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[Dinosaurs Without Bones: Dinosaur Lives Revealed by their Trace Fossils] [By: Martin, Anthony J.] [March, 2014]
What if we woke up one morning all of the dinosaur bones in the world were gone? How would we know these iconic animals had a165-million year history on earth, and had adapted to all land-based environments from pole to pole? What clues would be left to discern not only their presence, but also to learn about their sex lives, raising of young, social lives, combat, and who ate who? What would it take for us to know how fast dinosaurs moved, whether they lived underground, climbed trees, or went for a swim?Welcome to the world of ichnology, the study of traces and trace fossils such as tracks, trails, burrows, nests, toothmarks, and other vestiges of behavior and how through these remarkable clues, we can explore and intuit the rich and complicated lives of dinosaurs. With a unique, detective-like approach, interpreting the forensic clues of these long-extinct animals that leave a much richer legacy than bones, Martin brings the wild world of the Mesozoic to life for the twenty-first century reader."
Hardcover
First published March 6, 2014
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About the author
Anthony J. Martin
8 books31 followersAnthony (Tony) Martin is a Professor of Practice at Emory University, where he has taught classes in geology, paleontology, and environmental sciences. His research specialty is ichnology, the study of modern and ancient traces caused by animal behavior, such as tracks, trails, burrows, and nests. He is the author of nine books, including DINOSAURS WITHOUT BONES, THE EVOLUTION UNDERGROUND, TRACKING THE GOLDEN ISLES, and LIFE TRACES OF THE GEORGIA COAST. His latest book is LIFE SCUPLTED, published June 2023. In 2015 - in recognition of his accomplishments in scientific exploration and public outreach - he was elected as a Fellow in The Explorers Club and a Fellow in the Geological Society of America. He and his wife Ruth live in Decatur, Georgia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
November 4, 2021
When I picked this book up I did not realize that it was by the author of Evolution Underground: Burrows, Bunkers, and the Marvelous Subterranean World Beneath our Feet, which I had read and liked. Dr. Martin is an ichnologist, a specialty that I had never heard of before I read that book, which deals with trace evidence that creatures leave behind, such as tracks, burrows, and nests, but also footprints, toothmarks, stomach contents, feces, and anything else that we can use to understand the biology, lives, and behavior of ancient creatures.
We are all conditioned to think of dinosaurs through their bones, but there is a lot that trace fossils can add to that picture. Burrowing, for instance, seems pretty boring – just a hole in the ground – but it turns out to be a key to understanding which species survived and which did not in the great die-offs, “burrowing is a behavior present in every major group of vertebrates that made it past the mass extinction: birds, mammals, crocodilians, turtles, lizards, and amphibians.” (p. 144) The shelter of burrows may have provided the thin margin of safety that saw some species survive when so many others did not. In Marcia Bjornerud’s Reading the Rocks she writes that “In both the end-Permian and end-Cretaceous apocalypses, no animals larger than cats made it through the doorway into the next era.”
Dr. Martin also punctured a long-standing misperception of mine. I knew that oil did not come from dinosaurs, since the Carboniferous era was from 395-299 milllion years ago, and the first dinosaurs evolved around 240 MYA, in the aftermath of the Permian extinction event. However, something I probably read as a child that had stayed with me was that oil formed from buried and compressed forests. Alas, not so, “It turns out that nearly all petroleum is from algae, most of which were deposited and buried in marine environments; no dinosaurs contributed their bodies to the original organic matter, and they had no role in helping to bury it, let along [sic] mature the organic compounds sufficiently that these later became oil and gas deposits.” (p. 354)
Ichnology can be applied to any biological traces, and in his first book the author takes readers all the way back to the fossilized burrows which are the only remaining indicators of some of the earliest animals. As it applies to dinosaurs, ichnology is like a forensic analysis of a crime scene: what evidence exists, and what can you deduce from it? Footprints can tell not only how they creatures moved, but also how they hunted, how fast they ran, and whether they were solitary or lived in herds. Nests show that not only did some dinosaurs use vast nesting grounds, but also exhibited parental care of their offspring.
Coprolites, fossilized dinosaur dung, are apparently quite common, and I remember once seeing some pea-size examples for sale in a shop at my local mall. Examination of coprolites can reveal a great deal about about what dinosaurs ate and some things about the environment in which they lived.
There are also gastroliths, stones which some species swallowed to help break down and digest food, a trait which exists to this day in some reptiles, birds, and even mammals such seals and sea lions. Even the absence of gastroliths among the bones of a dinosaur skeleton can tell a trained observer something about the creature’s biology.
Many trace fossils are faint and weathered away, and in some cases can be hard to distinguish from naturally occurring geological forces. Creationists love to trumpet the discovery of supposed human footprints alongside those of dinosaurs, but in every case where they have been examined by trained professionals, they have been found to be cases of mistaken identification, if not outright fraud.
One thing I noted in his previous book is that Dr. Marin likes to lighten up his discussion with jokes and humorous asides, and I am sure he is a very popular professor at Emory University, where he teaches. Sometimes I found his style a little distracting, but it is also a reminder that even professionals have their own quirks and moods. In discussing one particular potential, but disputed, discovery, he writes, “Paleontologists who do such research could be assured of making a big splash with it, while also going against the flow of others’ prejudices. Afterwards, they will be flushed with success, and their colleagues pissed off.” (p. 263)
So, I liked this book. It expanded my understanding of paleontology, and Dr. Martin is a confident, capable guide. So many books about dinosaurs are written either for kids or for professionals working in the field, so it is nice to find a genial introduction written for the general reader.
We are all conditioned to think of dinosaurs through their bones, but there is a lot that trace fossils can add to that picture. Burrowing, for instance, seems pretty boring – just a hole in the ground – but it turns out to be a key to understanding which species survived and which did not in the great die-offs, “burrowing is a behavior present in every major group of vertebrates that made it past the mass extinction: birds, mammals, crocodilians, turtles, lizards, and amphibians.” (p. 144) The shelter of burrows may have provided the thin margin of safety that saw some species survive when so many others did not. In Marcia Bjornerud’s Reading the Rocks she writes that “In both the end-Permian and end-Cretaceous apocalypses, no animals larger than cats made it through the doorway into the next era.”
Dr. Martin also punctured a long-standing misperception of mine. I knew that oil did not come from dinosaurs, since the Carboniferous era was from 395-299 milllion years ago, and the first dinosaurs evolved around 240 MYA, in the aftermath of the Permian extinction event. However, something I probably read as a child that had stayed with me was that oil formed from buried and compressed forests. Alas, not so, “It turns out that nearly all petroleum is from algae, most of which were deposited and buried in marine environments; no dinosaurs contributed their bodies to the original organic matter, and they had no role in helping to bury it, let along [sic] mature the organic compounds sufficiently that these later became oil and gas deposits.” (p. 354)
Ichnology can be applied to any biological traces, and in his first book the author takes readers all the way back to the fossilized burrows which are the only remaining indicators of some of the earliest animals. As it applies to dinosaurs, ichnology is like a forensic analysis of a crime scene: what evidence exists, and what can you deduce from it? Footprints can tell not only how they creatures moved, but also how they hunted, how fast they ran, and whether they were solitary or lived in herds. Nests show that not only did some dinosaurs use vast nesting grounds, but also exhibited parental care of their offspring.
Coprolites, fossilized dinosaur dung, are apparently quite common, and I remember once seeing some pea-size examples for sale in a shop at my local mall. Examination of coprolites can reveal a great deal about about what dinosaurs ate and some things about the environment in which they lived.
