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In An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology, experts Ali Nabavizadeh and David B. Weishampel bring dinosaurs to life on the page by exploring and illustrating their feeding adaptations. Whether dinosaurs were carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous, their evolution produced a multitude of specialized adaptations that helped shape their ecologies. Dinosaur skulls show a variety of bone and joint specializations ideal for withstanding stresses and strains induced by high bite forces with strong jaw musculature. The bladed, steak-knife dentition of many carnivorous dinosaurs was well-suited for slicing meat and crushing bones, while the leaf-shaped, sometimes tightly packed dentition of many herbivorous dinosaurs was ideal for grinding up a variety of plant material.
The first book of its kind, An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology is a synthesis of over a century of dinosaur feeding biology research, from the earliest hypotheses in the 1800s to today's studies using advanced techniques. Intended for both researchers and dinosaur enthusiasts alike, this book discusses functional morphological studies highlighting comparative anatomy, tooth wear, muscle reconstruction, and biomechanical analysis using modelling techniques like finite element analysis and multibody dynamics analysis. In addition to the feeding apparatus, Nabavizadeh and Weishampel explore postcranial adaptations and discuss the evolution of dinosaurs and their paleoecology more broadly. Integrating these various factors improves our understanding of dinosaurs as the living beings they were in their ecosystems millions of years ago and ultimately expands our knowledge and perspective of today's ecosystems by framing them in a broader evolutionary context.
Acknowledgements
1. Early Dinosaur Feeding Studies and an Introduction to Mesozoic Landscapes and Dietary Ecology
2. Bones, Teeth, Muscle, and the Study of Functional Morphology
3. An Overview of Dinosaur Anatomy
4. Early Dinosaurs and Non-Tetanuran Theropods
5. Early Tetanuran, Spinosaurid, and Allosauroid Theropods
6. Early Coelurosaurian and Tyrannosauroid Theropods
7. Maniraptoriform Theropods
8. Early Sauropodomorphs and the Rise of Sauropods
9. Neosauropods
10. Heterodontosaurids and Early Thyreophorans
11. Eurypodans
12. Early Neornithischians and Ornithopods
13. Marginocephalians
14. Shaping Dinosaur Ecosystems
Bibliography
Ali Nabavizadeh (Philadelphia, PA), PhD, is an assistant professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. David B. Weishampel (Parkville, MD), PhD, is a professor emeritus of anatomy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a coauthor of Transylvanian Dinosaurs and a coeditor of The Dinosauria.
"Beautifully written and very original. This book addresses an important topic that I don't think any book has ever addressed. I'm astonished this topic can be so extensively and originally explored, and with such eloquence. The authors do an amazing job of explaining this complex anatomical information in an accessible way. This will be an instant classic not just for paleontologists, but for general readers too."
– Kevin Padian, University of California, Berkeley, coeditor of Bone Histology of Fossil Tetrapods: Issues, Methods, and Databases
"A wonderful synthesis of the wealth of information now available concerning the biology of feeding in non-avian dinosaurs. It will be an invaluable reference for anyone seriously interested in these remarkable reptiles."
– Hans-Dieter Sues, author of The Rise of Reptiles: 320 Million Years of Evolution
"An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology is a dinosaur biology tour de force with an extensive historical review of dinosaur feeding and biomechanics. An absolute must-read for anyone interested in dinosaurs as living animals!"
– John R. Horner, Chapman University
"Nabavizadeh and Weishampel have produced the most comprehensive look at dinosaur feeding ever. Starting with the nuts and bolts (or rather, bones, teeth, and muscles), they explore the specializations for feeding down every branch of the dinosaur family tree. This volume will be required for all serious students of dinosaur research."
– Thomas R. Holtz, Jr., University of Maryland
"This book is a masterful, comprehensive, and up-to-the-minute survey of dinosaur evolution told from the point of view of feeding anatomy and biology broadly understood. The book is richly illustrated by the authors with muscle reconstructions that advance the field of paleontology. It is a treat for both advanced paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts of every age and level of interest."
– Peter Dodson, emeritus professor of veterinary anatomy and paleontology, University of Pennsylvania
