It took centuries of scientific effort--and a lot of luck--to discover and establish the diversity of dinosaur species we now know. How did we learn that Triceratops had three horns? Why don't many paleontologists consider Brontosaurus a valid species? What convinced scientists that modern birds are relatives of ancient Velociraptor? In this book, Donald R. Prothero tells the fascinating stories behind the most important fossil finds and the intrepid...

"Sycamore seed siblings Merwin and Louise must use their wits and imaginations to navigate a mysterious and often dangerous world, filled with talking plants, monsters, meteors, and the fear of never finding the right conditions to set down roots and become big trees"--

Every fossil tells a story. Best-selling paleontology author Donald R. Prothero describes twenty-five famous, beautifully preserved fossils in a gripping, scientific history of life on Earth. Recounting the adventures behind the discovery of these objects and fully interpreting their significance within the larger fossil record, Prothero creates a riveting and enlightening overview for anyone interested in the history of life on our planet. The twenty-five...

Perhaps nudged over the evolutionary cliff by a giant boloid striking the earth, the incredible and fascinating group of animals called dinosaurs became extinct some 65 million years ago (except for their feathered descendants). In their place evolved an enormous variety of land creatures, especially the mammals, which in their way were every bit as remarkable as their Mesozoic cousins. The Age of Mammals, the Cenozoic Era, has never had its Jurassic...

Foreword by Matthew C. Lamanna New Afterword by Tom Rea Less than one hundred years ago, Diplodocus carnegii-named after industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie-was the most famous dinosaur on the planet. The most complete fossil skeleton unearthed to date, and one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered, Diplodocus was displayed in a dozen museums around the world and viewed by millions of people. Bone Wars explains how a fossil unearthed...

"Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through grade three, this book introduces fossils to young readers through leveled text and related photos"--

"Today, we know that a mammoth is an extinct type of elephant that was covered with long fur and lived in the north country during the ice ages. But how do you figure out what a mammoth is if you have no concept of extinction, ice ages, or fossils? Long after the last mammoth died and was no longer part of the human diet, it still played a role in human life. Cultures around the world interpreted the remains of mammoths through the lens of their own...

"After the extinction of dinosaurs and before the rise of humans, there existed another group of incredible creatures. Among its ranks were woolly rhinos, mastodons, sabre-tooth tigers, giant ground sloths, and many other spectacularly large animals that are no longer with us. Today, we think of these animals as part of a group known as "Pleistocene megafauna," named for the geological era in which they lived, also known as the Ice Age. In Vanished...

Martin introduces readers to the world of ichnology, the study of traces and trace fossils -- such as tracks, trails, burrows, nests, toothmarks, and other vestiges of behavior -- and how through these remarkable clues, help scientists explore and intuit the rich and complicated lives of dinosaurs during the Mesozoic era.

Fossils give us a window to the past. Water, sediments, and pressure work together over time to preserve the shape of things that lived long ago. Studying these ancient plants and animals tells us more about our own existence. Have you ever searched for fossils? Unearth some in this book.