Ruling Reptiles: Crocodylian Biology and Archosaur Paleobiology

Holly Noelle Woodward Ballard · James O. Farlow

Sep 2023 · Indiana University Press

About this ebook

Modern crocodylians—crocodiles, alligators, caiman (Central and South America), and gharials (India)—have evolved over 250 million years from a fully terrestrial, bipedal ancestor. Along with birds, crocodylians are the only living members of Archosauria, the group including nonavian dinosaurs.

Ruling Reptiles features contributions on a broad range of topics surrounding crocodylian evolution and biology including osteology, osteohistology, developmental biology, myology, odontology, functional morphology, allometry, body size estimation, taphonomy, parasitology, ecology, thermophysiology, and ichnology. It demonstrates how the wide variety of these studies can also provide crucial insights into dinosaurian biology and evolution.

Featuring the latest findings and interpretations, Ruling Reptiles: Crocodylian Biology and Archosaur Paleobiology is an essential resource for zoologists, biologists, and paleontologists.

About the author

Holly N. Woodward is Associate Professor of Anatomy and Paleontology at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.

James O. Farlow is Emeritus Professor of Geology at Purdue University, Fort Wayne. He is the author of Noah's Ravens: Interpreting the Makers of Tridactyl Dinosaur Footprints and The Complete Dinosaur, Second Edition.