Vertebrate Palaeontology Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Vertebrate palaeontology is a lively field, with new discoveries reported every week… and not only dinosaurs! This new edition reflects the international scope of vertebrate palaeontology, with a special focus on exciting new finds from China. A key aim is to explain the science. Gone are the days of guesswork. Young researchers use impressive new numerical and imaging methods to explore the tree of life, macroevolution, global change, and functional morphology. The fourth edition is completely revised. The cladistic framework is strengthened, and new functional and developmental spreads are added. Study aids include: key questions, research to be done, and recommendations of further reading and web sites. The book is designed for palaeontology courses in biology and geology departments. It is also aimed at enthusiasts who want to experience the flavour of how the research is done. The book is strongly phylogenetic, and this makes it a source of current data on vertebrate evolution.
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 4 edition (October 20, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1118406842
ISBN-13: 978-1118406847
Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 1 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #152,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Paleontology > Vertebrate #28 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Fossils #760 in Books > Science & Math > Evolution
I bought the third edition of this book for my Vertebrate Paleontology class last year, and I found myself regularly going back to reference it to brush up on facts. With that edition having been published in 2005, I knew some of the sections were outdated (and the occasional upright, tail-dragging theropod figures bothered me), so I decided to check out the new edition. Every section is, at the very least, brushed up to reflect new views and discoveries, and many parts have been completely re-done. It would have been nice to see more of the figures updated, however. Many still show outdated postures (which is mostly just a pet-peeve for me, but I was hoping to see it change). Overall, lots of significant changes in the text, and new featured "box" sections, that make it a worthy update from the previous version.Also, I bought the kindle edition this time, and I am very pleased with the formatting. The text size can be changed, and the layout adapts to fit your window, instead of being fixed in a textbook-page format. This makes it much easier to read when I have a word document open in one half of the screen, with the book open in the other half.
Kindle edition sometimes skips back to a previous chapter when tapping for next page. Figures are so small that they are hard to read. However a web site is available to get figures on a power point display.Quality of writing good but I am not a student, just an interested person with a strong background in science. The author frequently uses technical anatomical and phylogenetic and scientific names that are not explained, which makes the going a little confusing for me. Usually wikipedia can clear things up however.
Anyone interested in paleontology will love this book. It is well illustrated and up to date, as well as being well written and easy to understand.
Excellent text. Enjoyed learning from it.
Awesome book, helped me a'lot during my NOSB competition!
An excellent resource and text book -- an up-to-date synthesis with great illustrations and a full reference list.
Excellent textbook.
It was exactly what I expected
Vertebrate Palaeontology Vertebrate Dissection