There are also gastroliths, stones which some species swallowed to help break down and digest food, a trait which exists to this day in some reptiles, birds, and even mammals such seals and sea lions. Even the absence of gastroliths among the bones of a dinosaur skeleton can tell a trained observer something about the creature’s biology.
Many trace fossils are faint and weathered away, and in some cases can be hard to distinguish from naturally occurring geological forces. Creationists love to trumpet the discovery of supposed human footprints alongside those of dinosaurs, but in every case where they have been examined by trained professionals, they have been found to be cases of mistaken identification, if not outright fraud.
One thing I noted in his previous book is that Dr. Marin likes to lighten up his discussion with jokes and humorous asides, and I am sure he is a very popular professor at Emory University, where he teaches. Sometimes I found his style a little distracting, but it is also a reminder that even professionals have their own quirks and moods. In discussing one particular potential, but disputed, discovery, he writes, “Paleontologists who do such research could be assured of making a big splash with it, while also going against the flow of others’ prejudices. Afterwards, they will be flushed with success, and their colleagues pissed off.” (p. 263)
So, I liked this book. It expanded my understanding of paleontology, and Dr. Martin is a confident, capable guide. So many books about dinosaurs are written either for kids or for professionals working in the field, so it is nice to find a genial introduction written for the general reader.
November 27, 2016
This book takes the rather refreshing view that the most interesting things we know about the dinosaurs are to be gleaned not from their skeletons — impressive as they are, they are mute; we don’t even have whole skeletons in many cases, or even know exactly how the parts that we do have go together. Cue trace fossils: footprints, nests, all the ways the dinosaurs impacted their landscapes and left signs of their passing (not to mention their eating, breeding, and — hold on, sorry, in the spirit of this book I have to do this — their passing of various waste products).
From that parentheses you will have gathered than Martin takes delight in being down to earth about things. He makes no bones (ha) about the fact that a lot of useful information can be gained from traces like coprolites and urolites — and that he hopes that someone will find other traces, like those of dinosaur mating rituals and even the act itself. There’s so much that we don’t know, and which bones can’t tell us, but if we find some kind of fossil trace of dinosaur flatulence, we’ll have support for the idea that they had bacterial microbiomes to help them digest food (since it seems reasonably clear that many of them didn’t have the expected gastroliths).
Despite that, and a healthy enjoyment of jokes and light asides, this is a really informative and fascinating book which gives you an idea of the scope for investigation in trace fossils, even those which don’t preserve more than a tiny fragment of dinosaur life. It also looks at how we can use modern equivalents (e.g. in the same ecological niche, or with similar physiology) to get an idea of what we’re even looking for in the fossil record.
Where I would normally quibble is Martin’s fictional reconstructions, but I think he’s very clear that they are fiction, and that he’s using them to illustrate a point, so I won’t dock him any marks for that.
The mark of really good non-fiction for me is that it makes me want to steer my career in the direction indicated, in this case paleontology. Now, a lot of it sounds like too much work outdoors for me, but all the same, I feel the fascination.
(It’s okay, Mum. I’m sticking with doing-something-with-biology as a vague direction for now. I promise you’ll have me out of yourhair bank account one of these days.)
Originally posted here.
From that parentheses you will have gathered than Martin takes delight in being down to earth about things. He makes no bones (ha) about the fact that a lot of useful information can be gained from traces like coprolites and urolites — and that he hopes that someone will find other traces, like those of dinosaur mating rituals and even the act itself. There’s so much that we don’t know, and which bones can’t tell us, but if we find some kind of fossil trace of dinosaur flatulence, we’ll have support for the idea that they had bacterial microbiomes to help them digest food (since it seems reasonably clear that many of them didn’t have the expected gastroliths).
Despite that, and a healthy enjoyment of jokes and light asides, this is a really informative and fascinating book which gives you an idea of the scope for investigation in trace fossils, even those which don’t preserve more than a tiny fragment of dinosaur life. It also looks at how we can use modern equivalents (e.g. in the same ecological niche, or with similar physiology) to get an idea of what we’re even looking for in the fossil record.
Where I would normally quibble is Martin’s fictional reconstructions, but I think he’s very clear that they are fiction, and that he’s using them to illustrate a point, so I won’t dock him any marks for that.
The mark of really good non-fiction for me is that it makes me want to steer my career in the direction indicated, in this case paleontology. Now, a lot of it sounds like too much work outdoors for me, but all the same, I feel the fascination.
(It’s okay, Mum. I’m sticking with doing-something-with-biology as a vague direction for now. I promise you’ll have me out of your
Originally posted here.
September 29, 2021
Never heard about inchology (not sure about the spelling) before but wow was it fascinating. How would you find out and learn about dinosaurs if there wasn't any bones to look at? That's where inology (again I'm terrible at spelling and autocorrect isn't helping this time) comes it. Utterly find fascinating and never a dull reading experience. I will absolutely look for more books by Anthony J Martin!
February 20, 2015
I've long believed that if a person is passionate enough about a topic, that passion can be harnessed to make others interested as well. This book, on the study of dinosaurs' trace fossils, is a good example of that.
I've never been fascinated by dinosaurs, though my 3-year-old son and 61-year-old father are. But the energy that author Anthony J. Martin brings to this work made it a good read nonetheless, especially since he sprinkles humor and anecdote throughout.
My one criticism: Though it was marketed for the popular reader, the book is, in the end, a textbook directed toward students of paleontology -- and not the layman.
I've never been fascinated by dinosaurs, though my 3-year-old son and 61-year-old father are. But the energy that author Anthony J. Martin brings to this work made it a good read nonetheless, especially since he sprinkles humor and anecdote throughout.
My one criticism: Though it was marketed for the popular reader, the book is, in the end, a textbook directed toward students of paleontology -- and not the layman.
October 2, 2020
It was the first time I'd met the great detective in real life. "Mr Holmes?" I greeted him excitedly as I approached.
He turned away from the dinosaur tracks he'd been gazing at and raised an eyebrow. "Mr Watson!" he smirked.
"Umm that's not my name…" I said, but then went straight down to business. "Okay, so here are the facts that I am aware of. The deceased victims are the dinosaurs. Time of death roughly… 65 million years ago. A few famous victims - Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops - along with a bunch of others not so well known to the public. We've identified them from bones. Likely weapon was a meteorite off the Mexican coast."
Sherlock smiled. "Yes, yes, they died, boo hoo, a crying shame," he chuckled, "but how did they live?
"Beg your pardon?"
Sherlock's grin widened. "See these tracks here?" - suddenly, for the convenience of elucidation, we were at the famous Lark Quarry dinosaur stampede tracks in outback Queensland - "We'd never know anything about stampeding without tracks."
"Hmm," I said, not entirely convinced.
"A general rule for both bipedal and quadrupedal track-ways: the narrower the trackway, the more likely the trackmaker was moving quickly."
"Okay," I said, non-committally.
"Do you know, all the standard cops looking into these victims just care about bones," Holmes said, "Yet there's so much more to see!" His enthusiasm was starting to grow on me… "I'm into ichnology, the study of trace fossils to determine behaviour."
"Trace fossils?"
"Indeed," Sherlock laughed, "Tracks, nests, burrows… you name it."
It seemed that, for some people, this would be pure tedium; for me, though, it was a delight. Especially given the great detective's enthusiasm.
"You look for clues everywhere and imagine how movement or output from dinosaurs would manifest in the fossil record. You might think about, say, the angle a foot hits the earth, or how a tail might brush the ground."
"Wait!" I looked at him curiously. "When you say output…?"
