The Rise of Reptiles: 320 Million Years of Evolution

by Hans-Dieter Sues

Overview

The defining masterwork on the evolution of reptiles.

Over 300 million years ago, an early land vertebrate developed an egg that contained the embryo in an amnion, allowing it to be deposited on land. This moment marked the first step in the fascinating and complex evolutionary journey of the reptiles. In The Rise of Reptiles, paleontologist Hans-Dieter Sues explores the diversity of reptilian lineages, discussing the relationships among turtles, crocodylians, lizards and snakes, and many extinct groups.

Reflecting the tremendous advances in the study of reptilian diversity and phylogeny over recent decades, this book is the first detailed, contemporary synthesis of the evolutionary history of these remarkable animals. Reptiles have always confused taxonomists, who have endlessly debated and rewritten their classifications. In this book, Sues adopts an explicitly phylogenetic framework to sift through the evidence and discuss the origin and diversification of Reptilia in a way no one has before. He also examines the genealogical link between dinosaurs and birds and sheds new light on the Age of Reptiles, a period that saw the rise and fall of most dinosaurs.

With this single meticulously researched volume, Sues paints a complete portrait of reptilian evolution. Numerous photographs of key specimens from around the world introduce readers to the reptilian fossil record, and color images of present-day reptiles illustrate their diversity. The extensive bibliography provides an invaluable guide for readers who are interested in exploring individual topics more deeply. Accurate, synthetic, and sweeping, The Rise of Reptiles is the definitive work on the subject.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421428680
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	08/06/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Hans-Dieter Sues is a senior scientist and curator of fossil vertebrates at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. He is a coauthor of Triassic Life on Land: The Great Transition.

Table of Contents

Preface
Outline Classification
1 Introduction
2 Amniotes and Reptiles
3 Parareptilia: A Group of Their Own
4 Basal Eureptilia and Diapsida: Early Evolution of Modern Reptiles
5 Testudinata: Turtles and Their Stem-Taxa
6 Sauropterygia, Ichthyosauromorpha, and Related Reptiles: The Early Mesozoic Invasion of the Sea
7 Lepidosauromorpha: Rhynchocephalians, Squamates, and Their Relatives
8 Archosauromorpha: The Ruling Reptiles and Their Relatives
9 Pseudosuchia: Crocodile-Line Archosaurs
10 Avemetatarsalia: Bird-Line Archosaurs Excluding Dinosaurs
11 Dinosauria I: Saurischia
12 Dinosauria II: Ornithischia
13 A Brief History of Reptiles
14 The Future of Reptiles
Glossary
References
Index

What People are Saying About This

John Long

A valuable reference book—entertaining read and beautifully illustrated—about how reptiles first evolved and diversified into many lineages, including the one leading to us mammals. The Rise of Reptiles is essential reading for every evolutionary biologist.

From the Publisher

A valuable reference book—entertaining read and beautifully illustrated—about how reptiles first evolved and diversified into many lineages, including the one leading to us mammals. The Rise of Reptiles is essential reading for every evolutionary biologist.
—John Long, Flinders University, coauthor of Feathered Dinosaurs: The Origin of Birds

Editorial Reviews

The writing style is clear and easy, the illustrations are excellent, and the whole design and print quality highly attractive. There is no other book like it, and this will stand as a useful reference for many years.
—Michael J. Benton, University of Bristol, The Herpetological Bulletin

This volume is the most complete and current compendiumon reptilian evolution and diversity to date . . . Few (if any) are better suited to have written this volume than Sues. His impressive research record over the past 40 years has dealt directly with many of the taxonomic groups in this volume, including (nonreptile) synapsids, parareptiles, sauropterygians, crocodylomorphs, and dinosaurs.
—Jeremy B. Stout, Quarterly Review of Biology

The Rise of Reptiles will become a classic in its own time, supplanting Colbert (1945), Romer (1966), Carroll (1988), and all previous syntheses of vertebrate paleontology. Sues indisputably joins them as a leader in their ranks with this landmark book on reptile phylogeny and evolution. Every professional herpetologist and paleontologist should have a copy on their shelf within easy reach.
—J. Whitfield Gibbons, Copeia

From the Publisher

The writing style is clear and easy, the illustrations are excellent, and the whole design and print quality highly attractive. There is no other book like it, and this will stand as a useful reference for many years.

The Herpetological Bulletin - Michael J. Benton

The Rise of Reptiles will become a classic in its own time, supplanting Colbert (1945), Romer (1966), Carroll (1988), and all previous syntheses of vertebrate paleontology. Sues indisputably joins them as a leader in their ranks with this landmark book on reptile phylogeny and evolution. Every professional herpetologist and paleontologist should have a copy on their shelf within easy reach.

Copeia - J. Whitfield Gibbons

This volume is the most complete and current compendiumon reptilian evolution and diversity to date . . . Few (if any) are better suited to have written this volume than Sues. His impressive research record over the past 40 years has dealt directly with many of the taxonomic groups in this volume, including (nonreptile) synapsids, parareptiles, sauropterygians, crocodylomorphs, and dinosaurs.

Quarterly Review of Biology - Jeremy B. Stout