Vertebrate Evolution: From Origins to Dinosaurs and Beyond

by Donald R. Prothero

Overview

The first vertebrate animals appear in the fossil record over 520 million years ago. These lineages diversified and eventually crept ashore leading to further evolutionary divergence and the appearance of the familiar charismatic vertebrates of today. From the tiniest fishes, diminutive salamanders, and miniaturized lizards to gargantuan dinosaurs, enormous brontotheres, and immense whales, vertebrates have captured the imagination of the lay public as well as the most erudite academics. They are the among the best studied organisms. This book employs beautifully rendered illustrations of these diverse lineages along with informative text to document a rich evolutionary history. The prolific and best-selling author reveals much of the latest findings regarding the phylogenetic history of vertebrates without overwhelming the reader with pedantry and excessive jargon. Simultaneously, comprehensive and authoritative while being approachable and lucid, this book should appeal to both the scholar, the student, and the fossil enthusiast.

Key Features

• Provides an up-to-date account of evolution of vertebrates
• Includes numerous beautiful color reconstructions of prehistoric vertebrates
• Describes extinct vertebrates and their evolutionary history
• Discusses and illustrates the first vertebrates, as well as familiar lineages of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
• Reviews mass extinctions and other important events in the diversification of vertebrates

Related Titles

Bard, J. Evolution: The Origins and Mechanisms of Diversity (ISBN 9780367357016)

Böhmer, C., et al. Atlas of Terrestrial Mammal Limbs (ISBN 9781138705906)

Diogo, R., et al. Muscles of Chordates: Development, Homologies, and Evolution (ISBN 9781138571167)

Schweitzer, M. H., et al. Dinosaurs: How We Know What We Know (ISBN 9780367563813)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367473167
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	04/18/2022
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Donald Prothero has taught college geology and paleontology for 40 years, at Caltech, Columbia, Cal Poly Pomona, and Occidental, Knox, Vassar, Glendale, Mt. San Antonio, and Pierce Colleges. He earned his B.A. in geology and biology (highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa, College Award) from University of California Riverside in 1976, and his M.A. (1978), M.Phil. (1979), and Ph.D. (1982) in geological sciences from Columbia University. He is the author of over 40 books (including 8 leading geology textbooks, and several trade books), and over 300 scientific papers, mostly on the evolution of fossil mammals (especially rhinos, camels, and horses) and on using the earth's magnetic field changes to date fossil-bearing strata. He has been on the editorial boards of journals such as Geology, Paleobiology, Journal of Paleontology, and Skeptic magazine. He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, the Paleontological Society, and the Geological Society of America, and also received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and National Science Foundation. He served as President of Pacific Section SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology) in 2012, and served for five years as Program Chair of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. In 1991, he received the Charles Schuchert Award for outstanding paleontologist under the age of 40. In 2013, he received the James Shea Award of the National Association of Geology Teachers for outstanding writing and editing the geosciences. In 2015, he received the Joseph T. Gregory award for service to vertebrate paleontology. In 2016 he was named a “Friend of Darwin” by the National Center for Science Education. He has been featured on numerous TV documentaries, including Paleoworld, Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, Prehistoric Monsters Revealed, Monsterquest, Prehistoric Predators: Entelodon and Hyaenodon, Conspiracy Road Trip: Creationism, as well as Jeopardy! and Win Ben Stein's Money.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xv

Chapter 1 Introduction: Finding, Dating, and Classifying Fossils 1

How Do You Find Fossils? 1

Dating Fossils 3

Naming Fossils 6

How Do We Classify Animals? 10

Further Reading 13

Chapter 2 The Origin of Vertebrates 15

What Is a Vertebrate? 15

Our Kinfolk in the Sea 17

Getting a Head: The Vertebrates 22

Conodonts 24

Further Reading 27

Chapter 3 Jawless Fish 29

Fish in Armor 29

Heterostracans 29

Thelodonts 32

Anaspids 34

Osteostracans 34

Galeaspida 38

Where Did They Come From?