"Let me put it this way," he said happily, "I think I've got one of the few jobs where finding crap on the ground is actually a good thing. Helps us to work out what a dino was eating. Same with gut contents for that matter…So, yeah, a crappy day is great! OHHHH LOOK!"
He held up a fossilised clump.
He winked at me. "Goodness, today's really turned to sh--"
"It looks like a fossil poo? A coprolite?" I said.
He nodded, then went on. "Ever thought about how dinosaurs spent most of their day? Watch nearly any documentary film that uses CGI (computer-generated imagery) to recreate dinosaurs in their natural Mesozoic habitats and you will almost never see a dinosaur sitting, lying down, sleeping, or otherwise taking it easy. This is understandable on the part of the director and animators, because the attention span of viewers would decrease in inverse proportion to the length of such a segment and they would quickly switch the channel to watch their favorite reality-TV stars. (Coincidentally, these “stars” will be mostly sitting, lying down, sleeping, or otherwise taking it easy.) Yet dinosaurs must have slept, rested, or paused, however briefly, in their daily activities."
Okay, I was fully on board by this point and was, naturally, trying to work out how that activity would be reflected in the fossil record.
"Then there's nests," he enthused, "Size, positioning, proximity to other nests… these are all indicative of how dinosaurs reproduced, and whether that was a social or solitary endeavour. And then," he whispered breathlessly, "There's dinosaur sex…!"
"And how did that work?" I asked curiously. I'd wondered before how Stegosaurus managed it...
"Phwaw! Has it gotten hot in here?" Holmes started fanning himself, "Yes, well, I can't tell you exactly how they did it, but I can tell you what trace fossils I'd expect to find if they did exist…" And he told me quite precisely what the tracks might look like, from dinosaurs getting it on… if only we could find some traces.
I glanced at my watch. I felt like he wanted to tell me more but, by this point, I was painfully aware that this review was getting far too long…
I looked at him seriously. "So, I presume you're not going to tell me anything about how they died?"
"No," he replied, "I'm more into the 'living' part of their lives…"
"Right. And by the way. My name's not Watson."
"And I'm not Sherlock Holmes, neither," he said, "But my methods are just like his."
~~~~~
Actual quotes from the book are in bold.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author's enthusiasm is infectious.
He turned away from the dinosaur tracks he'd been gazing at and raised an eyebrow. "Mr Watson!" he smirked.
"Umm that's not my name…" I said, but then went straight down to business. "Okay, so here are the facts that I am aware of. The deceased victims are the dinosaurs. Time of death roughly… 65 million years ago. A few famous victims - Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops - along with a bunch of others not so well known to the public. We've identified them from bones. Likely weapon was a meteorite off the Mexican coast."
Sherlock smiled. "Yes, yes, they died, boo hoo, a crying shame," he chuckled, "but how did they live?
"Beg your pardon?"
Sherlock's grin widened. "See these tracks here?" - suddenly, for the convenience of elucidation, we were at the famous Lark Quarry dinosaur stampede tracks in outback Queensland - "We'd never know anything about stampeding without tracks."
"Hmm," I said, not entirely convinced.
"A general rule for both bipedal and quadrupedal track-ways: the narrower the trackway, the more likely the trackmaker was moving quickly."
"Okay," I said, non-committally.
"Do you know, all the standard cops looking into these victims just care about bones," Holmes said, "Yet there's so much more to see!" His enthusiasm was starting to grow on me… "I'm into ichnology, the study of trace fossils to determine behaviour."
"Trace fossils?"
"Indeed," Sherlock laughed, "Tracks, nests, burrows… you name it."
It seemed that, for some people, this would be pure tedium; for me, though, it was a delight. Especially given the great detective's enthusiasm.
"You look for clues everywhere and imagine how movement or output from dinosaurs would manifest in the fossil record. You might think about, say, the angle a foot hits the earth, or how a tail might brush the ground."
"Wait!" I looked at him curiously. "When you say output…?"
"Let me put it this way," he said happily, "I think I've got one of the few jobs where finding crap on the ground is actually a good thing. Helps us to work out what a dino was eating. Same with gut contents for that matter…So, yeah, a crappy day is great! OHHHH LOOK!"
He held up a fossilised clump.
He winked at me. "Goodness, today's really turned to sh--"
"It looks like a fossil poo? A coprolite?" I said.
He nodded, then went on. "Ever thought about how dinosaurs spent most of their day? Watch nearly any documentary film that uses CGI (computer-generated imagery) to recreate dinosaurs in their natural Mesozoic habitats and you will almost never see a dinosaur sitting, lying down, sleeping, or otherwise taking it easy. This is understandable on the part of the director and animators, because the attention span of viewers would decrease in inverse proportion to the length of such a segment and they would quickly switch the channel to watch their favorite reality-TV stars. (Coincidentally, these “stars” will be mostly sitting, lying down, sleeping, or otherwise taking it easy.) Yet dinosaurs must have slept, rested, or paused, however briefly, in their daily activities."
Okay, I was fully on board by this point and was, naturally, trying to work out how that activity would be reflected in the fossil record.
"Then there's nests," he enthused, "Size, positioning, proximity to other nests… these are all indicative of how dinosaurs reproduced, and whether that was a social or solitary endeavour. And then," he whispered breathlessly, "There's dinosaur sex…!"
"And how did that work?" I asked curiously. I'd wondered before how Stegosaurus managed it...
"Phwaw! Has it gotten hot in here?" Holmes started fanning himself, "Yes, well, I can't tell you exactly how they did it, but I can tell you what trace fossils I'd expect to find if they did exist…" And he told me quite precisely what the tracks might look like, from dinosaurs getting it on… if only we could find some traces.
I glanced at my watch. I felt like he wanted to tell me more but, by this point, I was painfully aware that this review was getting far too long…
I looked at him seriously. "So, I presume you're not going to tell me anything about how they died?"
"No," he replied, "I'm more into the 'living' part of their lives…"
"Right. And by the way. My name's not Watson."
"And I'm not Sherlock Holmes, neither," he said, "But my methods are just like his."
~~~~~
Actual quotes from the book are in bold.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author's enthusiasm is infectious.
May 30, 2021
What a brilliantly fun book. This is an ichnologists take on non-avian dinosaurs. The book explains how their trace fossils can help interpret behaviour and glimpse the lives of these animals that lived millions of years ago.
Anthony Martin brings a sense of fun to his writing (even if you maybe rolling your eyes at the jokes) and often speculates wildly on dinosaur behaviours and what traces they may have produced. This approach is really engaging and expands your ideas of what constitutes a trace fossil beyond an individual dinosaur "footprint" or "toothmark" to the broader picture of a trackway and feeding trace. This book improved my understanding significantly.
Anthony Martin brings a sense of fun to his writing (even if you maybe rolling your eyes at the jokes) and often speculates wildly on dinosaur behaviours and what traces they may have produced. This approach is really engaging and expands your ideas of what constitutes a trace fossil beyond an individual dinosaur "footprint" or "toothmark" to the broader picture of a trackway and feeding trace. This book improved my understanding significantly.
October 26, 2015
A fantastic book that looks at one aspect of paleontology that often is ignored by popular science articles: the trace fossils that dinosaurs leave behind. But the book is best read if you already have some knowledge about dinosaurs and paleontology as the author rattles off a long list of dinosaur species and eras in the book without explanation, which would have made the book much longer.
In fascinating detail, this books looks at what kind of traces dinosaurs leave behind other than their bones: tracks, nests, burrows, teethmarks, gastoliths and stomach contents. The author shows that these trace fossils are just an important as the fossil bones that make up the dinosaurs; for these trace fossils are the evidence that shows that dinosaurs behaved in certain ways.
