In Pursuit of Early Mammals

Front Cover
Indiana University Press, Jul 12, 2013 - Science - 281 pages
“Mesozoic mammal fossils are the focus of this fascinating book, which reviews both the fossils themselves and the history of their discovery.” —Choice

In Pursuit of Early Mammals presents the history of the mammals that lived during the Mesozoic era, the time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, and describes their origins, anatomy, systematics, paleobiology, and distribution. It also tells the story of the author, a world-renowned specialist on these animals, and the other prominent paleontologists who have studied them. Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska was the first woman to lead large-scale paleontological expeditions, including eight to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, which brought back important collections of dinosaur, early mammal, and other fossils. She shares the difficulties and pleasures encountered in finding rare fossils and describes the changing views on early mammals made possible by these discoveries.

“A thorough review of the current state of early mammalian paleontology presented through the unique historical filter of someone who was at the foremost of the field for over half a century.” —The Quarterly Review of Biology

“Whether she’s talking about how mammals evolved their distinctive ear bones, or how she built a cabin out of plywood during a particularly cold field season in the Gobi, you know that a remarkable, passionate person is telling a story of science and adventure in her own words.” —Priscum

“A fascinating window into the development of the field . . . The perspective of an individual at the center of these developments is captivating, informative, and has never before been published.” —Gregory P. Wilson, University of Washington
 

Contents

1 Introduction
3
Collecting Materials and Establishing Relationships
13
3 Paleontological Exploration of Mongolia by American Japanese Soviet and Russian Expeditions including the Mongolian Academy American Mus...
19
4 The PolishMongolian Paleontological Expeditions 19631971 and the Nomadic Expedition 2002
35
5 Origins of Mammals and the Earliest Representatives of Mammaliaforms and Mammals
73
6 Haramiyidans and Probable Related Forms
99
7 Docodontans
107
8 Eutriconodontans
713
11 Symmetrodontans
763
12 Eupantotherians and the Origin of Tribosphenic and Pseudotribosphenic Molars
771
13 Tribotheria Metatheria and the Issue of the Deltatheroida
783
14 Eutherian and Placental Mammals
793
15 Aspects of Paleobiology of Mammaliaforms and Early Mammals
809
A Summary
819
References
833
Index
849

9 Monotremes and the Issue of Australosphenida and Tribosphenida
719
10 Multituberculates and Gondwanatherians
739

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About the author (2013)

Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, Professor Emerita at the Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, is a world-renowned specialist on Mesozoic mammals. She is author of Hunting for Dinosaurs and (with R. L. Cifelli and Z.-X. Luo) Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs: Origins, Evolution, and Structure. Between 1963 and 1971, Kielan-Jaworowska organized eight paleontological expeditions to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. These expeditions assembled an impressive collection of dinosaurs and Cretaceous mammals. Her research has focused on the study of the detailed structure of the brain and musculature of early mammals and their evolutionary relationships.

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