pt. 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 -- pt. 2. The habitat of the dinosaurs : The case of the brontosaurus: finding the body ; Gizzard stones and brontosaur menus ; The case of the duckbill's hand ; Dinosaurs at table ; When dinosaurs invented flowers -- pt. 3. Defense, locomotion, and the case for warm-blooded dinosaurs : The Teutonic diplodocus: a lesson in gait and carriage ; Mesozoic arms race ; Defense without armor ; Dinosaurs take to the air ; Archaeopteryx paternity suit: the dinosaur-bird connection -- pt. 4. The warm-blooded metronome of evolution : Sex and intimidation: the body language of dinosaurs ; The warm-blooded tempo of the dinosaurs' growth ; Strong hearts, stout lungs, and big brains ; Eaters and eaten as the test of warm-bloodedness -- pt. 5. Dynastic frailty and 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
Summary:
Presents the author's theories on dinosaurs, principally, that they were warm-blooded, and takes issue with many current theories held by scholars and the general public. Also offers an explanation of why dinosaurs became extinct.
