Dinosaurs 101: What Everyone Should Know about Dinosaur Anatomy, Ecology, Evolution, and More

DINOSAURS 101 is your one-stop source for everything you should know about dinosaurs and paleontology. Authored by world-renowned paleontologists, this book masterfully breaks down the otherwise complex world of dinosaurs and paleontology into well-organized and easy to understand language, concepts, and lessons. Further facilitating the reader’s knowledge of dinosaurs and paleontology, this book also includes over one hundred figures directly illustrating the language, concepts, and lessons it presents. Topics covered in detail include dinosaur: anatomy; eating habits and diet; attack and defense mechanisms; birth, growth, and reproduction; origins and evolution; species and diversity; fossilization; and extinction. Also addressed is how paleontology relates to geology, geography, and other disciplines. The reader will even learn how dinosaurs relate to modern life-forms, including how some dinosaurs are still alive today and whether those that are not can be resurrected. No matter your age, no matter your level of existing knowledge, and no matter your reason for interest, if you are looking for a comprehensive and easy to understand overview of the world of dinosaurs and paleontology, then this is the book for you. ABOUT THE AUTHORS: DR. W. SCOTT PERSONS IV is a paleontologist who holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology from Macalester College and a master’s degree and PhD in Evolution and Systematics from the University of Alberta, where he was a student of world-renowned paleontologist Dr. Philip J. Currie. Dr. Persons’s research focuses primarily on evolutionary arms races between dinosaurian predators and prey, on the biomechanics and evolution of dinosaur locomotion, and on the evolution of dinosaurian feathers. He has taken part in fossil-hunting expeditions throughout the American West, Mongolia, Tanzania, Argentina, and China. Dr. Persons is the author of the book Dinosaurs of the Alberta Badlands, and his work has been featured on the National Geographic and Discovery channels and in Smithsonian and Discover Magazine. DR. PHILIP J. CURRIE is a full professor and Canada Research Chair of Dinosaur Paleobiology at the University of Alberta. As a world-renowned paleontologist, Dr. Currie’s scientific accomplishments have led to a greater understanding of dinosaurs and their significance. He was instrumental in the development of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology and has made major contributions to paleontology on both the Canadian and the world stage through his extensive fieldwork, academic research, writing, and teaching. In addition to the numerous awards and medals Dr. Currie has received, he has published 170 scientific articles, 140 popular articles, and 15 books, has given more than 800 lectures attended by over 50,000 people, and has given more than 1,200 newspaper, magazine, radio, film, and television interviews for articles and programs. Read more