List of Boxes xvii Preface xxi About the Companion Website xxv 1 Vertebrates Originate 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Sea Squirts and the Lancelet 2 1.2 Ambulacraria: Echinoderms and Hemichordates 4 1.3 Deuterostome Relationships 6 1.4 Chordate Origins 9 1.5 Vertebrate Origins: Worm or Bag? 15 1.6 Further Reading 20 Questions for Future Research 20 References 21 2 How to Study Fossil Vertebrates 25 Introduction 25 2.1 Digging Up Bones 25 2.2 Publication and Professionalism 32 2.3 Geology and Fossil Vertebrates 37 2.4 Biology and Fossil Vertebrates 46 2.5 Discovering Phylogeny 53 2.6 Macroevolution 56 2.7 Further Reading 59 References 59 3 Early Palaeozoic Fishes 63 Introduction 63 3.1 Cambrian Vertebrates 63 3.2 Vertebrate Hard Tissues 65 3.3 The Jawless Fishes 67 3.4 Origin of Jaws 80 3.5 Placoderms: Armour-Plated Monsters 82 3.6 Pan-Chondrichthyes: Sharks, Rays, Acanthodians 90 3.7 Early Fish Biogeography and Environments 92 3.8 Osteichthyes: The Bony Fishes 94 3.9 Early Fish Evolution and Mass Extinction 106 3.10 Further Reading 107 Questions for Future Research 108 References 108 4 The First Tetrapods 115 Introduction 115 4.1 Problems of Life on Land 115 4.2 Devonian Tetrapods 120 4.3 The Carboniferous World 128 4.4 Diversity of Carboniferous Tetrapods 129 4.5 Temnospondyls and Reptiliomorphs After the Carboniferous 139 4.6 Evolution of the Modern Amphibians 144 4.7 Further Reading 150 Questions for Future Research 150 References 150 5 Evolution of Early Amniotes 157 Introduction 157 5.1 Hylonomus and Paleothyris – Biology of the First Amniotes 157 5.2 Amniote Adaptations for Terrestrial Life 160 5.3 The Permian World 167 5.4 The Parareptiles 169 5.5 The Eureptiles 174 5.6 Early Synapsid Evolution 176 5.7 The Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction 188 5.8 Further Reading 192 Questions for Future Research 192 References 193 6 The Triassic Revolution 197 Introduction 197 6.1 The Triassic World and the Recovery of Life 197 6.2 Triassic Marine Reptiles 202 6.3 Evolution of the Archosauromorphs 211 6.4 Origin of the Dinosaurs 220 6.5 Amniote Evolution in the Triassic 224 6.6 Further Reading 235 Questions for Future Research 235 References 236 7 Evolution of Fishes After the Devonian 243 Introduction 243 7.1 The Early Chimaeras and Sharks 243 7.2 Post-Palaeozoic Chondrichthyan Radiation 251 7.3 The Early Bony Fishes 255 7.4 Radiation of the Teleosts 267 7.5 Post-Devonian Evolution of Fishes 276 7.6 Further Reading 279 Questions for Future Research 279 References 280 8 Dinosaurs 287 Introduction 287 8.1 Biology of Plateosaurus 287 8.2 The Jurassic and Cretaceous World 289 8.3 Saurischians and Theropod Diversity 290 8.4 The Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs 303 8.5 The Diversity of Ornithischian Dinosaurs 309 8.6 Were the Dinosaurs Warm-Blooded or Not? 326 8.7 Further Reading 333 Questions for Future Research 334 References 334 9 The Mesozoic Reptiles 343 Introduction 343 9.1 Testudinata: The Turtles 343 9.2 Crocodylomorpha 353 9.3 Pterosauria 359 9.4 The Great Sea Dragons 367 9.5 Lepidosauria: Lizards and Snakes 374 9.6 The End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction 383 9.7 Further Reading 390 Questions for Future Research 390 References 390 10 The Birds 401 Introduction 401 10.1 The Origin of Birds 401 10.2 The Origin of Bird Flight 412 10.3 Cretaceous Birds, With and Without Teeth 418 10.4 The Radiation of Modern Birds: Explosion or Long Fuse? 429 10.5 Flightless Birds: Palaeognathae 432 10.6 Neognathae 435 10.7 The Three-Phase Diversification of Birds 447 10.8 Further Reading 448 Questions for Future Research 448 References 449 11 