Animals of Ancient Lands

This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. This lively popular science journey follows the great rise of vertebrate life, from fish to amphibians to reptiles, and then onward into the age when land, sea, and sky were transformed by ever more astonishing creatures. It begins with the rare fossil record of early land animals, showing how an extraordinary Permian delta in ancient Texas preserved scattered clues to a vanished world. There, swamp giants like Eryops, odd armored forms like Diplocaulus, and experimental early reptiles reveal evolution testing bold new shapes and habits. From this setting emerge unforgettable rivals such as Dimetrodon, a fierce sail-backed predator, and Naosaurus, a similarly spined but peaceful feeder, raising the mystery of why such different animals shared such dramatic crests. The story then moves into the Age of Reptiles, where shifting continents and warm Cretaceous climates supported flowering forests and the giant dinosaurs that dominated them. With wit and vivid detail, it brings to life Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Triceratops, before turning to the ruling marine reptiles of the seas: Elasmosaur and the formidable mosasaurs.