The book is partly a look at how such trace fossils occur in the field and what is needed for paleontologist to recognise and confirm that a peculiar shape, depression or group of stones represents a trace fossil and not, say, an accidental shape caused by flowing water or debris. The other part of the book covers the author's own personal journeys to various field locations and shows the excitement of discovering dinosaur burrows and dinosaur tracks.
A large number of endnotes is provided for those readers who wish to find out more details about the various discoveries mentioned in the book.
Apart from the occasion cultural reference that may pass over the heads of readers, the writing is captivating and makes it easy for the reader to understand the excitement of finding a probable trace fossil and working to tease out just what the trace fossil says about dinosaur behaviour.
In fascinating detail, this books looks at what kind of traces dinosaurs leave behind other than their bones: tracks, nests, burrows, teethmarks, gastoliths and stomach contents. The author shows that these trace fossils are just an important as the fossil bones that make up the dinosaurs; for these trace fossils are the evidence that shows that dinosaurs behaved in certain ways.
The book is partly a look at how such trace fossils occur in the field and what is needed for paleontologist to recognise and confirm that a peculiar shape, depression or group of stones represents a trace fossil and not, say, an accidental shape caused by flowing water or debris. The other part of the book covers the author's own personal journeys to various field locations and shows the excitement of discovering dinosaur burrows and dinosaur tracks.
A large number of endnotes is provided for those readers who wish to find out more details about the various discoveries mentioned in the book.
Apart from the occasion cultural reference that may pass over the heads of readers, the writing is captivating and makes it easy for the reader to understand the excitement of finding a probable trace fossil and working to tease out just what the trace fossil says about dinosaur behaviour.
June 3, 2021
Fascinating and frequently irreverent, Dinosaurs Without Bones is a great introduction to the many different trace fossils left by dinosaurs. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2021...
July 21, 2014
Two excellent science books in a row. This is a wonderful thing.
I picked this book up at the library mainly because of the magical word in the title: D*I*N*O*S*A*U*R*S. I've always loved them; one of the first toys I ever had was a battery-operated, six-inch-tall, motorized Tyrannosaurus Rex. Press one button on the controller, and the little green guy would walk forward, with enough noise to raise the dead; press the other button, and he would roar. As I remember (this was in the Late Cretaceous era, you know) you couldn't press both buttons at the same time.
It didn't matter. I had absolutely no use for dolls, preferring my various plastic dinosaurs and my noisy, cranky T-Rex.
So this book, needless to say, was right up my alley. I didn't even know what a "trace fossil" was when I started it. Trace fossils, as I was to learn, are everything dinosaurs left behind other than their bones: their fossilized footprints, claw marks, trails, body and/or feather impressions, eggs, nests, burrows, toothmarks, gastroliths (stones swallowed by some dinosaurs to aid in digestion), as well as fossilized feces, urine, and vomit. I didn't know such a specialized field as ichnology, or the study of these trace fossils, existed.
Needless to say, such a deeply technical book can get high, dry, boring, and incomprehensible very quickly, if the author permits it. That is the genius of Anthony J. Martin: he never lets his material get out of hand. His love for what he does shines through from the first page to the last, and because he wants to share that love with his readers, he communicates complex scientific concepts in an clear, understandable style. More than that, he writes this book with a sense of humor, so much so that I giggled and cackled throughout.
I mean, when's the last time a science book made you laugh out loud?
As a matter of fact, reading this book made me realize what was wrong with my previous review, Ellen Willis' Out of the Vinyl Deeps. I started Dinosaurs Without Bones while I was still struggling to finish Willis' way-too-serious tome, and the contrast was immediate and obvious. There are some subjects, be they dinosaurs or Bob Dylan, that need to be approached with humor, or you'll just bog your readers down.
Willis falls into this trap. Martin doesn't.
I haven't included quotes in my reviews before, but I'm going to for this one, just so you get the flavor of the writing. This comes from my favorite chapter, chapter 8: "The Remains of the Day: Dinosaur Vomit, Stomach Contents, Feces, and Other Gut Feelings."
Assume that every dinosaur pooped. If so, not all of these end products of dinosaur digestion were preserved in the fossil record. But you will have a load taken off your mind when you know that those found thus far have not gone to waste, nor remained the butt of jokes.
The author is punnier in some places than in others, but the whole book is like this. Who knew piss, puke and shit, along with all the other trace fossils, could be so entertaining?
Anyone who loves dinosaurs will love this book.
I picked this book up at the library mainly because of the magical word in the title: D*I*N*O*S*A*U*R*S. I've always loved them; one of the first toys I ever had was a battery-operated, six-inch-tall, motorized Tyrannosaurus Rex. Press one button on the controller, and the little green guy would walk forward, with enough noise to raise the dead; press the other button, and he would roar. As I remember (this was in the Late Cretaceous era, you know) you couldn't press both buttons at the same time.
It didn't matter. I had absolutely no use for dolls, preferring my various plastic dinosaurs and my noisy, cranky T-Rex.
So this book, needless to say, was right up my alley. I didn't even know what a "trace fossil" was when I started it. Trace fossils, as I was to learn, are everything dinosaurs left behind other than their bones: their fossilized footprints, claw marks, trails, body and/or feather impressions, eggs, nests, burrows, toothmarks, gastroliths (stones swallowed by some dinosaurs to aid in digestion), as well as fossilized feces, urine, and vomit. I didn't know such a specialized field as ichnology, or the study of these trace fossils, existed.
Needless to say, such a deeply technical book can get high, dry, boring, and incomprehensible very quickly, if the author permits it. That is the genius of Anthony J. Martin: he never lets his material get out of hand. His love for what he does shines through from the first page to the last, and because he wants to share that love with his readers, he communicates complex scientific concepts in an clear, understandable style. More than that, he writes this book with a sense of humor, so much so that I giggled and cackled throughout.
I mean, when's the last time a science book made you laugh out loud?
As a matter of fact, reading this book made me realize what was wrong with my previous review, Ellen Willis' Out of the Vinyl Deeps. I started Dinosaurs Without Bones while I was still struggling to finish Willis' way-too-serious tome, and the contrast was immediate and obvious. There are some subjects, be they dinosaurs or Bob Dylan, that need to be approached with humor, or you'll just bog your readers down.
Willis falls into this trap. Martin doesn't.
I haven't included quotes in my reviews before, but I'm going to for this one, just so you get the flavor of the writing. This comes from my favorite chapter, chapter 8: "The Remains of the Day: Dinosaur Vomit, Stomach Contents, Feces, and Other Gut Feelings."
Assume that every dinosaur pooped. If so, not all of these end products of dinosaur digestion were preserved in the fossil record. But you will have a load taken off your mind when you know that those found thus far have not gone to waste, nor remained the butt of jokes.
The author is punnier in some places than in others, but the whole book is like this. Who knew piss, puke and shit, along with all the other trace fossils, could be so entertaining?
Anyone who loves dinosaurs will love this book.
September 19, 2014
I'm guessing Anthony Martin is a great teacher. He definitely loves his material, and his sense of humor must keep his classes entertaining. He's got a great observational knack and a passion for helping others to be able to mentally envision things that can be inferred from the fossil record.
Unfortunately, he needs a better editor -- one who can come down on him hard and force the cuts that desperately should have been made to this book. The material is good, but the book is way longer than is warranted for the lay audience for which it's intended.
The corny jokes -- ok, leave them in. They bugged me at first but by the end it really did just seem like the author's personality coming through, in ways that are probably great in person.
The science here is fascinating, really intriguing to see how much can be learned from such little and seemingly inconsequential traces.
