The Mesozoic Era. Age of Dinosaurs

331 Pages·2010·3.87 MB·English

by  Britannica Educational Publishing

THE MESOZOIC ERA
AGE OF
DINOSAURS
THE GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF EARTH
THE MESOZOIC ERA
AGE OF
DINOSAURS
EDITED BY JOHN P. RAFFERTY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, EARTH SCIENCES
Published in 2011 by Britannica Educational Publishing
(a trademark of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)
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First Edition
Britannica Educational Publishing
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Introduction by David Nagle
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Mesozoic era: age of dinosaurs/edited by John P. Rafferty.
p. cm.—(The geologic history of Earth)
“In association with Britannica Educational Publishing, Rosen
Educational Services.”
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-61530193-5 (eBook)
1. Geology, Stratigraphic—Mesozoic. I. Rafferty, John P.
QE675.M367 2010
560'.176—dc22
2009043136
On the cover: Tyrannosaurus rex, “king of the tyrant lizards,” reigned
during the Jurassic period, which occurred midway through the
Mesozoic era. This model of T. rex is part of the collection at the
Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, Calif. Charles C.
Place/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images
p. 12 © www.istockphoto.com / Robert King; pp. 23, 102, 140, 209, 275,
277, 279 © www.istockphoto.com / Colton Stiffler
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE MESOZOIC ERA
Mesozoic Geology
The Tethys Sea
Mesozoic Life
Life in the Oceans
Life on Land
Mass Extinction at the end of the Mesozoic
The Dinosaurs
The Search for Dinosaurs
Natural History of Dinosaurs
Dinosaur Classification
The End of the Dinosaurs
CHAPTER 2: THE TRIASSIC PERIOD
The Triassic Environment
Paleogeography
Paleoclimate
Triassic Life
Mass Extinctions of the Triassic
The Permian-Triassic Extinctions
The End-Triassic Extinctions
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Fishes and Marine Reptiles
Terrestrial Reptiles and the First Mammals
From Reptiles to Dinosaurs
Flying Reptiles
Plants
Significant Dinosaurs of the Triassic Period
Coelophysis
Herrerasaurus
Plateosaurus
Other Significant Life-Forms of the Triassic Period
Bauria
Chondrosteiformes
Cynognathus