Bibliograph

The story of life in 25 fossils, tales of intrepid fossil hunters and the wonders of evolution, Donald R. Prothero

Type

Label

The story of life in 25 fossils, tales of intrepid fossil hunters and the wonders of evolution, Donald R. Prothero

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The story of life in 25 fossils

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

900031557

Responsibility statement

Donald R. Prothero

Sub title

tales of intrepid fossil hunters and the wonders of evolution

Summary

Every fossil tells a story. Prothero recounts the adventures behind the discovery of twenty-five famous, beautifully preserved fossils and explains their significance within the larger fossil record, creating a riveting history of life on our planet

Table Of Contents

Planet of the scum. The first fossils : Cryptozoon -- Garden of Ediacara. The first multicellular life : Charnia -- "Little shellies." The first shells : Cloudina -- Oh, give me a home, when the trilobites roamed. The first large shelled animals : Olenellus -- Is it a worm or an arthropod? The origin of arthropods : Hallucigenia -- Is it a worm or a mollusc? The origin of molluscs : Pilina -- Growing from the sea. The origin of land plants : Cooksonia -- A fishy tale. The origin of vertebrates : Haikouichthys -- Mega-jaws. The largest fish : Carcharocles -- Fish out of water. The origin of amphibians : Tiktaalik -- "Frogamander." The origin of frogs : Gerobatrachus -- Turtle on the half-shell. The origin of turtles : Odontochelys -- Walking serpents. The origin of snakes : Haasiophis -- King of the fish-lizards. The largest marine reptile : Shonisaurus -- Terror of the seas. The largest sea monster : Kronosaurus -- Monster flesh-eater. The largest predator : Giganotosaurus -- Land of the giants. The largest land animal : Argentinosaurus -- A feather in stone. The first bird : Archaeopteryx -- Not quite a mammal. The origin of mammals : Thrinaxodon -- Walking into the water. The origin of whales : Ambulocetus -- Walking manatees. The origin of sirenians : Pezosiren -- Dawn horses. The origin of horses : Eohippus -- Rhinoceros giants. The largest land mammal : Paraceratherium -- The ape's reflection? The oldest human fossil : Sahelanthropus -- Lucy in the sky with diamonds. The oldest human skeleton : Australopithecus afarensis -- Appendix. The best natural history museums

Creator