Where Did They Go? 40

Further Reading 41

Chapter 4 Primitive Gnathostomes 43

Jaws 43

Placoderms 44

Arthrodires 46

Antiarchs 47

Chondrichthyans: Sharks, Rays, Skates, and Chimaeras 51

Acanthodians 58

Further Reading 59

Chapter 5 Osteichthyes: The Bony Fish 61

Fish Bones 61

The Age of Teleosts 65

Further Reading 70

Chapter 6 The Transition to Land: The Tetrapods 71

Lobe-Finned Fish 71

Invasion of the Land: The Tetrapods 77

Further Reading 83

Chapter 7 Tetrapod Diversify 85

Amphibians and Their Relatives 85

Temnospondyls 85

Lepospondyls 91

Lissamphibians 92

Further Reading 96

Chapter 8 Primitive Reptiles 97

Land Eggs and the First Amniotes 97

Parareptiles 105

Eureptilia 109

Turtles 112

Further Reading 118

Chapter 9 Back to the Sea: Marine Reptiles 121

Ichthyosaurs and Plesiosaurs 121

Ichthyosaurs 122

Plesiosaurs 125

Placodonts 129

Further Reading 133

Chapter 10 The Scaly Ones: Lepidosauria-Lizards and Snakes 135

Lepidosauria 135

Rhynchocephalia 139

Squamates 140

Snakes 143

Mosasaurs 149

Further Reading 152

Chapter 11 Ruling Reptiles: Archosaurs 153

Archosauria 153

Archosauromorphs 155

Rhynchosauria 157

Allokotosauria 158

Proterosuchidae 159

Mystery Reptiles: Choristoderes 160

The Crocodile Branch: Pseudosuchia 163

Phytosaurs 163

Aetosaurs 166

Ornithosuchidae 167

Poposaurs 168

Rauisuchians 170

Further Reading 172

Chapter 12 Crocodylomorphs 173

Crocodylomorphs: The Crocodiles and Their Kin 173

"Bunny Crocs" 174

Notosuchia: The "Southern Crocodiles" 177

Thalattosuchia and Dyrosauridae: Back to the Ocean 180

Neosuchia 185

Further Reading 186

Chapter 13 Pterosaurs 187

Ornithodira/Avemetatarsalia 187

Flying Reptiles: The Pterosauria 189

Pterosaur Anatomy 189

Pterosaur Evolution 192

Further Reading 198

Chapter 14 The Origin of Dinosaurs 201

What Is a Dinosaur? 201

Further Reading 209

Chapter 15 Ornithischians I: Origins and the Thyreophora 211

The Ornithischians 211

Early Ornithischians 212

Thyreophorans: Stegosaurs and Ankylosaurs 215

Roofed Lizards: The Stegosaurs 216

Turtle-Shell Dinosaurs: The Ankylosaurs 221

Further Reading 226

Chapter 16 Ornithischians II: Hadrosaurs and Marginocephalians 227

Neornithischia 227

Ornithopoda: The "Bird-Footed" Dinosaurs 228

The Hadrosaurs 231

Pachycephalosaurs: The "Boneheads" 235

Ceratopsia: The Horned Dinosaurs 239

Further Reading 246

Chapter 17 Sauropods: Long-Necked Giants 247

The Largest Land Animals 247

The Origin of Sauropods 248

Jurassic Park of the Sauropods 251

Diplodocoids 254

Macronarians 257

Titanosaurs 259

Size Matters 261

Sauropod Physiology 262

Further Reading 264

Chapter 18 Theropods: Carnivorous Dinosaurs 265

Theropoda 265

Early Theropods 267

Tetanurae: Carnosauria 271

Carnosauria: Spinosauridae 274

Carnosauria: Megalosauridae 275

Carnosauria: Metriacanthosauridae 275

Carnosauria: Allosauridae and Carcharodontosauridae 275

Tetanurae: Coelurosauria 277

Coelurosauria: Tyrannosaurs 277

Coelurosauria: Compsognathidae 282

Coelurosauria: Ornithomimids 283

Coelurosauria: Maniraptora: Therizinosaurs 285

Coelurosauria: Maniraptora: Oviraptorosauria 285

Coelurosauria: Eumaniraptora: Dromaeosaurs 285

Further Reading 288

Chapter 19 Birds: The Flying Dinosaurs 289

Birds Are Dinosaurs 289

Mesozoic Bird Evolution 292

The Cenozoic Radiation of Aves 296

Neognath Birds 299

Neoaves 303

Terror from the Skies 304

Terror Birds 306

Further Reading 309

Chapter 20 Synapsids: The Origin of Mammals 311

The Origin of Mammals 311

To Be a Mammal 312

Early Synapsids: "Pelycosaurs" 317

Later Synapsids: "Therapsids" 320

The Third Wave: "Cynodonts" 324

Further Reading 328

Chapter 21 Primitive Mammals: Mesozoic Mammals, Monotremes, and Marsupials 331

Mesozoic Mammals 331

Morganucodonts 333

Docodonts 335

Monotremes and Their Relatives 336

Multituberculates 337

Eutriconodonts 338

Therian Ancestors 339

The Marsupials or Metatheria 341

Further Reading 347

Chapter 22 The Placental Explosion: The Mammals The Mammals Diversify 349

Placentals 349

Xenarthra: Sloths, Armadillos, and Anteaters 354

Afrotheria 358

Further Reading 365

Chapter 23 Laurasiatheria I: Carnivores, Bats, Insectivores, and Their Kin 367

The Laurasiatheres 367

Insectivores 367

Chiroptera (Bats) 369

Pholidota (Pangolins) 370

Carnivorous Mammals 372

Creodonts 376

Carnivorans 377

Further Reading 383

Chapter 24 Laurasiatheria II: The Ungulates 385

Horns, Hooves, and Flippers 385

Artiodactyls 387

Perissodactyls 395

Miscellaneous Mammals with Hooves 404

Pantodonts 406

Further Reading 408

Chapter 25 Euarchontoglires: Rodents, Rabbits, Primates-And Humans 411

The Euarchontoglires 411

Glires 411

Rodents 414

Lagomorpha 417

Euarchonta 418

Tree Shrews 418

Colugos 418

Primates 419

Strepsirhini 419

Haplorhini 422

Hominoidea (Apes and Humans) 423

Human Evolution 424

Further Reading 435

Index 437

Editorial Reviews

"A must have for anyone with an interest in vertebrate evolution!" The Bird Booker Report, May 2022

From the Publisher