Mammals: Origins and Southern Hemisphere Evolution 459 Introduction 459 11.1 Cynodonts and the Acquisition of Mammaliaform Characters 459 11.2 The First Mammaliaforms 472 11.3 The Mesozoic Mammaliaforms 475 11.4 Marsupials Down Under 492 11.5 South American Mammals – A World Apart 497 11.6 Afrotheria and the Break-up of Gondwana 506 11.7 Further Reading 512 Questions for Future Research 513 References 513 12 Mammals of the Northern Hemisphere 525 Introduction 525 12.1 Evolution of Modern Mammals 525 12.2 Boreoeutherian Beginnings: The Palaeocene in the Northern Hemisphere 529 12.3 Early Diverging Laurasiatherians: Eulipotyphla 537 12.4 Scrotifera: Bats and Relatives 540 12.5 Cetartiodactyla: Cattle, Pigs and Whales 540 12.6 Zooamata: Horses, Carnivores, and Pangolins 550 12.7 Glires: Rodents, Rabbits, and Relatives 563 12.8 Archonta: Primates, Tree Shrews, and Flying Lemurs 568 12.9 Ice Age Extinction of Large Mammals 569 12.10 Further Reading 574 Questions for Future Research 574 References 574 13 Human Evolution 585 Introduction 585 13.1 What Are the Primates? 585 13.2 The Fossil Record of Early Primates 586 13.3 Anthropoidea: Monkeys and Apes 592 13.4 Hominoidea: The Apes 597 13.5 Evolution of Human Characteristics 603 13.6 The Early Stages of Human Evolution 605 13.7 The Past Two Million Years of Human Evolution 611 13.8 Further Reading 620 Questions for Future Research 620 References 620 Appendix: Classification of the Vertebrates 629 Glossary 641 Index 647

All-new edition of the world’s leading vertebrate palaeontology textbook, now addressing key evolutionary transitions and ecological drivers for vertebrate evolution Richly illustrated with colour illustrations of the key species and cladograms of all major vertebrate taxa, Vertebrate Palaeontology provides a complete account of the evolution of vertebrates, including macroevolutionary trends and drivers that have shaped their organs and body plans, key transitions such as terrestrialization, endothermy, flight and impacts of mass extinctions on biodiversity and ecological drivers behind the origin of chordates and vertebrates, their limbs, jaws, feathers, and hairs. This revised and updated fifth edition features numerous recent examples of breakthrough discoveries in line with the current macroevolutionary approach in palaeontology research, such as the evolutionary drivers that have shaped vertebrate development. Didactical features have been enhanced and include new functional and developmental feature spreads, key questions, and extensive references to useful websites. Written by a leading academic in the field, Vertebrate Palaeontology discusses topics such as: Palaeozoic fishes, including Cambrian vertebrates, placoderms (‘armour-plated monsters’), Pan-Chondrichthyes such as sharks and rays, and Osteichthyes (‘bony fishes’) The first tetrapods, covering problems of life on land, diversity of Carboniferous tetrapods and temnospondyls and reptiliomorphs following the Carboniferous Mesozoic reptiles, such as Testudinata (turtles), Crocodylomorpha, Pterosauria, Dinosauria, great sea dragons and Lepidosauria (lizards and snakes) Mammals of the southern and northern hemispheres, covering Xenarthra (sloths, anteaters), Afrotheria (African mammals), Laurasiatheria (bats, ungulates, carnivores), and Euarchontoglires (rodents, primates) A highly comprehensive and completely up-to-date reference on vertebrate evolution, Vertebrate Palaeontology is an ideal learning aid for palaeontology courses in biology and geology departments. The text is also highly valuable to enthusiasts who want to experience the flavour of how modern research in the field is conducted.