Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs: A Look at Dinosaur Reproduction (Life of the Past)

Rating:
Summary: WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD YOU ABOUT DINOSAUR REPRODUCTION!
Review: The book is not written for dinosaur loving children. A background in general science, anatomy, biology, and/or zoology would be useful in understanding the astonishing wealth of information contained. That should not scare inquirers away from this opus magnus. Furthermore, Carpenter's occassional tongue-in-cheek humor imparts a very special flavor to the writing. In my mind,this beautiful volume would be worth the price just for its profusion of well-done illustrations, photos, and captions. But that's just icing on the cake. We learn the history of dinosaur egg finds, how one studies every detail of the egg fossil (wonderfully illustrated with photos and drawings), how the eggshell formed inside a dinosaur, by what means the dino embryo took in air and effectively expelled carbon-dioxide from within the eggshell, and even speculate on how the dino chick may have escaped the egg. Learn how to examine a dinosaur egg fragment and detect whether an embryo actually developed within it. Carpenter explains how dinosaur nests were built and 'designed' to incubate fertile eggs. Why is a baby dinosaur 'cute' by our perceptions, and possibly to its parents? Facts, photos, and paintings make the answer cuddlingly clear. Along with the abundance of superb black & white figures, illustrations, and photos, are over a dozen full-color plates, including ten life restorations by some of our most scientific and talented dinosaur artists. This volume is surely a treasure to those of us who seek a deeper insight into the mysteries of dinosaur life (and death). One such tantalizing mystery might be summed up as, "But how did dinosaurs DO IT?" Carpenter doesn't beg the question. He ventures into it with careful observations and analysis based on both behavior and form of contemporary animals and known dinosaurian anatomy. The answers should prove reasonable to his scientific colleagues. So filled is this book with interesting items that one could almost say there's something for everybody. On the far side, imagine some 'Good Old Boy' that doesn't 'give a hang' about science, picking the book up to brouse the strikingly beautiful dinosaur life illustrations. "Wow!" he croaks, "Forget about Tyrannosaurus rex! It's 'CARNOTAURUS SEX!'" [The reference is to an utterly dramatic and highly colorful life restoration by artist Luis V. Rey, revealing an imposimg Carnotaurus pair 'going at it' while their thunderous groans of ecstacy freak out the Mesozoic neighborhood! Startled by those sounds, a flock of at least 40 winged reptiles (Pterosaurs) bolts skyward from the ground. The dinosaur couple copulates, transfixed, among appropriately phallic plants. Some will buy the book just for that one startling scene. Yet, it is far more valuable as an adventure in learning, including its very thoughtful discourse on dinosaur intercourse. A scientific adventure. A 'Calvin and Hobbes' day-dream? For real. Get it.

Rating:
Summary: WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD YOU ABOUT DINOSAUR REPRODUCTION!
Review: The book is not written for dinosaur loving children. A background in general science, anatomy, biology, and/or zoology would be useful in understanding the astonishing wealth of information contained. That should not scare inquirers away from this opus magnus. Furthermore, Carpenter's occassional tongue-in-cheek humor imparts a very special flavor to the writing. In my mind,this beautiful volume would be worth the price just for its profusion of well-done illustrations, photos, and captions. But that's just icing on the cake. We learn the history of dinosaur egg finds, how one studies every detail of the egg fossil (wonderfully illustrated with photos and drawings), how the eggshell formed inside a dinosaur, by what means the dino embryo took in air and effectively expelled carbon-dioxide from within the eggshell, and even speculate on how the dino chick may have escaped the egg. Learn how to examine a dinosaur egg fragment and detect whether an embryo actually developed within it. Carpenter explains how dinosaur nests were built and 'designed' to incubate fertile eggs. Why is a baby dinosaur 'cute' by our perceptions, and possibly to its parents? Facts, photos, and paintings make the answer cuddlingly clear. Along with the abundance of superb black & white figures, illustrations, and photos, are over a dozen full-color plates, including ten life restorations by some of our most scientific and talented dinosaur artists. This volume is surely a treasure to those of us who seek a deeper insight into the mysteries of dinosaur life (and death). One such tantalizing mystery might be summed up as, "But how did dinosaurs DO IT?" Carpenter doesn't beg the question. He ventures into it with careful observations and analysis based on both behavior and form of contemporary animals and known dinosaurian anatomy. The answers should prove reasonable to his scientific colleagues. So filled is this book with interesting items that one could almost say there's something for everybody. On the far side, imagine some 'Good Old Boy' that doesn't 'give a hang' about science, picking the book up to brouse the strikingly beautiful dinosaur life illustrations. "Wow!" he croaks, "Forget about Tyrannosaurus rex! It's 'CARNOTAURUS SEX!'" [The reference is to an utterly dramatic and highly colorful life restoration by artist Luis V. Rey, revealing an imposimg Carnotaurus pair 'going at it' while their thunderous groans of ecstacy freak out the Mesozoic neighborhood! Startled by those sounds, a flock of at least 40 winged reptiles (Pterosaurs) bolts skyward from the ground. The dinosaur couple copulates, transfixed, among appropriately phallic plants. Some will buy the book just for that one startling scene. Yet, it is far more valuable as an adventure in learning, including its very thoughtful discourse on dinosaur intercourse. A scientific adventure. A 'Calvin and Hobbes' day-dream? For real. Get it.