Colbert's Evolution of the Vertebrates A History of the Backboned Animals Through Time

About this book

A classic text which investigates backboned animals during approximately 500 million years of evolution. It traces the history of each major vertebrate group from its origin to its extinction or the the emergence of the next, more advanced group.

Contents

Introduction. Jawless Vertebrates. Acanthodians and Placoderms. Sharklike Fishes. Bony Fishes. Lobe--Fin Fishes and the Transition to Land. Early Paleozoic Faunas. Amphibians. The Advent of Reptiles. Late Paleozoic Faunas. Lepidosaurs. Aquatic Reptiles. Early Ruling Reptiles. Triumph of the Dinosaurs. Aerial Reptiles. Birds. Years of the Dinosaurs. Mammal--Like Reptiles. Beginning of the Mammals. Marsupials. Introduction to the Placentals. Early Placental Diversification. The Primates and Their Allies. Rodents and Rabbits. Creodonts and Carnivores. Whales and Dolphins. Primitive Ungulates. Artiodactyls. South American Ungulates. Perissodactyls. Elephants and Their Kin. Cenozoic Faunas. A Classification of the Phylum Chordata. Bibliography. Key to Abbreviations of Bone Names Used in Illustrations. Sources and Credits for Illustrations.

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Biography

EDWIN H. COLBERT is Honorary Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. In addition, he is Curator Emeritus for the American Museum of Natural History in New York and Professor Emeritus at Columbia University in New York. MICHAEL MORALES is Curator of Geology at The Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Arizona. ELI C. MINKOFF is Professor of Biology and Chair of the Department of Biology at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.