Edited to add: Martin forgets what lay-people *don't* know! So much talk about clades, sauropods, theropods, etc -- some simple illustrations would have gone a long way in laying the foundation of understanding for those of us not so much in the know.
Unfortunately, he needs a better editor -- one who can come down on him hard and force the cuts that desperately should have been made to this book. The material is good, but the book is way longer than is warranted for the lay audience for which it's intended.
The corny jokes -- ok, leave them in. They bugged me at first but by the end it really did just seem like the author's personality coming through, in ways that are probably great in person.
The science here is fascinating, really intriguing to see how much can be learned from such little and seemingly inconsequential traces.
Edited to add: Martin forgets what lay-people *don't* know! So much talk about clades, sauropods, theropods, etc -- some simple illustrations would have gone a long way in laying the foundation of understanding for those of us not so much in the know.
April 13, 2020
There are lots of different books on dinosaurs. Most of them, understandably, focus on their body fossils, skeletons that tell us about how they looked like, how they relate with each other among other things.
What most people fail to realize is that their fossil traces, despite not receiving the same level of attention, are as much if not more informative than their bony counterparts. Anthony Martin blew my mind several times throughout this book, and that is coming from a paleontology graduate student (I currently work with fossil crocs from the Late Cretaceous).
The amount of information unveiled by ichnologists analyzing trackways, coprolites and other traces is fascinating, deserving of praise both from the general public and palaeontologists alike. Anthony's style of writing is highly entertaining and I appreciated the healthy amounts of skepticism he applies to his own conjectures, giving the reader a nice lesson on the scientific method applied to the earth and biological sciences.
I loved this book. It gives you tools to imagine dinosaurs as real animals that mated, rested, ran, got sick, swam etc... If you are a dino aficionado go read this one !
- D
What most people fail to realize is that their fossil traces, despite not receiving the same level of attention, are as much if not more informative than their bony counterparts. Anthony Martin blew my mind several times throughout this book, and that is coming from a paleontology graduate student (I currently work with fossil crocs from the Late Cretaceous).
The amount of information unveiled by ichnologists analyzing trackways, coprolites and other traces is fascinating, deserving of praise both from the general public and palaeontologists alike. Anthony's style of writing is highly entertaining and I appreciated the healthy amounts of skepticism he applies to his own conjectures, giving the reader a nice lesson on the scientific method applied to the earth and biological sciences.
I loved this book. It gives you tools to imagine dinosaurs as real animals that mated, rested, ran, got sick, swam etc... If you are a dino aficionado go read this one !
- D
August 9, 2016
Dinosaurs didn't just leave their bones behind. They also left footprints and in some cases skin impressions. They left toothmarks, eggshells, gastroliths (stomach stones), and even poop. And sometimes we can learn more about how they lived from these "trace fossils" than we can from the bones themselves.
Mr. Martin gives a rather extensive overview of what we know of dinosaurs based upon trace fossils, and does so with a sense of humor. Very interesting book.
Mr. Martin gives a rather extensive overview of what we know of dinosaurs based upon trace fossils, and does so with a sense of humor. Very interesting book.
November 16, 2014
I read about a quarter of the book. Interesting information, but I didn't care so much for the author's style - trying too hard to popularize the material. However, I recommend his Teaching Company lectures on "Major Transitions in Evolution."
July 7, 2015
Everything we know about dinosaurs from everything except their bones! Fascinating and surprisingly hilarious. The examples and figures were so fantastic!
June 25, 2021
Fascinating stories about dinosaur trace fossil paleontology. Especially toward the end, Martin gets overly speculative and the book becomes more about modern birds than non-avian dinosaurs. Still, the writing is enthusiastic, delightfully punny, and almost always interesting.
> paleontologists who study dinosaur tracks first assume they are looking at undertracks, and only modify these realistic expectations if confronted by the delightful details of skin.
> dinosaur tail impressions are quite rare, with fewer than forty reported from the entire geologic record, and many of these are associated with resting traces.
> The traces showed the positions of the theropod’s hands with its “palms” turned inward toward the center of the body, almost as if it were measuring the width of the trackway. For too many years, paleontologists have cringed at reconstructions of theropods walking around limp-wristed, palms down: a posture sometimes derisively labeled as “bunny hands.” In fact, skeletal evidence indicates this was anatomically impossible, and that the hands must have been held with the palms turned inward, not downward. Thus these two handprints vindicated critics’ previous assertions of theropod hand positions.
> we needed much more information before declaring that this was the world’s first known dinosaur burrow. It was time to take a closer look at the dinosaur found in the burrow, and find out whether it had died in a burrow of its own making or not. … An adult with a half-grown juvenile in a burrow was not only evidence of denning—a previously unknown behavior in dinosaurs—but also of extended parental care.
> The long-held assumption is that huge sauropods, many of which only had puny, pencil-like teeth, used gastroliths to grind their food. However, this idea is now seriously doubted
> In this coprolite was recognizable muscle tissue, some of it preserved in three dimensions. In their analysis, the paleontologists were astonished to see: striated cell-like structures revealed in thin sections; bundles closely resembling muscle cells and connective tissues in SEM photographs; and high concentrations of carbon in and around these structures.
> Other sizeable birds on islands included: the giant swans of Malta (Cygnus falconeri); the moa-nalo, consisting of four species of ducks in the Hawaiian Islands; the Viti Levu giant pigeon (Natunaornis gigoura), which was on one of the Fiji islands; and the giant cursorial owl (Ornimegalonyx sp.) of Cuba. All of these birds were flightless, and as one might guess from the adjective “giant” applied to their common names, they were significantly larger than any of their living relatives; for instance, imagine a 1.2 m (4 ft) tall owl prowling the forests of Cuba. All of these birds had something else in common, which was their rapid extinction soon after humans came in contact with them
> birds and flowering plants expanded and diversified at about the same time, which was in the middle of the Cretaceous Period (about 100–125 mya).
> paleontologists who study dinosaur tracks first assume they are looking at undertracks, and only modify these realistic expectations if confronted by the delightful details of skin.
> dinosaur tail impressions are quite rare, with fewer than forty reported from the entire geologic record, and many of these are associated with resting traces.
> The traces showed the positions of the theropod’s hands with its “palms” turned inward toward the center of the body, almost as if it were measuring the width of the trackway. For too many years, paleontologists have cringed at reconstructions of theropods walking around limp-wristed, palms down: a posture sometimes derisively labeled as “bunny hands.” In fact, skeletal evidence indicates this was anatomically impossible, and that the hands must have been held with the palms turned inward, not downward. Thus these two handprints vindicated critics’ previous assertions of theropod hand positions.
> we needed much more information before declaring that this was the world’s first known dinosaur burrow. It was time to take a closer look at the dinosaur found in the burrow, and find out whether it had died in a burrow of its own making or not. … An adult with a half-grown juvenile in a burrow was not only evidence of denning—a previously unknown behavior in dinosaurs—but also of extended parental care.
> The long-held assumption is that huge sauropods, many of which only had puny, pencil-like teeth, used gastroliths to grind their food. However, this idea is now seriously doubted
> In this coprolite was recognizable muscle tissue, some of it preserved in three dimensions. In their analysis, the paleontologists were astonished to see: striated cell-like structures revealed in thin sections; bundles closely resembling muscle cells and connective tissues in SEM photographs; and high concentrations of carbon in and around these structures.
