Mesozoic Marine Reptiles -- wrapping up (Patreon)
Content
The end is in sight on the Mesozoic marine reptile book -- only two chapters need completion, and most sections of the book are either out for review or have been reviewed. I still have to compile the pictures. Anyway, here's a draft list of the book's sections and subsections. It should be clear that I really have aimed to be comprehensive, as best as I can given constraints of size and wordcount...
ANCIENT SEA REPTILES
Darren Naish
Ch 1 Introduction
Introducing the main groups
The World of Mesozoic Marine Reptiles
The Shape of Mesozoic Seas
Mesozoic climates and temperatures
The scientific discovery of Mesozoic marine reptiles
The discovery of Plesiosaurus
Mosasaurs in Belgium, and news from the USA
New reptiles from the European Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous
A more international scene
The Mesozoic Marine Reptiles Research Renaissance
Ch 2 Evolution
A diapsid origin
The ‘Marine Reptile Superclade’
Turnovers and extinctions
Triassic events
Jurassic extinction events
Events of the Cretaceous
Ch 3 Mesozoic Marine Reptile Anatomy
Limbs, tails and swimming styles
Teeth and feeding
The Mesozoic marine reptile skull
The vertebral column
The plesiosaur neck
The limb girdles, chest bones and gastralia
Limbs and their function
Cartilage, skin and other soft tissues
Colour
Ch 4 Marine reptiles of the Permian and Triassic… and others
Mesosaurs
Mesosaur biology
Claudiosaurus and other early diapsids
Triassic Sauropterygians
The sauropterygian family tree
Placodonts
Cyamodontidans, the turtle-like placodonts
Pachypleurosaurs
Nothosaurs
Pistosaurs
Tanystropheus and kin
Phytosaurs at sea
Marine pterosaurs and birds
Hupehsuchians
Thalattosaurs
Saurosphargids, helveticosaurs and kin
Swimming rhynchocephalians
Cretaceous sea snakes
Ch 5 Shark-shaped reptiles: the ichthyosaurs and their kin
Ichthyosaur diversity and history
Nasorostrans
Grippidians, chaohusaurs and kin
Mixosaurs
Cymbospondylids
Shastasaurs
The Late Triassic rise of parvipelvians
Suevoleviathanids
Temnodontosaurs
Leptonectids
Ichthyosaurids
Stenopterygiids
Ophthalmosaurines and platypterygiines
Platypterygiines
Ch 6 Long necks, big mouths: the plesiosaurs
Plesiosaur evolution and classification
Plesiosaur anatomy
Plesiosaur swimming
Plesiosaur behaviour and biology
Rhomaleosaurids
Pliosaurids
Brachaucheniines
Plesiosaurus, microcleidids and kin
Cryptoclidids
Elasmosaurids
Elasmosaurid diversity
Aristonectines
Leptocleidids
Polycotylids
Ch 7 Sea crocs: the thalattosuchians
Thalattosuchians in the croc family tree
Teleosauroids
Aeolodontines and machimosaurids
Metriorhynchids and their kin
Salt glands, temperature control, and reproduction
Metriorhynchid diversity
Ch 8 Mosasaurs: the great sea lizards
Plesiopedal and plesiopelvic vs hydropedal and hydropelvic
Mosasaurs in the lizard family tree
Mosasaur biology and behaviour
Dolichosaurs and aigialosaurs
Tethysaurines
Tylosaurines
Halisaurines
Plioplatecarpines
Mosasaurus and kin
Ch 9 Sea turtles
Protostegids
Hard-shelled sea turtles
Leatherback sea turtles
Glossary
Index
Acknowledgements