Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds
- Book Review,
by Gregory S. Paul
From Book News, Inc.
While a growing number of scientists are arguing that birds descended directly from dinosaurs, scientific illustrator Paul goes further in contending that some of the creatures we think of as dinosaurs are in fact descended from birds that lost the power of flight. Combining a large amount of technical data, numerous illustrations, and a semipopular format, he explores how flight evolved and why it may have been lost in some creatures. He further attempts to present a family tree of the bird ancestors and discusses what the Archaeopteryx may tell us about bird origins.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Review
"Paul has succeeded in producing a beautiful book that will be an invaluable reference for those interested in avian origins for many years to come."--Graham K. Taylor, British Ornithologists' Union, Ibis
Review
"As a dinosaur paleontologist, I have had a long interest in the artistic and scientific aspects of Greg Paul's work. In Dinosaurs of the Air, he boldly discusses the idea that familiar Cretaceous dinosaurs such as Velociraptor and Oviraptor may have had flying ancestors. While many will disagree with Paul's conclusions, his artistic skill and original thinking will make them hard to ignore."--Thomas R. Holtz, Jr., University of Maryland, College Park
Book Description
Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds presents the most recent work of renowned evolutionary scientist and dinosaur illustrator Gregory Paul. Dinosaurs of the Air synthesizes the growing body of evidence which suggests that modern-day birds have evolved from theropod dinosaurs of prehistoric times. Paul argues provocatively for the idea that the ancestor-descendant relationship between the dinosaurs and birds can on occasion be reversed, and that many dinosaurs were secondarily flightless descendants of creatures we would regard as birds.Controversial and comprehensive, Dinosaurs of the Air also offers new, firsthand interpretations of major fossils; a balanced, rewarding discussion of the ways we think flight may have evolved (comparing "ground up" and "trees down" scenarios); a close look at the famous urvogel Archaeopteryx, discussing what it can and cannot tell us about bird origins; and in-depth analyses of bird and theropod phylogenetics. Full of rich detail for the specialist but accessible to the intelligent lay reader, the book includes the author's own stunning illustrations and a technical appendix which provides information, for example, on body mass/wing dimension relationships and avian/dinosaurian metabolics.
From the Publisher
"In Dinosaurs of the Air, Greg Paul provides us with original and innovative ideas, fine analysis, beautiful illustrations, and an important contribution to the literature of paleontology. It takes an innovative direction, suggesting that many groups of birdlike dinosaurs are the flightless descendants of animals that we would normally consider birds. It thus has the potential to become a true classic."—Lawrence Witmer, Ohio University "As a dinosaur paleontologist, I have had a long interest in the artistic and scientific aspects of Greg Paul's work. In Dinosaurs of the Air, he boldly discusses the idea that familiar Cretaceous dinosaurs such as Velociraptor and Oviraptor may have had flying ancestors. While many will disagree with Paul's conclusions, his artistic skill and original thinking will make them hard to ignore."—Thomas R. Holtz, Jr., University of Maryland, College Park
About the Author
Gregory S. Paul is a freelance scientist and scientific illustrator specializing in dinosaur evolution. Illustrations from his book Predatory Dinosaurs of the World, along with specific skeletal studies of theropods he was commissioned to prepare, were used in the making of the Jurassic Park movies.
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