans exceeding thirty feet and standing heights comparable to modern giraffes. This richly illustrated book takes an unprecedented look at these astonishing creatures, presenting the latest findings on their anatomy, ecology, and extinction. Pterosaurs features some 200 stunning illustrations, including original paintings by Mark Witton and photos of rarely seen fossils. After decades of mystery, paleontologists have finally begun to understand how pterosaurs are related to other reptiles, how they functioned as living animals, and, despite dwarfing all other flying animals, how they managed to become airborne

Biographie:
Mark P. Witton is a paleontologist in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Portsmouth. He has served as a technical consultant for Walking with Dinosaurs 3D and many other film and television productions. His illustrations of pterosaurs, dinosaurs, and other prehistoric creatures have appeared in numerous publications, including Science and newspapers around the world.

Sommaire:
ix Preface xi Acknowledgments 1. Leathery-Winged Harpies 1 2. Understanding the Flying Reptiles 4 3. Pterosaur Beginnings 12 4. The Pterosaur Skeleton 23 5. Soft Bits 39 6. Flying Reptiles 56 7. Down from the Skies 64 8. The Private Lives of Pterosaurs 74 9. The Diversity of Pterosaurs 90 10. Early Pterosaurs and Dimorphodontidae 95 11. Anurognathidae 104 12. Campylognathoidids 113 13. Rhamphorhynchidae 123 14. Wukongopteridae 135 15. Istiodactylidae 143 16. Ornithocheiridae 152 17. Boreopteridae 164 18. Pteranodontia 170 19. Ctenochasmatoidea 183 20. Dsungaripteroidea 201 21. Lonchodectidae 211 22. Tapejaridae 216 23. Chaoyangopteridae 228 24. Thalassodromidae 234 25. Azhdarchidae 244 26. The Rise and Fall of the Pterosaur Empire 259 References 265 Index 283

This book is both academically interesting and truly fun to read. That is a difficult balance to reach, but Witton does an excellent job of it by using a lighthearted, informal writing style in combination with a well-referenced, serious scientific review. An invaluable reference.--Michael Habib, University of Southern California