Robert T. Bakker Libros

Dactyls. Flying Dragons. Pterodactylus. Whatever you call them, they are simply wonderful! Renowned paleontologist Dr. Robert T. Bakker explains how scientists observe fossils and living animals to determine how dactyls flew, walked, climbed, fed, and thought. Also included for the first time ever is his latest, still-unnamed discovery–an unusual dactyl with sharp-edged, backwards curved teeth, nicknamed "Snaggle Tooth."From the Hardcover Library Binding edition.

A pair of fierce but beautiful eyes look out from the undergrowth of conifers. She is an intelligent killer... So begins one of the most extraordinary novels you will ever read. The time is 120 million years ago, the place is the plains of prehistoric Utah, and the eyes belong to an unforgettable heroine. Her name is Raptor Red, and she is a female Raptor dinosaur. Painting a rich and colorful picture of a lush prehistoric world, leading paleontologist Robert T. Bakker tells his story from within Raptor Red's extraordinary mind, dramatizing his revolutionary theories in this exciting tale. From a tragic loss to the fierce struggle for survival to a daring migration to the Pacific Ocean to escape a deadly new predator, Raptor Red combines fact an fiction to capture for the first time the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of the most magnificent, enigmatic creatures ever to walk the face of the earth.

This study of dinosaur habits covers how they ate, reproduced & moved. Bakker's illustrations are based on 1st-hand studies of dinosaur exhibits in museums throughout the world. This book supports the view that dinosaurs were warm-blooded, intelligent & agile creatures bearing little resemblance to existing reptiles. More than 12 years ago, Bakker provoked a controversy on this subject, opposing the widely held belief that dinosaurs were cold-blooded, lumbering & of low intelligence. Preface 1 The conquering cold-bloods: a conundrum: Brontosaurus in the Great Hall at Yale; Wyoming reverie: meditation on the geological text; Mesozoic class warfare: cold-bloods versus the fabulous furballs; Dinosaurs score where Komodo dragons fail 2 The habitat of the dinosaurs: The case of the brontosaurus: finding the body; Gizzard stones & brontosaur menus; The case of the duckbill's hand; Dinosaurs at table; When dinosaurs invented flowers 3 Defense, locomotion & the case for warm-blooded dinosaurs: The Teutonic diplodocus: a lesson in gait & carriage; Mesozoic arms race; Defense without armor; Dinosaurs take to the air; Archaeopteryx paternity suit: the dinosaur-bird connection 4 The warm-blooded metronome of evolution: Sex & intimidation: the body language of dinosaurs; The warm-blooded tempo of the dinosaurs' growth; Strong hearts, stout lungs & big brains; Eaters & eaten as the test of warm-bloodedness 5 Dynastic frailty & the pulses of animal history: Punctuated equilibrium: the evolutionary timekeeper; The Kazanian revolution: setting the stage for the Dinosauria; The twilight of the dinosaurs; Dinosaurs have class Notes & References Index A Note About the Author