Books
Anthony J. Martin
Dinosaurs Without Bones
Dinosaur Lives Revealed By Their Trace Fossils
Summary:
CSI meets Jurassic Park in a fascinating, revelatory look at dinosaurs and their world through the million-year-old clues they left behind in this book by Anthony J. Martin.
What if we woke up one morning all of the dinosaur bones in the world were gone? How would we know these iconic animals had a 165-million-year history on earth and adapted to all land-based environments, from pole to pole? What clues would be left to know not only their presence, but also to learn about their sex lives, raising of young, social lives, combat, and who ate who? What would it take for us to know how fast dinosaurs moved, whether they lived underground, climbed trees, or went for a swim?
Welcome to the world of ichnology, the study of traces and trace fossils―such as tracks, trails, burrows, nests, toothmarks, and other vestiges of behavior―and how through these remarkable clues, we can explore and intuit the rich and complicated lives of dinosaurs. With a unique, detective-like approach, interpreting the forensic clues of these long-extinct animals that leave a much richer legacy than bones, Martin brings the wild world of the Mesozoic to life for the twenty-first century reader.
“Digs into the subterranean strategies of prehistoric and contemporary animals, from insects to giant sloths and, to a lesser extent, humans. Offers subtle clues that help shift the dramatic narrative of prehistoric life forward. Underground warrens enable lungfish to survive drought, iguanas to weather hurricanes, and alligators sit out wildfires.”
- The Economist
“Martin, known for having discovered an ancient burrowing dinosaur, examines the world underground and the evolutionary advantages attendant in knowing how to get around down there. A spry exercise in popular science. Can you dig it?”
- Kirkus Reviews
“Martin is an amiably erudite guide to burrowing fauna. Down the rabbit hole with Martin, Earth becomes one vast, ‘constantly evolving burrow system.’”
- Nature
“An unbelievably engaging book.”
- Choice
“A great introduction and history that will fascinate eco-minded conservationists and fossil hunters.”
- Library Journal
“Martin writes with obvious glee and a humor that at times digs for the dad-jokes, but as a scholar he knows his stuff―many of the natural discoveries he describes are his own. Martin delivers something the casual reader will not expect: a real education in paleontology. The Evolution Underground is a fun book of surprising depth.”
Shelf Awareness
“Packed with solid information, incredible anecdotes and many subterranean puns and pop-culture references, The Evolution Underground is a joy to read, and, judging by the irreverent glee shining through in Martin's style, must have been a joy to write. This is a great work of popular science that seems to have largely flown under people's radar.”
NHBS (Natural History Book Service)
“The Evolution Underground should find its way onto the reading tables and bookshelves of every naturalist, regardless of their specific areas of interest, for within its pages is both an encyclopedia of discrete facts as well as a collection of some of the best explanations of a number of core ecological concepts that I’ve found anywhere.”
Johannes E. Riutta, The Well Read Naturalist
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