Book Review: Dinosaurs Under the Big Sky
Paleontologist Dr. Jack Horner of the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, is probably best known for being the paleontological consultant for the three Jurassic Park movies. He is also the author of several books about paleontology, including Digging Dinosaurs, The Complete T. rex and Dinosaur Lives. Horner's most recent book, published in 2001, is Dinosaurs Under the Big Sky.
Dinosaurs Under the Big Sky is a great book both for budding young paleontologists and for the adult who wants to learn more about paleontology. The book is written in a conversational tone as Horner tells the reader about his experiences as a boy growing up in Shelby, Montana, and as a young student of paleontology.
"This book is the book I wish I'd had when I was an amateur paleontologist exploring and collecting dinosaur fossils," writes Horner. The purpose of the book is to provide the basics of dinosaur paleontology that an amateur paleontologist needs to know before setting out to find and dig up dinosaurs.
In Chapter 1, Horner covers the ownership of fossils and the importance of getting permission from the landowner before setting out to collect fossils. He also discusses the importance of proper documentation of your discoveries, the purpose of museums, monetary value of dinosaur fossils and scientific language and classification.
In Chapter 2, Horner discusses geological time and the geology of Montana. He covers the process of fossilization and taphonomy (the study of the origin and burial of fossil organisms). Horner discusses the difference between articulated and associated skeletons, and the difference between bonebeds and microsites. He also covers how differences in fossilization environments can lead to the fossilization of bones, soft-tissue, footprints, eggs and nests, coprolites and gizzard stones.
In Chapter 3, Horner covers the history of dinosaur collecting in Montana. The first dinosaur remains found in the Western Hemisphere were found in Montana, as was the first dinosaur eggshell, the first nest of baby dinosaurs and the first dinosaur embryos. The first discoveries of many dinosaurs were made in Montana: Tyrannosaurus, Maiasaura, Deinonychus, Troodon, Ankylosaurus, Orodromeus, Tenontosaurus, Zephyrsaurus, Avaceratios and Einiosaurus were all originally found in Montana. Horner talks about the discoveries of famous paleontologists such as Ferdinand Hayden, Joseph Leidy, Edward Drinker Cope, Charles H. Sternberg, John B. Hatcher, Earl Douglass, Barnum Brown, Charles Gilmore and John Ostrom. He also discusses some of the discoveries that he and his students have made over the years and discusses some well-known contemporary paleontologists.
Latest Articles