Dinosaur Science

Ever since Jurassic Park we thought we knew how dinosaurs lived their lives. In this remarkable new book, Brian J. Ford reveals that dinosaurs were, in fact, profoundly different from what we believe, and their environment was unlike anything we have previously thought. In this meticulous and absorbing account, Ford reviews the latest scientific evidence to show that the popular accounts of dinosaurs’ lives contain ideas that are no more than convenient inventions: how dinosaurs mated, how they hunted and communicated, how they nursed their young, even how they moved....

Could griffins have been real? When Adrienne Mayor carefully read the ancient Greek and Roman descriptions, this mythic hybrid of a lion and an eagle sounded like something people had actually seen. What could explain that evidence? After a decade of hunting through myths, poring over old maps, and tracing the discoveries of modern dinosaur hunters, she found the answer: awesome dinosaur fossils observed by ancient gold hunters in the Gobi desert.

Triceratops means “three-horned face.” This massive dinosaur had a parrot-like hard beak and a bony frill around its head. Triceratops had a horn above each eye and another horn on its nose. These horns were used to protect it from other meat-eating dinosaurs.

Scientists are not quite sure what colors the dinosaurs were. They can only guess that the dinosaurs may have been colored to match their surroundings, just as most animals are today.

Did you know that Pteranodon was not a dinosaur? Pteranodon belongs to a special group of flying reptiles called pterosaurs.

Thousands of years from now, the human race has expanded throughout the galaxy, colonizing millions of worlds and creating myriads of bizarre new religious cults and sects. One of these worlds is Stohlson's Redemption, where the human settlers raise dinosaurs for their religious ceremonies. When the ten-year-old Kerryl Ryson creates an unseemly incident that upsets a visiting Important Person, his father is fed to a dinosaur - as an object lesson in politeness - and his remaining family are sold into slavery.

Wouldn’t it be fun to go on a dinosaur dig and find fossil remains of the famous Tyrannosaurus rex?

Did the Earth become too cold for the dinosaurs? Maybe prehistoric mammals took the dinosaur eggs from the nests.

Ex-cop Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for eight years and he likes his park and his life the way it's been. Safe. Tranquil. Predictable. But he's about to be tested in so many ways. First the earthquakes begin, people begin to go missing, then there's some mysterious water creature that's taken up residence in the caves below Crater Lake and it's not only growing in size, it's aggressive and cunning and very hungry.

On a stormy night, an abandoned, sixteen year old boy finds himself plunged into an adventure beyond his wildest nightmares. Thrust from the eerie silence of his ancestral home, into a savage island chase, Justice Wilberforce Muldoon must outwit a deranged scientist's twisted creations to seize five mystical keys.

North America boasts a rich history of dinosaurs, with a diverse array of species that once roamed its ancient landscapes. From fearsome predators to gentle herbivores, these creatures left an indelible mark on the continent's geological and paleontological record.

Tyrannosaurus was the fiercest meat-eating dinosaur. It was “king of the tyrant lizards,” with 50 sharp, jagged teeth!

Plesiosaurus swam in prehistoric oceans. Its name means “near-reptile” because paleontologists thought that it resembled a reptile.

Stegosaurus means “roofed lizard.” This plant-eating dinosaur was about the size of a school bus and had two rows of bony plates along its back.

Vince Franklin is a narcissistic, amoral force of nature that has conquered the world’s boardroom and most extreme sports in his drive to find new challenges. With his vast fortune, he undertakes a quest of a lifetime and literally unearths the greatest contestants of them all to play in a game of his own making. Within hours of the game’s onset, despite one pseudo-success, Franklin finds himself fighting for his very survival. He is forced to confront the unthinkable: Has he unleashed forces that are ultimately uncontainable? Has he triggered the inevitable fall of mankind?

Deadly predators and herbivores alike turn a fearful eye toward a mysterious forest. No dinosaurs enter or leave this unexplored valley. Undeterred, unit Red 7 decided to investigate. That was three weeks ago, and the thirty well-armed men and women have not returned. Now Orange 13 has only three more weeks to find them before the Reset de-evolves the missing team into mice.

Deadly predators and herbivores alike turn a fearful eye toward a mysterious forest. No animals enter or leave this unexplored valley. Undeterred, unit Red 7 has decided to investigate. That was three weeks ago, and the thirty well-armed men and women have not returned. This is a unit that has faced any number of deadly threats from river raptors to fire-breathing T. Rex’s to giant trapdoor snakes. What could possibly be hiding inside?

Risen from the past, these beautiful animals inspire all who see them. Titanic sauropods roam the land, devouring forests. Ceratopsians herd across the plains like living tanks. Pterosaurs fill the skies, some as large as planes. Ruling them all, the mighty T. rex reigns as king. Powerful as they are, the dinosaurs are facing another extinction. An army of poachers sweeps across Mintari. Killing. Burning. Even the greatest dinosaurs cannot survive their modern weapons. Against this army stands Joe Triplehorn. A Mintari Ranger. A man broken and forged in the wilderness.

By the time I’d established a camp in the covered breezeway of the Luxor obelisk - “Cleopatra’s Needle” it was called, at least according to a bronze placard on its wall - and bound her hands and feet, the sun had set and a slight rain had started to fall; something I fully welcomed after so much time in the desert. As to whether the girl welcomed it also, who could say.

This book is about how big and dangerous the dinosaur farts were 65 million years ago and how it made it difficult for humans.