> Other sizeable birds on islands included: the giant swans of Malta (Cygnus falconeri); the moa-nalo, consisting of four species of ducks in the Hawaiian Islands; the Viti Levu giant pigeon (Natunaornis gigoura), which was on one of the Fiji islands; and the giant cursorial owl (Ornimegalonyx sp.) of Cuba. All of these birds were flightless, and as one might guess from the adjective “giant” applied to their common names, they were significantly larger than any of their living relatives; for instance, imagine a 1.2 m (4 ft) tall owl prowling the forests of Cuba. All of these birds had something else in common, which was their rapid extinction soon after humans came in contact with them
> birds and flowering plants expanded and diversified at about the same time, which was in the middle of the Cretaceous Period (about 100–125 mya).
September 23, 2020
Loved a fresh perspective on fossils and evolution. Excellent resources for teaching, and very quotable witty remarks!
December 22, 2020
Interesting subject
I love dinosaur books but was a little tough. A lot of technical talk, It went beyond me. I'm sure some would like it , but not me
I love dinosaur books but was a little tough. A lot of technical talk, It went beyond me. I'm sure some would like it , but not me
January 15, 2019
have been on something of a dinosaur kick lately, and so was delighted to discover Martin’s book in my library. I had previously read his book ‘The Evolution Underground’, and enjoyed it lots. At any rate, I’m always up for something that fills me with more useless trivia to annoy other people with, which should be the only goal of such things. I didn’t realise until I was a good deal of the way through this that
First of all, this book is fun and funny. My favourite science teacher in high school was taught by Martin (two degrees of separation what!) and I wonder if his effervescent teaching and passion for field trips was at all inspired by Martin, because the field trips described in this book sound pretty dang great Martin is not afraid of puns either, and when talking about coprolites and dinosaur bum prints, he makes the obvious jokes and does it well. This didn’t at all feel like was an academic pandering to an idiot audience, it just made him sound like a lot of fun. Sometimes I also get bored in non fiction books with just how much description there is without any personal or humanizing bits, and thankfully Martin talks of his own wonder and enthusiasm while looking for dinosaurs, and his own experiences that have made him so interested in it, which improved the whole thing a lot.
Unfortunately, I have a brain like a sieve so I’m not sure if I’m going to retain all of this book, but I did learn a lot. Mostly about the practice of paleontology—the idea that you need a ‘search image’ or an idea of what to look for—resonated with me particularly, and the concept that you just have to be alert and to have wild theories and wonder and wonder. I didn’t learn much about specific dinosaurs, because I’m forgetful. I have however decided that next time I ask someone t a party what their favourite dinosaur is (try it, the results are always delightful), I will say Allosaurous or Edmontosaurous or something like that so that I will not have to scrutinize my choice excessively.
Reading Dinosaurs Without Bones, I was reminded of Alan Weisman’s book The World Without Us (assigned to me by said favourite science teacher), which details all the ways that humans have and will leave out mark on the earth. The dinosaurs affected the evolution of many different plants and left marks on the landscape—not just their burrows and nests and meals but in some of the systems of this absurd and sheltering planet. But I only had to look out the window as I read, hurtling through the stretches of central India, to think of concrete scars and coal ripped from the earth and factories disintegrating, ever so slowly, leaving their mark.
I was talking to my brother about this book and he was asking me what the point of learning about dinosaurs is. They’re dead, we’re not, out paths will never intersect off a movie screen or the pages of a book. Anthony Martin doesn’t really answer this question, at least not directly. He seems to advocate the study of dinosaurs for their own sake: because they were big breathing fascinating miraculous creatures, because they are gone, because they left things behind. In and of themselves, I agree: dinosaurs are incredible. Martin is more reluctant than Steven Brusatte, author of the Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, to drop incredible facts about the size of dinosaurs. For the most part, he lets their traces speak for themselves: the expanses of eggs, the weight of footprints, all we can never know and only wonder about. The last chapter of this book, though, answers the question best. The dinosaurs made this land, along with all the other forces of sun and plant and water and time. The dinosaurs lived through catastrophe. The dinosaurs can help us to understand why the world is like it is today, and how it might change. Also, they are utterly bizarre and a hell of a lot of fun.
Reading this book after the magnificent Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and the disappointing The Dinosaur Artist, as well as all sorts of articles (Ed Yong is a gift to the universe and I am so glad that he exists) has made me even keener for scientifically rigorous (not that shallow water rubbish), fun, adult aimed books about dinosaurs.
First of all, this book is fun and funny. My favourite science teacher in high school was taught by Martin (two degrees of separation what!) and I wonder if his effervescent teaching and passion for field trips was at all inspired by Martin, because the field trips described in this book sound pretty dang great Martin is not afraid of puns either, and when talking about coprolites and dinosaur bum prints, he makes the obvious jokes and does it well. This didn’t at all feel like was an academic pandering to an idiot audience, it just made him sound like a lot of fun. Sometimes I also get bored in non fiction books with just how much description there is without any personal or humanizing bits, and thankfully Martin talks of his own wonder and enthusiasm while looking for dinosaurs, and his own experiences that have made him so interested in it, which improved the whole thing a lot.
Unfortunately, I have a brain like a sieve so I’m not sure if I’m going to retain all of this book, but I did learn a lot. Mostly about the practice of paleontology—the idea that you need a ‘search image’ or an idea of what to look for—resonated with me particularly, and the concept that you just have to be alert and to have wild theories and wonder and wonder. I didn’t learn much about specific dinosaurs, because I’m forgetful. I have however decided that next time I ask someone t a party what their favourite dinosaur is (try it, the results are always delightful), I will say Allosaurous or Edmontosaurous or something like that so that I will not have to scrutinize my choice excessively.
Reading Dinosaurs Without Bones, I was reminded of Alan Weisman’s book The World Without Us (assigned to me by said favourite science teacher), which details all the ways that humans have and will leave out mark on the earth. The dinosaurs affected the evolution of many different plants and left marks on the landscape—not just their burrows and nests and meals but in some of the systems of this absurd and sheltering planet. But I only had to look out the window as I read, hurtling through the stretches of central India, to think of concrete scars and coal ripped from the earth and factories disintegrating, ever so slowly, leaving their mark.
I was talking to my brother about this book and he was asking me what the point of learning about dinosaurs is. They’re dead, we’re not, out paths will never intersect off a movie screen or the pages of a book. Anthony Martin doesn’t really answer this question, at least not directly. He seems to advocate the study of dinosaurs for their own sake: because they were big breathing fascinating miraculous creatures, because they are gone, because they left things behind. In and of themselves, I agree: dinosaurs are incredible. Martin is more reluctant than Steven Brusatte, author of the Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, to drop incredible facts about the size of dinosaurs. For the most part, he lets their traces speak for themselves: the expanses of eggs, the weight of footprints, all we can never know and only wonder about. The last chapter of this book, though, answers the question best. The dinosaurs made this land, along with all the other forces of sun and plant and water and time. The dinosaurs lived through catastrophe. The dinosaurs can help us to understand why the world is like it is today, and how it might change. Also, they are utterly bizarre and a hell of a lot of fun.
Reading this book after the magnificent Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and the disappointing The Dinosaur Artist, as well as all sorts of articles (Ed Yong is a gift to the universe and I am so glad that he exists) has made me even keener for scientifically rigorous (not that shallow water rubbish), fun, adult aimed books about dinosaurs.
January 2, 2025
Dinosaurs through their traces…and a peppering of Dad jokes. What more could you ask for!?
Anthony J Martin does a fantastic job of making the case for trace fossils being more of a window into the past than body fossils, while also talking about his exploits in the field.
Highly recommended for fans of palaeontology, dinosaurs, evolution…and of course dad jokes!
