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Genre/Form: | Electronic books |
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Additional Physical Format: | Print version: Prothero, Donald R. Fantastic fossils. New York : Columbia University Press, [2020] (DLC) 2019024030 |
Material Type: | Document, Internet resource |
Document Type: | Internet Resource, Computer File |
All Authors / Contributors: |
Donald R Prothero; Mary Persis Williams |
ISBN: | 9780231551489 0231551487 |
OCLC Number: | 1111639695 |
Description: | 1 online resource (viii, 323 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations (some color), maps |
Contents: | Intro -- Table of Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Part I. Fossils Are Where You Find Them -- 1. Fantastic Fossils -- 2. How Are Fossils Formed? -- 3. What Kinds of Rocks Yield Fossils? -- 4. Where Do You Find Fossils? -- 5. Dating Fossils -- 6. Collecting Fossils: Badlands -- 7. Collecting Fossils: Beaches -- 8. Collecting Fossils: Quarries and Roadcuts -- 9. The Crucial Step: Collecting Data -- Part II. Identifying Your Fossils -- 10. What's in a Name? -- 11. Phylum Porifera: Sponges and Their Relatives -- 12. Phylum Cnidaria (Coelenterates): Sea Jellies, Sea Anemones, and Corals 13. Phylum Brachiopoda: Brachiopods, or Lamp Shells -- 14. Phylum Bryozoa: Bryozoans, or Moss Animals -- 15. Phylum Arthropoda: Trilobites and Their Relatives -- 16. Phylum Mollusca: Clams, Snail, Squids, and Their Relatives -- 17. Phylum Echinodermata: Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, and Their Relatives -- 18. Phylum Hemichordata: Graptolites -- 19. Phylum Chordata: Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals -- 20. Paleobotany: Fossil Plants -- Index -- Color Illustrations |
Responsibility: | Donald R. Prothero ; illustrated by Mary Persis Williams. |
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Reviews
Publisher Synopsis
This book condenses most of what you find in a college textbook on paleontology into a concise, readable handbook that explains everything from how to find and collect fossils to how to assign them scientific names. No fossil enthusiast should be without it! -- Spencer G. Lucas, Curator of Paleontology, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Donald Prothero knows how to use the written word to make paleontology exciting, and the literary adventure he takes us on in his latest book, Fantastic Fossils, is definitely worth the price of admission. Via prose and a plethora of illustrations, Prothero shepherds us from badlands to beaches and quarries to roadcuts; all of these peregrinations give the reader a sense of what it's like to be on a paleontological quest. As part of this metaphorical pursuit one also receives practical knowledge; the reader comes to understand not only how to collect and identify fossils but also their broader significance as natural history objects with myriad implications for ecology, evolution and climate change. Prothero's book features the remark that: "Fossils are cool. Fossils are amazing." I concur, and if you do too, or if you're anyone from nine to ninety who wants to learn more about fossils, you should definitely check out this book. -- Bruce S. Lieberman, Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas Prothero is a prolific author of popular paleontology titles. Meeting his usual excellent standard, this delightful and wide-ranging book provides an engaging grounding in the basics of paleontology and geology, alongside information on many of the common creatures budding fossil hunters are likely to encounter. -- John Pickrell, author of <i>Flying Dinosaurs</i> and <i>Weird Dinosaurs</i> The text is easy to understand, with limited use of jargon, and will be most helpful to beginners who want to know more about fossils but have limited geological understanding. * Choice * Accessible, entertaining, and richly illustrated. A must have for anyone with an interest in fossils. * Birdbooker Report * Read more...

