Easily distinguished by the horns and frills on their skulls, ceratopsians were one of the most successful of all dinosaurs. This volume presents a broad range of cutting-edge research on the functional biology, behavior, systematics, paleoecology, and paleogeography of the horned dinosaurs, and includes descriptions of newly identified species.

Easily distinguished by the horns and frills on their skulls, ceratopsians were one of the most successful of all dinosaurs. This volume presents a broad range of cutting-edge research on the functional biology, behavior, systematics, paleoecology, and paleogeography of the horned dinosaurs, and includes descriptions of newly identified species.

In 1878, the first complete dinosaur skeleton was discovered in a coal mine in Bernissart, Belgium. Iguanodon, first described by Gideon Mantell on the basis of fragments discovered in England in 1824, was initially reconstructed as an iguana-like reptile or a heavily built, horned quadruped. However, the Bernissart skeleton changed all that. The animal was displayed in an upright posture similar to a kangaroo, and later with its tail off the ground like the dinosaur we know of today. Focusing on the Bernissant discoveries, this book presents the latest research on Iguanodon and other denizens of the Cretaceous ecosystems of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Pascal Godefroit and contributors consider the Bernissart locality itself and the new research programs that are underway there. The book also presents a systematic revision of Iguanodon; new material from Spain, Romania, China, and Kazakhstan; studies of other Early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems; and examinations of Cretaceous vertebrate faunas.

Pterosaurs, the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight, are undergoing a long-running scientific renaissance that has seen sustained, and even elevated interest, from several generations of palaeontologists. These incredible reptiles are known from every continent, flew the Mesozoic skies for at least 160 million years, diversified into more than a dozen major clades and well over 100 species, and included the largest flying animals of all time. This volume brings together leading pterosaur researchers from around the globe to discuss new and cutting-edge research into various aspects of pterosaur palaeobiology and presents diverse papers to deliver new insights on flying reptile palaeoecology, flight, ontogeny, skeletal and soft-tissue anatomy, temporal and spatial distribution and evolution, as well as revisions of their taxonomy and interrelationships.

An in-depth look at the origin and evolutionary radiation of the synapsids. About 320 million years ago a group of reptiles known as the synapsids emerged and forever changed Earth’s ecological landscapes. This book discusses the origin and radiation of the synapsids from their sail-backed pelycosaur ancestor to their diverse descendants, the therapsids or mammal-like reptiles, that eventually gave rise to mammals. It further showcases the remarkable evolutionary history of the synapsids in the Karoo Basin of South Africa and the environments that existed at the time. By highlighting studies of synapsid bone microstructure, it offers a unique perspective of how such studies are utilized to reconstruct various aspects of biology, such as growth dynamics, biomechanical function, and the attainment of sexual and skeletal maturity. A series of chapters outline the radiation and phylogenetic relationships of major synapsid lineages and provide direct insight into how bone histological analyses have led to an appreciation of these enigmatic animals as once-living creatures. The penultimate chapter examines the early radiation of mammals from their nonmammalian cynodont ancestors, and the book concludes by engaging the intriguing question of when and where endothermy evolved among the therapsids. “Ever since Nick Hotton’s book from the 1980s we have needed an update on the biology of therapsids, and it has been Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan and her students and associates who through their bone histological work have made the greatest progress in this field.” —Martin Sander, Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn “Forerunners of Mammals is full of meticulous detail . . . [I]t also contains a number of excellently rendered illustrations of some of the animals covered in the book, and the final chapter is a discussion of the evolution of endothermy that anyone with a background in biology might find of interest. . . . Recommended.” —Choice “Forerunners of Mammals will take interested readers beyond the classic jaw-to-ear appreciation of therapsids, towards a deeper appreciation of the ancestry of mammals.” —Journal of Mammalian Evolution “This volume represents a state-of-the-art contribution to our understanding of the paleobiology of how mammals arose, and what factors contributed to their evolutionary radiation and eventual success. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in these topics, and will be accessible to readers with minimal background in bone histology and synapsid paleontology.” —Quarterly Review of Biology

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is the location of one of the best-known terrestrial records for the late Cretaceous. Prior fieldwork confirmed the richness of the area, but a major effort begun in the new century has documented over 2,000 new vertebrate fossil sites, provided new radiometric dates, and identified five new genera of ceratopsids, two new species of hadrosaur, a probable new genus of hypsilophodontid, new pachycephalosaurs and ankylosaurs, several kinds of theropods (including a new genus of oviraptor and a new tyrannosaur), plus the most complete specimen of a Late Cretaceous therizinosaur ever collected from North America, and much more. The research documented in this book is rewriting our understanding of Late Cretaceous paleobiogeography and dinosaur phyletics. At the Top of the Grand Staircase: The Late Cretaceous of Southern Utah is a major stepping stone toward a total synthesis of the ecology and evolution of the Late Cretaceous ecosystems of western North America.