Anthony J Martin does a fantastic job of making the case for trace fossils being more of a window into the past than body fossils, while also talking about his exploits in the field.
Highly recommended for fans of palaeontology, dinosaurs, evolution…and of course dad jokes!
June 24, 2014
This is an entertaining book about dinosaurs and ichnology, the study of trace fossils and traces – tracks, trails, burrows, nests, tooth marks, and other evidence of dinosaur behavior.
I thought the author did a superb job of entertaining the reader with a dry and potentially boring subject. Let’s face it, the dinosaurs themselves are the rock stars and studying their tracks and trails is a lot less entertaining than studying the big guys. It was like reading a book about the clothes and eating habits of the Beatles when it would be a lot more interesting reading about the Beatles.
I thought it was a good book, but dinosaur connoisseurs will probably think this is the cat’s pajamas or T Rex’s pajamas. One thumb up.
I thought the author did a superb job of entertaining the reader with a dry and potentially boring subject. Let’s face it, the dinosaurs themselves are the rock stars and studying their tracks and trails is a lot less entertaining than studying the big guys. It was like reading a book about the clothes and eating habits of the Beatles when it would be a lot more interesting reading about the Beatles.
I thought it was a good book, but dinosaur connoisseurs will probably think this is the cat’s pajamas or T Rex’s pajamas. One thumb up.
November 17, 2016
I've been a lifelong dino nerd and had wanted to be a paleontologist (until I realized all the hard brain science to get there was way too over my head). I had no idea about trace fossils and ichnology. It's amazing! Dinosaur tracks, trails, nests, tooth marks, burrows, eating rocks (gastroliths), projectile puke, poop and pee...for anyone into dinosaurs and evolution, this is some seriously fascinating stuff. And the author gives it a sense of humor and numerous imaginative scenarios to help the layman scientist out (and not boring us with over the top academia language).
April 30, 2020
The author examines the possibilities of trace fossils of dinosaurs - that is traces of their lives other than bones. His narrative opens up many possibilities, some of which have been found. The attraction of trace fossils is that they have the potential to give insight to dinosaur behaviours. Martin notes that a dinosaur leaves a skeleton only once, but can create trace fossils including tracks throughout its life.
Martin describes Lark Quarry in Queensland an aggregation of tracks by both theropods and herbaceous dinosaurs. He examines the various scenarios of interaction that may have led to the track sets.
The author was involved in the discovery of a dinosaur which was fossilized in a ground burrow with two juveniles, thus establishing that some dinoasaurs were burrowing much like many modern animals.
A study of gastroliths found in the Bull Run Formation of Virginia pointed to the presence of prosauropods in spite of the fact that no bones, tracks or other evidence was found. The gastroliths appear to have been picked up by the dinosaurs from a specific formation that is 20 km distant.
Coprolites from titanosaurs in central India have analyzed by comparing isotope ratios with the droppings of modern herbivores. It has been shown that these animals did not use bacteria to process their food as do many modern animals. The presence of microscopic glass structures, phytoliths, show that grass was reasonably common in the late Mesozoic.
The author relates his discovery of the first dinosaur trackway in the south of the state of Victoria, Australia. The theropod tracks appear to represent two adults and a juvenile walking in a somewhat polar environment. Martin does not address the climate specifically, but it is generally thought that the south may have had an icy polar winter including semi-darkness.
Martin ends with a speculative chapter on how dinosaur activities may have changed the earth's environment.
Martin describes Lark Quarry in Queensland an aggregation of tracks by both theropods and herbaceous dinosaurs. He examines the various scenarios of interaction that may have led to the track sets.
The author was involved in the discovery of a dinosaur which was fossilized in a ground burrow with two juveniles, thus establishing that some dinoasaurs were burrowing much like many modern animals.
A study of gastroliths found in the Bull Run Formation of Virginia pointed to the presence of prosauropods in spite of the fact that no bones, tracks or other evidence was found. The gastroliths appear to have been picked up by the dinosaurs from a specific formation that is 20 km distant.
Coprolites from titanosaurs in central India have analyzed by comparing isotope ratios with the droppings of modern herbivores. It has been shown that these animals did not use bacteria to process their food as do many modern animals. The presence of microscopic glass structures, phytoliths, show that grass was reasonably common in the late Mesozoic.
The author relates his discovery of the first dinosaur trackway in the south of the state of Victoria, Australia. The theropod tracks appear to represent two adults and a juvenile walking in a somewhat polar environment. Martin does not address the climate specifically, but it is generally thought that the south may have had an icy polar winter including semi-darkness.
Martin ends with a speculative chapter on how dinosaur activities may have changed the earth's environment.
June 5, 2019
Ichnology is the science about things that can trace fossils. While we think about dinosaurs by their bones (paleontology), ichnology traces dinosaurs by their footprints, their poop and the like.
(Yes, their "poop"; I mean, their coprolites.)
It's an interesting voyage on how ichnologists work, how their operate, what they look for and so on.
Also, it gives a brief display on how scientists work: At some point, the author did a huge discovery, but because it wasn't published yet, he decided to not tell his colleagues about it. It's the sad part of science when scientists decide to keep things to themselves till it's out in the open, so afraid that another scientist would publish it first and lose the laurels of discovery.
The last part of the book is less interesting, 'cause it starts discussing birds (modern dinosaurs) and their traces, making the relationship between the old dinosaur traces and the birds traces. It's boring only 'cause it's not real dinosaur.
Also, the book seriously needs more pictures. I kept a browser full of tabs on Wikipedia with pictures of theropods, sauropods and all the kind of other pods just because I couldn't figure out what it meant when talking about theropods attacking a sauropod.
It's a fun book, specially when we think that the only references to dinosaurs we have are the bones (also, the fact that the book talks about dinosaurs without examining their bones -- by, again, examining footprints and poop -- is what gives the book its title).
(Yes, their "poop"; I mean, their coprolites.)
It's an interesting voyage on how ichnologists work, how their operate, what they look for and so on.
Also, it gives a brief display on how scientists work: At some point, the author did a huge discovery, but because it wasn't published yet, he decided to not tell his colleagues about it. It's the sad part of science when scientists decide to keep things to themselves till it's out in the open, so afraid that another scientist would publish it first and lose the laurels of discovery.
The last part of the book is less interesting, 'cause it starts discussing birds (modern dinosaurs) and their traces, making the relationship between the old dinosaur traces and the birds traces. It's boring only 'cause it's not real dinosaur.
Also, the book seriously needs more pictures. I kept a browser full of tabs on Wikipedia with pictures of theropods, sauropods and all the kind of other pods just because I couldn't figure out what it meant when talking about theropods attacking a sauropod.
It's a fun book, specially when we think that the only references to dinosaurs we have are the bones (also, the fact that the book talks about dinosaurs without examining their bones -- by, again, examining footprints and poop -- is what gives the book its title).
October 10, 2021
I was so close to loving this book. The information is accessibly presented and fascinating. Who knew how much you could learn from a dinosaur trackway or the abundance and diversity of trace fossils?
Unfortunately, Anthony Martin's accessible style means dealing with insufferable, puerile, and sometimes unintelligible attempts at humor. From not-so-sly sex jokes to digs at young people's social media habits, Martin dates himself through his (un)witticisms throughout the book. At best the got an eye-roll and at worst (and more frequently) they were downright distracting, pulling me out of the academic world of ichnologists and into the mind of a middle school class clown.
As far as content, this book was remarkable. I loved learning about footprints, coprolites, nests, and more. The thesis is more than proven: by analyzing dinosaurian trace fossils, the animals come alive far more than is possible from body fossils alone. I couldn't have imagined the vividness with which Martin is able to describe dinosaur behavior off the basis of scratches in the mudstone or comparisons with living avian dinosaurs.
