Vertebrate palaeontology/ Michael J. Benton.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [408]-438) and index.

1 Vertebrate origins
Key questions
Introduction
1.1 Sea squirts and the lancelet
1.2 Phylum hemichordata: pterobranchs and acorn worms
1.3 Deuterostome relationships
1.4 Chordate origins
1.5 Vertebrates and the head
1.6 Further reading
2 How to study fossil vertebrates
Key questions
Introduction
2.1 Digging up bones
2.2 Geology and fossil vertebrates
2.3 Biology and fossil vertebrates
2.4 Discovering phylogeny
2.5 The quality of the fossil record
2.6 Further reading
3 Early fishes
Key questions
Introduction
3.1 Cambrian vertebrates
3.2 Vertebrate hard tissues
3.3 The jawless fishes
3.4 Origin of jaws and gnathostome relationships
3.5 Class Placodermi: armour-plated monsters
3.6 Class Chondrichthyes: the first sharks
3.7 Class Acanthodii: the 'spiny skins'
3.8 Devonian environments
3.9 Class Osteichthyes: the bony fishes
3.10 Early fish evolution and mass extinction
3.11 Further reading
4 The early tetrapods and amphibians
Key questions
Introduction
4.1 Problems of life on land
4.2 Devonian tetrapods
4.3 The Carboniferous world
4.4 Diversity of Carboniferous tetrapods
4.5 Temnospondyls and reptiliomorphs after the Carboniferous
4.6 Evolution of modern amphibians
4.7 Further reading
5 The evolution of early amniotes
Key questions
Introduction
5.1 Hylonomus and Paleothyris - biology of the first amniotes
5.2 Amniote evolution
5.3 The Permian world
5.4 The early evolution of anapsids and diapsids
5.5 Basal synapsid evolution
5.6 Mass extinction
5.7 Further reading
6 Reptiles of the Triassic
Key questions
Introduction
6.1 The Triassic scene
6.2 Evolution of the archosauromorphs
6.3 In Triassic seas
6.4 The origin of the dinosaurs
6.5 Further reading
7 The evolution of fishes after the Devonian
Key questions
Introduction
7.1 The early sharks and chimaeras
7.2 Post-Palaeozoic chondrichthyan radiation
7.3 The early bony fishes
7.4 Radiation of the teleosts
7.5 Post-Devonian evolution of fishes
7.6 Further reading
8 The age of dinosaurs
Key questions
Introduction
8.1 Biology of Plateosaurus
8.2 The Jurassic and Cretaceous world
8.3 The diversity of Saurischian dinosaurs
8.4 The diversity of Ornithischian dinosaurs
8.5 Were the dinosaurs warm-blooded or not?
8.6 Order Terosauria
8.7 Order Testudines: the turtles
8.8 Order Crocodylia
8.9 Superorder Lepidosauria
8.10 The great sea dragons
8.11 Diversification of Jurassic-Cretaceous reptiles
8.12 The KT event
8.13 Further reading
9 The birds
Key questions
Introduction
9.1 Archaeopteryx
9.2 The origin of bird flight
9.3 Toothed birds of the Cretaceous
9.4 The radiation of modern birds
9.5 Flightless birds: division Palaeognathae
9.6 Division Neognathae
9.7 Diversification of the birds
9.8 Further reading

10 The mammals
Key questions
Introduction
10.1 Cynodonts and the acquisition of mammalian characters
10.2 The first mammals
10.3 The Mesozoic mammals
10.4 The marsupials
10.5 South American mammals - another world apart
10.6 The Afrotheria and break-up of Gondwana
10.7 The beginning of the age of placental mammals
10.8 Basal Laurasiatherians: insectivores and bats
10.9 Superorder Cetartiodactyla: cattle, pigs and whales
10.10 Order Perissodactyla: grazers and browsers
10.11 Orders Carnivora and Pholidota
10.12 Superorder Archonta: primates, tree shrews and flying lemurs
10.13 Superorder Glires: rodents, rabbits and relatives
10.14 Ice Age extinction of large mammals
10.15 The pattern of mammalian evolution
10.16 Further reading
11 Human Evolution
Key questions
Introduction
11.1 What are the primates?
11.2 The early fossil record of primates
11.3 Superfamily Hominoidea: the apes
11.4 Evolution of human characteristics
11.5 The early stages of human evolution
11.6 The last two million years of human evolution
11.7 Further reading