This is the first book ever to be devoted to this subject.

A pair of eyes lurks just above the water's surface. Is it a crocodile or an alligator? Packed with beautiful and engaging photos, kids will learn all about these two reptiles—and find out what makes them different. This level 2 reader provides both accessible and wide-ranging text to encourage the scientists and explorers of tomorrow!

Crocodilians employ unique feeding behaviors as compared to other predators in modern ecosystems. The use of inertial and rotational forces, coupled with immense jaw strength, allow crocodilians to consume large fauna with relative ease. Given the unique forces applied to crocodile modified carcasses, we would expect to find diagnostic traces of such feeding behavior on the skeletal remains of their prey that were not ingested. The goal of this research is to establish criteria for identifying crocodile feeding traces in the fossil record. Guided by a taphonomic and ichnologic framework, I interpret the feeding traces recorded on bones modified by Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) in controlled feeding experiments. Building upon previous bone surface modification descriptions, I define crocodile feeding traces as ichnotaxa. I describe a new ichnogenus, Sicarichnus, which corresponds to a penetrative force that slips and incises the surrounding bone. I describe a new ichnospecies, Brutalichnus percussus, corresponding to marginal bone cracking. Using these ichnotaxa, I then describe patterns of bone surface modification that appear to be unique to Crocodylia and which reflect various observed feeding behaviors. I observe pairs of mechanically equivalent traces at distances equivalent to crocodile tooth spacing. Elongate, multi-directional traces correspond to the unique, rotational carcass disarticulation techniques used by crocodiles. Pairs of nearly identical traces, parallel and in close proximity to each other, are correlated to non-masticatory feeding. With compounding paleontological evidence, these traces could be a robust indicator of crocodile ecology in the fossil record. Fossils recovered from wetland depositional environments which demonstrate these traces have a high likelihood of having been lost or abandoned by crocodiles during feeding.

This look at the field of ichnology is “an excellent compendium and a timely piece on a rapidly expanding and changing area of research” (Quarterly Review of Biology). The latest advances in dinosaur ichnology are showcased in this comprehensive and timely volume, in which leading researchers and research groups cover the most essential topics in the study of dinosaur tracks. Some assess and demonstrate state-of-the-art approaches and techniques, such as experimental ichnology, photogrammetry, biplanar X-rays, and a numerical scale for quantifying the quality of track preservation. The high diversity of these up-to-date studies underlines that dinosaur ichnological research is a vibrant field, that important discoveries are continuously made, and that new methods are being developed, applied, and refined. This indispensable volume unequivocally demonstrates that ichnology has an important contribution to make toward a better understanding of dinosaur paleobiology. Tracks and trackways are one of the best sources of evidence to understand and reconstruct the daily life of dinosaurs. They are windows on past lives, dynamic structures produced by living, breathing, moving animals now long extinct, and they are every bit as exciting and captivating as the skeletons of their makers. Includes photos and illustrations