Vertebrate Evolution and Palaeontology from an African Perspective offers an up-to-date account of the 4.4-billion-year history of life on Earth using the African context and fossil record, and emphasising local contributions, both scientific and cultural. In rich and fascinating detail, the authors present the origin and evolution of all major groups of vertebrates, from fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. They explore their anatomy, physiology and ecology, including descriptions of features used to classify animals, and how these features change over time. The often-surprising ways that different groups of animals are related to each other is revealed in the book's mapping of the tree of life. Readers are taken through the evolutionary order from the origin of fish through the origin of jaws, the conquest of land, the evolution of reptiles, birds and mammals, to the dawn of humankind. Students of biology, zoology, anatomy and palaeontology and the curious public are introduced to diverse African and South African fossils and their scientific relevance that will shape their understanding of the great transitions in vertebrate evolution.
Julien Benoit is a Senior Researcher in palaeontology at the Evolutionary Studies Institute of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He is a specialist in fossil mammals and their ancestors, which he studies using state of the art X-ray imaging in order to understand their ancient behaviour, the anatomy of their brain, and their biology. Viktor Radermacher is a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota and an affiliate of the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His research interests focus on using X-ray imaging to study dinosaur anatomy, biology, and macroevolution. He has been on numerous field trips, excavated new dinosaur specimens, produced artwork for multiple species, and recently found a new dinosaur ancestor in South Africa from the early Triassic rocks of the Free State.
List of figures Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: The 'age of fish' Before fish: The origin story of vertebrates The rise of 'jawless fish': The Agnatha Evolving a jaw: The Gnathostomata The 'armoured jawed fish' The advent of teeth: The origin of Chondrichthyes True sharks and their allies Chapter 2: From sea to land Actinopterygii: The typical fish The Sarcopterygii and the origin of Tetrapoda What is a missing link? The first Tetrapoda: The amphibians The Amniota: The birth of the egg Chapter 3: The Sauropsida, or reptiles Early Sauropsida: The reptiles with an anapsid skull Sauropsida with a diapsid skull: The origin of Chelonia Sauropsida with a diapsid skull: Snakes, lizards and tuatara Sauropsida with a euryapsid skull: The Mesozoic marine reptiles Sauropsida with an archosaur skull: The Archosauromorpha Crocodiles and their ancestors Pterosauria: The flying sauropsids Chapter 4: The Dinosauria Ornithischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda, and the origin of birds Aves: The birds So, what is a dinosaur? Chapter 5: Amniotes with a synapsid skull: The 'mammal-like reptiles' Pelycosauria: The earliest synapsids The early Therapsida Theriodontia Cynodontia: The origin of mammals The evolution of warm-bloodedness in mammals Chapter 6: Mammalia The division between Monotremes, Marsupialia and Placentalia Paenungulates Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla Micromammals and carnivores Primates: Origin and evolution Hominini: The palaeontology of humankind Placental mammal phylogeny Conclusion: Mass extinctions and the onset of the Anthropocene Principles of phylogenetics Glossary Bibliography Reference list for figures Index
This history of the origin and evolution of vertebrate life and palaeontology is uniquely presented from an African perspective and illustrated with South African fossils.
