The Sauropods: Evolution and Paleobiology

Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2005. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Good/Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Ex-library with the usual library markings (if not for the library markings this copy would be graded in fine condition); overall a nice used copy! Blue boards with silver lettering on the spine. 349 historical and informative pages nicely enhanced by black and white photographs and illustrations! "Sauropod dinosaurs were the largest animals ever to walk the earth, and they represent a substantial portion of vertebrate biomass and biodiversity during the Mesozoic Era. The story of sauropod evolution is told in an extensive fossil record of skeletons and footprints that span the globe and 150 million years of earth history. This generously illustrated volume is the first comprehensive scientific summary of sauropod evolution and paleobiology. The contributors explore sauropod anatomy, detail its variations, and question the myth that life at large size led to evolutionary stagnation and eventual replacement by more "advanced" herbivorous dinosaurs. Chapters address topics such as the evolutionary history and diversity of sauropods; methods for creating three-dimensional reconstructions of their skeletons; questions of sauropod herbivory, tracks, gigantism, locomotion, reproduction, growth rates, and more. This book, together with the recent surge in sauropod discoveries around the world and taxonomic revisions of fragmentary genera, will shed new light on "nature's greatest extravagances'....