Thunder-Lizards: The Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs(Life of the Past)

The large quadrupedal herbivores known as sauropods roamed the planet from the Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous. With the longest necks and tails of all of the dinosaurs, some sauropods were 40 meters in length and weighed upwards of 100,000 kilograms. The popular image of these lumbering giants, placidly consuming ferns, has been greatly revised in recent years by new discoveries and new theories about behavior and physiology. This book presents 21 new studies of the sauropods. The volume is organized into four parts. Part I looks at some sauropods old and new, Part II at juvenile and adult specimens and ontogenetic variation within species. Part III concerns morphology and biomechanics, while Part IV takes up issues of biogeography. The contributors are Sebastian Apesteguia, Malcolm W. Bedell, Jr., David S. Berman, Matthew F. Bonnan, Kenneth Carpenter, Sankar Chatterjee, Rodolfo A. Coria, Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia, John R. Foster, Peter M. Galton, Jacques van Heerden, Takehito Ikejiri, Jean Le Loeuff, D. M. Mohabey, Ralph E. Molnar, John S. McIntosh, J. Michael Parrish, Bruce M. Rothschild, Leonardo Salgado, Steven W. Salisbury, Allen Shaw, Kenneth Stadtman, Kent A.Stevens, Virginia Tidwell, David L. Trexler, D. Ray Wilhite, Adam M. Yates, and Zhong Zheng. Virginia Tidwell is a paleontologist in the Earth Science Lab at the Denver Museum of Natural History. Kenneth Carpenter is the dinosaur paleontologist for the Denver Museum of Natural History. His books include Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs (IUP, 2000).

Table of Contents:
Contributors I. Sauropods Old and New 1. Postcranial Anatomy of Referred Specimens of the Sauropodomorph Dinosaur Melanorosaurus from the Upper Triassic of South AfricaPeter M. Galton, Jacques Van Heerden, and Adam M. Yates 2. The Genus Barosaurus Marsh (Sauropoda, Diplodocidae)John S. McIntosh 3. Reassessment of the Early Cretaceous Sauropod Astrodon johnsoni Leidy 1865 (Titanosauriformes)Kenneth Carpenter and Virginia Tidwell 4. Osteology of Ampelosaurus atacis (Titanosauria) from Southern FranceJean Le Loeuff II. Sauropods Young to Old 5. New Juvenile Sauropod Material from Western Colorado, and the Record of Juvenile Sauropods from the Upper Jurassic Morrison FormationJohn R. Foster 6. New Adult Specimens of Camarasaurus lentus Highlight Ontogenetic Variation within the SpeciesTakehito Ikejiri, Virginia Tidwell, and David L. Trexler 7. Age-Related Characteristics Found in a Partial Pelvis of CamarasaurusVirginia Tidwell, Kenneth Stadtman, and Allen Shaw 8. Ontogenetic Variation and Isometric Growth in the Forelimb of the Early Cretaceous Sauropod VenenosaurusVirginia Tidwell and D. Ray Wilhite III. Body Parts: Morphology and Biomechanics 9. Neuroanatomy and Dentition of Camarasaurus lentus Sankar Chatterjee and Zhong Zheng 10. Neck Posture, Dentition, and Feeding Strategies in Jurassic Sauropod DinosaursKent A. Stevens and J. Michael Parrish 11. Neck Posture of Sauropods Determined Using Radiological Imaging to Reveal Three-Dimensional Structure of Cervical VertebraeDavid S. Berman and Bruce M. Rothschild 12. Evolution of the Hyposphene-Hypanthrum Complex within SauropodaSebastián Apesteguía 13. Variation in the Appendicular Skeleton of North American Sauropod Dinosaurs: Taxonomic ImplicationsD. Ray Wilhite 14. First Articulated Manus of Diplodocus carnegiiMalcolm W. Bedell Jr. and David L. Trexler 15. Evolution of the Titanosaur MetacarpusSebastián Apesteguía 16. Pes Anatomy in Sauropod Dinosaurs: Implications for Functional Morphology, Evolution, and PhylogenyMatthew F. Bonnan 17. Sauropod Stress Fractures as Clues to ActivityBruce M. Rothschild and Ralph E. Molnar IV. Global Record of Sauropods 18. Between Gondwana and Laurasia: Cretaceous Sauropods in an Intraoceanic Carbonate PlatformFabio M. Dalla Vecchia 19. Sauropods of Patagonia: Systematic Update and Notes on Global Sauropod EvolutionLeonardo Salgado and Rodolfo A. Coria 20. Observations on Cretaceous Sauropods from AustraliaRalph E. Molnar and Steven W. Salisbury 21. Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Nests, Eggs, and Dung Mass (Coprolites) of Sauropods (Titanosaurs) from IndiaD. M. Mohabey Index

About the Author :
As a research associate at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Virginia Tidwell is primarily focused on gaining an understanding of the phylogenic relationship of the Early Cretaceous sauropods of North America. Kenneth Carpenter is the dinosaur paleontologist for the Denver Museum of Natural History. His books include Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs (IUP, 2000).