Dino-birds
From Dinosaurs to Birds
Angela
Milner
What
do Tyrannosaurus rex and Erithacus rubecula
(the common European Robin) have in common? Much more
than you might realise - for the robin in your garden
is a modern dinosaur - albeit a small one, but perhaps
just as aggressive as its distant giant relative.
The origins of the birds has until now been one of the
great enigmas of evolution. Fossils rarely show soft tissues
such as hair and feathers, the crucial proof needed to
find the missing links in the evolutionary trail from
reptile to bird. Until the discovery seven years ago of
the first feathered dinosaur from the fine-grained slate
of the Liaoning Province of China, there was no hard evidence
to prove the theory that birds came from a family of feathered
dinosaurs. Now it is believed that feathers were relatively
common among the meat-eating dinosaurs. It is even thought
possible that Tyrannosaurus rex may have had fluffy
chicks!
Dino-birds explores the ever-growing evidence supporting
the evolution of dinosaurs to birds. Dinosaur expert Angela
Milner looks at the astounding fossil 'feathery' dinosaurs
from China and the bird fossils from other sites around
the world, to take us on a journey from those dinosaurs
to the birds we see today. Looking at the people involved
and the debates that ensued this is an exciting little
book packed with information on every page, and beautifully
illustrated throughout.
Published
by the Natural History Museum, London.
Key
features
- Illustrated
with little-seen fossils from China
- Of
interest to ornithologists and fossil hunters alike
- Concise
synopsis of what is known to date
Contents
Introduction; Ancient wing; Enter
the 'raptors'; Feathers from China; Plumes, fans, feathers
and fluffy coats; Feathers and flight paths; Early birds;
Time and place.
About
the author
Dr Angela Milner is Deputy
Keeper of the Department of Palaeontology, Head of the
Fossil Vertebrates Division, and dinosaur researcher at
the Natural History Museum, London. She has written several
books on dinosaurs including co-authoring The Natural
History Museum Book of Dinosaurs, and has collected
fossils from as far away as China and the Sahara Desert.
Exhibition
In 2002 the Chinese dino-bird fossils were
at the centre of a major exhibition Dino-Birds:
The Feathered Dinosaurs of China at the Natural History
Museum, London.
Reviews
"I can recommend this delightful book to
any one interested in fossil finds, dinosaurs or simply
for a fascinating read of part of our geological history."
Geologists' Association
Press
release
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Specifications
ISBN:
0 565 09174 3
Price: £5.95
Format: Hardback
Size: 150 x 140 mm
Extent: 64 pp
Published: November 2002
Subject classification: Popular science; natural
History; palaeontology
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