Vertebrate Palaeontology

Michael J. Benton, OBE, FRS, is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Bristol. He is particularly interested in early reptiles, Triassic dinosaurs and macroevolution, and has published over 60 books and 700 scientific articles. He is part of one of the most active palaeontology research groups in the world and has supervised more than 80 PhD students.

• List of Boxes xviiPreface xxiAbout the Companion Website xxv1 Vertebrates Originate 1Introduction 11.1 Sea Squirts and the Lancelet 21.2 Ambulacraria: Echinoderms and Hemichordates 41.3 Deuterostome Relationships 61.4 Chordate Origins 91.5 Vertebrate Origins: Worm or Bag? 151.6 Further Reading 20Questions for Future Research 20References 212 How to Study Fossil Vertebrates 25Introduction 252.1 Digging Up Bones 252.2 Publication and Professionalism 322.3 Geology and Fossil Vertebrates 372.4 Biology and Fossil Vertebrates 462.5 Discovering Phylogeny 532.6 Macroevolution 562.7 Further Reading 59References 593 Early Palaeozoic Fishes 63Introduction 633.1 Cambrian Vertebrates 633.2 Vertebrate Hard Tissues 653.3 The Jawless Fishes 673.4 Origin of Jaws 803.5 Placoderms: Armour-Plated Monsters 823.6 Pan-Chondrichthyes: Sharks, Rays, Acanthodians 903.7 Early Fish Biogeography and Environments 923.8 Osteichthyes: The Bony Fishes 943.9 Early Fish Evolution and Mass Extinction 1063.10 Further Reading 107Questions for Future Research 108References 1084 The First Tetrapods 115Introduction 1154.1 Problems of Life on Land 1154.2 Devonian Tetrapods 1204.3 The Carboniferous World 1284.4 Diversity of Carboniferous Tetrapods 1294.5 Temnospondyls and Reptiliomorphs After the Carboniferous 1394.6 Evolution of the Modern Amphibians 1444.7 Further Reading 150Questions for Future Research 150References 1505 Evolution of Early Amniotes 157Introduction 1575.1 Hylonomus and Paleothyris – Biology of the First Amniotes 1575.2 Amniote Adaptations for Terrestrial Life 1605.3 The Permian World 1675.4 The Parareptiles 1695.5 The Eureptiles 1745.6 Early Synapsid Evolution 1765.7 The Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction 1885.8 Further Reading 192Questions for Future Research 192References 1936 The Triassic Revolution 197Introduction 1976.1 The Triassic World and the Recovery of Life 1976.2 Triassic Marine Reptiles 2026.3 Evolution of the Archosauromorphs 2116.4 Origin of the Dinosaurs 2206.5 Amniote Evolution in the Triassic 2246.6 Further Reading 235Questions for Future Research 235References 2367 Evolution of Fishes After the Devonian 243Introduction 2437.1 The Early Chimaeras and Sharks 2437.2 Post-Palaeozoic Chondrichthyan Radiation 2517.3 The Early Bony Fishes 2557.4 Radiation of the Teleosts 2677.5 Post-Devonian Evolution of Fishes 2767.6 Further Reading 279Questions for Future Research 279References 2808 Dinosaurs 287Introduction 2878.1 Biology of Plateosaurus 2878.2 The Jurassic and Cretaceous World 2898.3 Saurischians and Theropod Diversity 2908.4 The Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs 3038.5 The Diversity of Ornithischian Dinosaurs 3098.6 Were the Dinosaurs Warm-Blooded or Not? 3268.7 Further Reading 333Questions for Future Research 334References 3349 The Mesozoic Reptiles 343Introduction 3439.1 Testudinata: The Turtles 3439.2 Crocodylomorpha 3539.3 Pterosauria 3599.4 The Great Sea Dragons 3679.5 Lepidosauria: Lizards and Snakes 3749.6 The End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction 3839.7 Further Reading 390Questions for Future Research 390References 39010 The Birds 401Introduction 40110.1 The Origin of Birds 40110.2 The Origin of Bird Flight 41210.3 Cretaceous Birds, With and Without Teeth 41810.4 The Radiation of Modern Birds: Explosion or Long Fuse? 42910.5 Flightless Birds: Palaeognathae 43210.6 Neognathae 43510.7 The Three-Phase Diversification of Birds 44710.8 Further Reading 448Questions for Future Research 448References 44911 Mammals: Origins and Southern Hemisphere Evolution 459Introduction 45911.1 Cynodonts and the Acquisition of Mammaliaform Characters 45911.2 The First Mammaliaforms 47211.3 The Mesozoic Mammaliaforms 47511.4 Marsupials Down Under 49211.5 South American Mammals – A World Apart 49711.6 Afrotheria and the Break-up of Gondwana 50611.7 Further Reading 512Questions for Future Research 513References 51312 Mammals of the Northern Hemisphere 525Introduction 52512.1 Evolution of Modern Mammals 52512.2 Boreoeutherian Beginnings: The Palaeocene in the Northern Hemisphere 52912.3 Early Diverging Laurasiatherians: Eulipotyphla 53712.4 Scrotifera: Bats and Relatives 54012.5 Cetartiodactyla: Cattle, Pigs and Whales 54012.6 Zooamata: Horses, Carnivores, and Pangolins 55012.7 Glires: Rodents, Rabbits, and Relatives 56312.8 Archonta: Primates, Tree Shrews, and Flying Lemurs 56812.9 Ice Age Extinction of Large Mammals 56912.10 Further Reading 574Questions for Future Research 574References 57413 Human Evolution 585Introduction 58513.1 What Are the Primates? 58513.2 The Fossil Record of Early Primates 58613.3 Anthropoidea: Monkeys and Apes 59213.4 Hominoidea: The Apes 59713.5 Evolution of Human Characteristics 60313.6 The Early Stages of Human Evolution 60513.7 The Past Two Million Years of Human Evolution 61113.8 Further Reading 620Questions for Future Research 620References 620Appendix: Classification of the Vertebrates 629Glossary 641Index 647