Klik på en miniature for at gå til Google Books
Indlæser... The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: The Theropodsaf Rubén Molina-Pérez
Ingen Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. Ingen anmeldelser
An illustrated record book of theropod facts and figures-from the biggest to the fastest to the smartestThe theropod dinosaurs ruled the planet for millions of years, with species ranging from the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex to feathered raptors no bigger than turkeys. Dinosaur Facts and Figures is a stunningly illustrated book of records for these marvelous creatures-such as the biggest, the smallest, the fastest, and the most powerful bite.This one-of-a-kind compendium features more than 3,000 records, covers some 750 theropod species, and includes a wealth of illustrations ranging from diagrams and technical drawings to full-color reconstructions of specimens. The book is divided into sections that put numerous amazing theropod facts at your fingertips. "Comparing Species" is organized by taxonomic group and gives comparisons of the size of species, how long ago they lived, and when they were discovered. "Mesozoic Calendar" includes page spreads showing the positions of the continents at different geological time periods and reconstructions of creatures from each period. "Prehistoric Puzzle" compares bones, teeth, and feathers while "Theropod Life" uses vivid, user-friendly graphics to answer questions such as which dinosaur was the smartest and which had the most powerful bite. Other sections chart theropod distribution on the contemporary world map, provide comprehensive illustrated listings of footprints, compile the physical specifications of all known theropods and Mesozoic birds, and much more.The essential illustrated record book for anyone interested in dinosaursFeatures thousands of records on everything from the smartest and fastest theropods to the largest theropod eggsIncludes more than 2,000 diagrams and drawings and more than 300 digital reconstructionsCovers more than 750 theropod species, including Mesozoic birds and other dinosauromorphsProvides detailed listings of footprints, biometric specifications, and scholarly and popular references No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsIngenPopulære omslag
Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)567.9Natural sciences and mathematics Fossils & prehistoric life Fossil cold-blooded vertebrates ReptiliaLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit: Ingen vurdering.Er det dig?Bliv LibraryThing-forfatter. |
While some reviewers rephrase the publisher’s summaries in reviews, I tend to offer the important portions of these in full quotes to avoid mis-phrasing the author’s or editor’s meaning. In this case, the publisher summarizes that the book is divided into some of the following section types: “‘Comparing Species’ is organized by taxonomic group and gives comparisons of the size of species, how long ago they lived, and when they were discovered. ‘Mesozoic Calendar’ includes spreads showing the positions of the continents at different geological time periods and reconstructions of creatures from each period. ‘Prehistoric Puzzle’ compares bones, teeth, and feathers while ‘Theropod Life’ uses vivid, user-friendly graphics to answer questions such as which dinosaur was the smartest and which had the most powerful bite. Other sections chart theropod distribution on the contemporary world map, provide comprehensive illustrated listings of footprints, compile the physical specifications of all known theropods and Mesozoic birds, and much more.”
The precision and detail I spotted in the images is not accidental. The creators, Rubén Molina-Pérez and Asier Larramendi, are the founders and scientific directors of Eofauna, a company that produces scientifically accurate representations of prehistoric fauna using the most current research available. The illustrations were made by Andrey Atuchin and Sante Mazzei, but clearly there was close collaboration between the team at Eofauna and these artists. Too often scientific images are either very beautiful but scientifically erroneous, or perfect scientifically but are drawn with the art savvy of a middle schooler. The need for this type of art-science collaborations is clear in astronomy just as it is in biology or dinosaur studies.
Glancing at all of this information and these visualizations makes me want to write a science fiction book about dinosaurs because they suddenly seem three-dimensional whereas before they were cartoonish. Many curious details appear as one looks closer, such as “the largest Mesozoic flea”, Pseudopulex magnus (207). I could even insert this specific flea into a fiction, rather than some generic flea-equivalent, or instead of questioning if fleas existed back then. There are also many historic timelines of the findings that uncovered the clues that allow us to imagine or determine what these historic creatures looked like; it is particularly significant to understand that dinosaur, space and other studies are based on centuries of research and changing opinions to make these fields friendlier towards new ideas and new theories. If readers perceive the images as absolute and final replicas of dinosaurs, they would be mislead as only fragments of bones and bits of other matter have survived the millions of years between us, so there is still a long way for science to go, and we might never have a precise replica of these complex lifeforms. The mixture of images and information is a great gateway to introduce younger readers to the most complex subjects; for example, the speed diagram that shows that a modern-day cheetah (105 km/h) is faster than the fastest bird of all time (Dinornis giganteus: 81 km/h) and the fastest dinosaur of the Mesozoic (Ornithomimus edmontonicus: 72 km/h) (173) helps to demonstrate that the planet has been evolving in terms of speed and power, whereas it is easy to imagine that dinosaurs had so much relative power they would have overwhelmed animals such as humans out of existence. The drawings of skulls are more photographic as they replicate located fossils (143).
I hope that the makes of the next Jurassic Park or equivalent film touching on dinosaurs will read this book during the research phase, so the resulting work will be a bit more inline with what is know about this period and these creatures. This book is approachable for everybody from middle schoolers who want to fantasize about dinosaurs to career researchers in this field who need to visualize species characteristics to spot connections and to contemplate undiscovered conclusions. Projects like this redeem the modern publishing industry as they show how art and information can be properly joined and delivered in a beautiful and informative vessel.