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The fossil record of giant flightless birds extends back to the Late Cretaceous, more than 70 million years ago, but our understanding of these extinct birds is still incomplete. This is partly because the number of specimens available is sometimes limited, but also because widely different approaches have been used to study them, with sometimes contradictory results. This book summarizes the current knowledge of the paleobiology of seven groups of giant flightless birds: Dinornithiformes, Aepyornithiformes, Dromornithidae, Phorusrhacidae, Brontornithidae, Gastornithidae and Gargantuavis. The first chapter presents the global diversity of these birds and reviews the tools and methods used to study their paleobiology. Chapters 2 to 8 are each dedicated to one of the seven groups of extinct birds. Finally, a conclusion offers a global synthesis of the information presented in the book in an attempt to define a common evolutionary model. - Focuses on the giant flightless birds that evolved independently in different parts of the world since the Cretaceous period - Covers a number of different families with different evolutionary histories, providing a source of interesting comparisons - Provides emphasis on the palaeobiology of these birds, including their evolution, adaptations, mode of life, ecology and extinction

Throughout history man has been discovering fossil bones. Our interpretations of these discoveries through the centuries provides an insight into the development of scientific knowledge. This book traces the history of vertebrate palaeontolgoy from the discoveries and interpretations of fossil bones by the Greeks and Romans and their role as evidence for the biblical flood through to the formulation of the synthetic theory of evolution after the First World War. The author shows how the pioneering work of Cuvier in the 19th century and the inspiration of Darwin and others led to modern theories of evolution. He goes on to look at the great palaeontological finds which resulted from the opening-up of the American West, the industrial exploitation of minerals in Europe and colonial expansion in Asia and Africa.

They may be dead, but they are still hip - new dinosaurs are being discovered even today - one recent find was named after rock star Mark Knopfler They were highly successful as a species, so what happened? Discover the theories put forward by the great palaeontologists of the 19th century (catastrophism, a devastating ice age) and why they have since been discounted. Find out why more recent theories (marine regression, volcanic activity) have also been discredited and which theory is currently deemed the most plausible. There have been many books on dinosaurs, but far fewer on one of the great mysteries of the world, why they became extinct. A great book for dinosaur fans and the simply curious alike.

Un portrait de ces animaux.

Il y a 65 millions d'années, les dinosaures furent rayés de la surface du globe, à la suite d'un gigantesque cataclysme dont la cause reste encore controversée. Comète géante ? Eruption volcanique ? L'explication appartient aux paléontologues, alors que déjà, dans le Sud de la France, des restes de dinosaures et des œufs fossiles apportent un début de réponse à cette énigme. Retraçant l'épopée de ces " dinosaures français " et de leur " redécouverte " dans les années 70, Eric Buffetaut dresse le tableau de la faune du Crétacé. Une faune incroyablement diverse, aboutissement d'un règne de 160 millions d'années - la plus spectaculaire " réussite " du monde vivant depuis les origines. Car les dinosaures n'étaient pas voués à l'extinction. Sans leur disparition, l'histoire des mammifères eût sans doute pris un cours tout différent - et, a fortiori, l'histoire des hommes. Du site de Bellevue, dans l'Aude, à celui de Cruzy, dans l'Hérault, Dinosaures : à la recherche d'un monde perdu nous donne à voir, au jour le jour, le travail du paléontologue : fouilles, reconstitutions, analyses et recherches dans les musées d'histoire naturelle du monde entier. Un travail qui s'apparente à celui de l'enquêteur, et dont l'ultime objectif est de mieux comprendre l'évolution de la vie sur terre.