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" ... a superb overview of the past decade's discoveries of feathered dinosaurs. It has 23 international experts essaying how dino-birds evolved, their relationship to true birds and the evolution of feathers and flight. It's great stuff, technical in places but well illustrated and with some excellent writing ..."--New Scientist, 14 August 2004
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Meat-eating theropod dinosaurs had been recognized as potential ancestors of birds ever since the Nineteenth Century. But the remains of these animals were rare, usually incomplete and often poorly preserved. A revolution began in 1964 with the discovery of Deinonychus revealed startling similarities between dinosaurs and birds. With each new small theropod discovery, the ties became stronger, until the discovery of Sinosauropteryx - a dinosaur with feathers! Not all scientists accepted the concept of birds being phylogenetically nested within the Dinosauria, others are now focusing on the evolution of feathers and avian flight. "Feathered Dragons" presents 15 new pieces of research, including the first detailed description of Bambiraptor, a remarkable new specimen found in Montana.
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Endemism in Central Asia appears to have been strongest during a 30-40-million-year interval corresponding to middle Mesozoic time, when the abundant presence of mamenchisaurs implies productive and broadly available low-level fodder. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Endemism in Central Asia appears to have been strongest during a 30-40-million-year interval corresponding to middle Mesozoic time, when the abundant presence of mamenchisaurs implies productive and broadly available low-level fodder. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Well, I knew it would be difficult reading. After all, the book is a collection of scientific essays on the dinosaurs-birds connection, essays created by and destined to scientists, not educated laymen. But I was totally unprepared for the extreme difficulty of some passages, particularly those concerning anatomical issues. It would be an optimistic assessment, if I said that I understood about 25% of them. On the other hand, in the essays of the book's second half, concerning dinosaur ecology theories and how they correlate with present-day bird behavior, things got a little smoother, but never really smooth.
Nevertheless, the subject is of tremendous interest for history of life amateurs and professionals alike, so even the comparatively little information I could understand in the "anatomy" section - seconded by the excellent illustrations - was very enlightening. The article covering the feathers and structure of "Archaeopteryx" was of a particular interest, since this is the very fossil which began the whole story of the dinosaurs-birds relationship, and it apparently has still a lot to say today, over a hundred years after its discovery. Also, the article covering the "beginnings of flight" theories, from the energy conservation point of view, was a fair summary of all relevant conflicting views, and so of great usefulness in clarifying this quite thorny issue.
Overall, if other amateurs are bold enough to tackle the book's heavy scientific jargon, they are in for a very rough but very interesting ride.
Nevertheless, the subject is of tremendous interest for history of life amateurs and professionals alike, so even the comparatively little information I could understand in the "anatomy" section - seconded by the excellent illustrations - was very enlightening. The article covering the feathers and structure of "Archaeopteryx" was of a particular interest, since this is the very fossil which began the whole story of the dinosaurs-birds relationship, and it apparently has still a lot to say today, over a hundred years after its discovery. Also, the article covering the "beginnings of flight" theories, from the energy conservation point of view, was a fair summary of all relevant conflicting views, and so of great usefulness in clarifying this quite thorny issue.
Overall, if other amateurs are bold enough to tackle the book's heavy scientific jargon, they are in for a very rough but very interesting ride.
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1 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Never Heard Dinosaurs Called Dragons...
26 Jun 2005
Format:Hardcover
The first reports of "feathered" dinosaurs (aka dragons) came out of China in 1997. Here in the U. S., Dr. John Ostrom examined one he termed BABGIRAPTOR FEINBERGI in October, 1997, in Montana. At the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center in April, 2000, he gave thirty-five talks about his find. Michael W. Skrepnick made the unusual illustration of this 'find' which looks like a giant baby duck. This is the cover for "Feathered Dragons."
Dr. Ostrom revealed finding a DEINONYCHUS in 1969, an unusual discover in paleontology which shows that dinosaurs were the logical ancestors of birds. Guess they at a lot to get so big.
It was thought that they were a primitive form of Asian bird. The early dinosaurs had avian traits and could fly. They laid eggs like birds do, but fish do, too. They could be a combination of the two but how'd they get so large.
The feathered COELUROSAURS were found in China and the SINOSAUROPTERYX were in Patagonia and Mongolia. The editors all all specialists in the field of dinosaurs. There were various contributors to this study of feathered "dragons."
"Life of the Past" was by James O. Farlow.
Dr. Ostrom revealed finding a DEINONYCHUS in 1969, an unusual discover in paleontology which shows that dinosaurs were the logical ancestors of birds. Guess they at a lot to get so big.
It was thought that they were a primitive form of Asian bird. The early dinosaurs had avian traits and could fly. They laid eggs like birds do, but fish do, too. They could be a combination of the two but how'd they get so large.
The feathered COELUROSAURS were found in China and the SINOSAUROPTERYX were in Patagonia and Mongolia. The editors all all specialists in the field of dinosaurs. There were various contributors to this study of feathered "dragons."
"Life of the Past" was by James O. Farlow.
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