The Dinosauria

The Dinosauria is a scientific reference book about dinosaurs . It was first published in 1990 and is supported by paleontologists David B. Weishampel ( Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution , Johns Hopkins University ), Peter Dodson ( Laboratories of Anatomy, School of Veterinary Medicine , University of Pennsylvania ) and Halszka Osmólska ( Instytut Paleobiologii , Polish Academy of Sciences ). In 2004 the book appeared in a revised and expanded second edition.

content

The English-language book contains contributions from 44 researchers around the world and has 879 pages in the second edition. The cover picture was designed by paleo artist Mark Hallett and shows some dinosaurs from the Yixian formation . The Dinosauria is aimed at a readership with extensive prior knowledge and a scientific background.

The first large part deals with the systematics of the dinosaurs . It is further subdivided according to the two lines of development, the lizard pelvis dinosaur and the bird pelvic dinosaur . Each of the recognized dinosaur groups is described in its own chapters with regard to the species assigned to them , the evolutionary relationships, morphological descriptions, the internal phylogenetic structure, geographical and stratigraphic distribution and interpretations of the biology of the animals.

The second part of the book deals generally with the distribution and biology of dinosaurs. It contains chapters on the area of distribution , fossilization , paleoecology , biogeography in the Mesozoic , physiology and the extinction of dinosaurs on the Cretaceous-Paleogene border .

The appendix contains an extensive bibliography , a list of the contributing authors and three registers : one on genera and species, one on stratigraphy and geography, and a general index. Various supplementary materials, including cladistic data matrices, are available online.

Differences to the first edition

Since the first edition appeared in 1990, there has been a sharp increase in new finds, taxa and methods that made it necessary to rearrange the Mesozoic fossils. There were profound changes in the systematics of the dinosaurs in particular, which is clearly noticeable in the second edition of 2004. While reptile-like dinosaurs were clearly visible on the cover picture of the first edition , the second edition shows a group of clearly bird-like, feathered dinosaurs and thus expresses the authors' changed understanding of the relationship between birds and dinosaurs as a "logical sequence of phylogenetic systematics".

reception

The Dinosauria is an attempt to depict the current state of dinosaur research in a single volume, which, according to Hans CE Larsson, has succeeded with great success. The book represents the authoritative summary of the current knowledge about dinosaurs and is a big step in the direction of research towards a recognized science. Roger Benson also describes the work as the “definitive reference work” for the subject.

The quality of the illustrations is perceived as very inconsistent: individual chapters are well illustrated, while others only contain simple line drawings.

literature

David B. Weishampel , Peter Dodson , Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . 2nd Edition. University of California Press , Berkeley / Los Angeles / London 2004, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 (English).

Web links

University of California Press: The Dinosauria

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d Hans CE Larsson: Hatching of an Accountable Science . In: Science . tape 307 , no. 5709 , January 28, 2005, ISSN 0036-8075 , p. 520 , doi : 10.1126 / science.1107611 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Roger Benson: WEISHAMPEL, DB, DODSON, P. & OSMÓLSKA, H. 2004. The Dinosauria, 2nd ed. Xviii 861 pp. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. Price £ 62.00 (hard covers). ISBN 0-520-24209-2 . In: Geological Magazine . tape 144 , no. 1 , January 15, 2007, ISSN 0016-7568 , p. 218 f ., doi : 10.1017 / S001675680624305X .
^ ^A ^b ^c David B. Weishampel , Peter Dodson , Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . 2nd Edition. University of California Press , Berkeley / Los Angeles / London 2004, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 , pp. vii f . (English).
Jump up ↑ Randall B. Irmis: Weishampel, Dodson, Osmólska: The Dinosauria, 2nd edition . In: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . tape 26 , no. 1 , August 2, 2010, ISSN 0272-4634 , p. 232 , doi : 10.1671 / 0272-4634 (2006) 26 [232: R] 2.0.CO; 2 .

[Larsson-1] A ^b ^c ^d Hans CE Larsson: Hatching of an Accountable Science . In: Science . tape 307 , no. 5709 , January 28, 2005, ISSN 0036-8075 , p. 520 , doi : 10.1126 / science.1107611 .

[Benson-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Roger Benson: WEISHAMPEL, DB, DODSON, P. & OSMÓLSKA, H. 2004. The Dinosauria, 2nd ed. Xviii 861 pp. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. Price £ 62.00 (hard covers). ISBN 0-520-24209-2 . In: Geological Magazine . tape 144 , no. 1 , January 15, 2007, ISSN 0016-7568 , p. 218 f ., doi : 10.1017 / S001675680624305X .

[contents-3] A ^b ^c David B. Weishampel , Peter Dodson , Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . 2nd Edition. University of California Press , Berkeley / Los Angeles / London 2004, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 , pp. vii f . (English).

[Irmis-4] Jump up ↑ Randall B. Irmis: Weishampel, Dodson, Osmólska: The Dinosauria, 2nd edition . In: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . tape 26 , no. 1 , August 2, 2010, ISSN 0272-4634 , p. 232 , doi : 10.1671 / 0272-4634 (2006) 26 [232: R] 2.0.CO; 2 .