Dinosaurs, a successful animal group that emerged between 240 and 230 million years ago, dominated the world until about 66 million years ago, when a giant asteroid struck the Earth. During that time, dinosaurs evolved from a primarily dog- and horse-sized group of creatures to the most massive beasts that ever existed on land.
Some carnivorous dinosaurs became smaller over time and evolved into birds. In this sense, it is only the ungulate dinosaurs that became extinct. (In this article, unless otherwise noted, “dinosaurs” will refer to non-animal dinosaurs.)
During the approximately 174 million years that dinosaurs existed, the world changed dramatically. During the Triassic Period (251.9 to 201.3 million years ago), when dinosaurs first appeared, they roamed the Pangaean supercontinent. But by the time of the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous (145 million to 66 million years ago), the continent was in roughly the same place it is today.
About the Book
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DINOSAURS AND OTHER PREHISTORIC LIFE begins with an introductory chapter that provides an over view for understanding fossils, evolution, and prehistoric life. This is followed by four major sections covering the major groups of prehistoric animals: fish and invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles, dinosaurs and birds, and mammals and their ancestors. Each of these four sections deals with a particular prehistoric animal or group of such animals. The volume ends with a chronology offossils, information on how paleontologists find and study fossils, and biographies of prominent researchers.
Prehistoric animals are realistically reconstructed in their natural habitats and are featured on feature pages in four major sections. Detailed texts describe key animals and other related creatures. These pages (above) describe the sea scorpion and feature the sea scorpion Pterygotus.
Great book to have