The biggest content-shortcoming is that there was a relative dearth of imagery in the book. Photos in the middle of the book had 1-3 examples for each chapter, which left me googling the examples the author was talking about in order to get a fuller understanding. A significant amount of photo-space was spent on some more juvenile humor, with a thumbs-up next to some wolf scat and a graduate student "illustrating" the origins of a urolite by posing over it, "humorously."
Overall, I recommend holding your nose through the cringe-y humor in order to enjoy the enormous wealth of knowledge contained within this book. It is fascinating and readable and opened my eyes to a whole world of paleontology that had previously been unknown to me.
Unfortunately, Anthony Martin's accessible style means dealing with insufferable, puerile, and sometimes unintelligible attempts at humor. From not-so-sly sex jokes to digs at young people's social media habits, Martin dates himself through his (un)witticisms throughout the book. At best the got an eye-roll and at worst (and more frequently) they were downright distracting, pulling me out of the academic world of ichnologists and into the mind of a middle school class clown.
As far as content, this book was remarkable. I loved learning about footprints, coprolites, nests, and more. The thesis is more than proven: by analyzing dinosaurian trace fossils, the animals come alive far more than is possible from body fossils alone. I couldn't have imagined the vividness with which Martin is able to describe dinosaur behavior off the basis of scratches in the mudstone or comparisons with living avian dinosaurs.
The biggest content-shortcoming is that there was a relative dearth of imagery in the book. Photos in the middle of the book had 1-3 examples for each chapter, which left me googling the examples the author was talking about in order to get a fuller understanding. A significant amount of photo-space was spent on some more juvenile humor, with a thumbs-up next to some wolf scat and a graduate student "illustrating" the origins of a urolite by posing over it, "humorously."
Overall, I recommend holding your nose through the cringe-y humor in order to enjoy the enormous wealth of knowledge contained within this book. It is fascinating and readable and opened my eyes to a whole world of paleontology that had previously been unknown to me.
April 4, 2019
My friend read the back cover blurb of this while I was reading it and said, "CSI meets Jurassic Park? That's the most amazing thing I've ever heard." She wasn't wrong and the book did not disappoint (she's in line to read it now I'm finished).
Dinosaurs Without Bones is one of those rare science-y nonfiction books that manages to be informative and entertaining in equal measure. The author has a lovely style and a conversational tone, but it isn't patronising and it never becomes about him or his ego - even when discussing his own finds - but about the science. It's clear he adores dinosaurs and adores his work, and it makes this book a really warm read.
I liked the format, where each chapter focuses on a different kind of trace fossil, from tracks to coprolites (fossilised dung). It really was like CSI, learning how ichnologists can figure out so much from mere traces of creatures that lived and died so many millions of years in the past.
According to the author, paleontologists who deal with fossils look down on ichnologists, or at least don't really value their work. Well, he convinced me - dinosaur tracks, dung, toothmarks, and all the other non-bone clues they leave behind are just as fascinating and valuable as bone fossils.
Dinosaurs Without Bones is one of those rare science-y nonfiction books that manages to be informative and entertaining in equal measure. The author has a lovely style and a conversational tone, but it isn't patronising and it never becomes about him or his ego - even when discussing his own finds - but about the science. It's clear he adores dinosaurs and adores his work, and it makes this book a really warm read.
I liked the format, where each chapter focuses on a different kind of trace fossil, from tracks to coprolites (fossilised dung). It really was like CSI, learning how ichnologists can figure out so much from mere traces of creatures that lived and died so many millions of years in the past.
According to the author, paleontologists who deal with fossils look down on ichnologists, or at least don't really value their work. Well, he convinced me - dinosaur tracks, dung, toothmarks, and all the other non-bone clues they leave behind are just as fascinating and valuable as bone fossils.
November 30, 2023
1 of a kind ( www.amazon.com/review/R385LV9OEXYSG8/... ): 5/5
Short version: If you want the only popular adult book about dino traces, get Martin's "Dinosaurs Without Bones: Dinosaur Lives Revealed by their Trace Fossils" (henceforth Bones). If you want the best adult day-in-the-life dino book, get Bones. If you want the most 1 of a kind adult dino book, get Bones.
Long version: Read on.
As you may have noticed, I usually review non-fiction dino books that either don't get enough praise for being good or don't get enough criticism for being bad. What's interesting about Bones is that it got a lot of praise for covering so much ground on dino traces, but little-to-no praise for how it covers said ground (which is what really makes it 1 of a kind). Not only is Bones the only popular adult book about dino traces, but also the best adult day-in-the-life dino book. In this review, I list the 2 main reasons why I think that is.
1) The 1st part of a day-in-the-life dino book usually tells a day-in-the-life story of a dino. 1 of the major problems I have with many day-in-the-life dino books is that their stories are poorly-written. Thanks to Martin, Bones doesn't have that problem. In fact, Bones is basically a dino-centric version of Aardema's "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale" written in the style of Bakker's "Raptor Red", but better: For 1, Chapter 1 tells a day-in-the-life story of a "big male Triceratops" & how its "aggressive movement[...]triggered overt and subtle changes in the behaviors of nearly every dinosaur nearby"; This is like Aardema's book ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO1K4wXy2CI ), but better because it's more realistic; For another, Chapter 1 "serves as a vehicle for [Martin] to give science lessons in a user-friendly format" ( http://testdesertmsw.blogspot.com/200... ); This is like Bakker's book, but better because "most[...of the dinos in Chapter 1...]are from near the end of the Cretaceous Period (about 70 million years ago) and in an area defined approximately by Montana and Alberta, Canada."* This is especially apparent in the Martin quote.
2) The 2nd part of a day-in-the-life dino book usually explains the science behind the story. 1 of the major problems I have with many day-in-the-life dino books is that they concentrate on the story with only limited emphasis on the science (which doesn't make sense to me given how much science there is behind a given story). It'd be like "The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition — Blu-ray" having 26 hours of film & only 11 hours of bonus material ( http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/m... ). Thanks to Martin, Bones doesn't have that problem. In fact, Bones is the closest thing we have to an adult day-in-the-life dino book done right, LOTR style: Not only do Chapters 2-11 cover all of the dino traces in Chapter 1, but also all related dino traces (E.g. See the Martin quote; Not only does Chapter 8 cover dino "scat", but also dino stomach & intestinal contents, vomit, & urine); It helps that, like LOTR DVD extras, Chapters 2-11 are very well-organized, beginning with Triceratops tracks (in reference to the big male's "aggressive movement") in Chapter 2 & ending with sauropod trails (which made "the sunlit valley" itself possible) in Chapter 11.
If I could, I'd give Bones a 4.5/5. My only problem is the lack of paleoart (There's a series of color plates; That's about it): On the 1 hand, Bones is a "TRANSITION TO THE TECHNICAL" & thus doesn't have "lots of different dinosaurs fully restored" ( www.deviantart.com/jd-man/journal/SD-... ); On the other hand, similar books do have "high quality pictures and graphs that break up the text" ( https://paleoaerie.org/2014/06/02/bes... ); At the very least, Chapter 1 should've been illustrated for obvious reasons. However, for the purposes of this review, I'll round up to 5/5.
*To quote Holtz ( http://web.archive.org/web/2007103101... ), "The fauna Bakker portrays is a very artificial one, combining genera from two different parts of the Early Cretaceous."
Quoting Martin: "In between the two Triceratops, a group of small feathered theropod dinosaurs with stubby forearms—similar to the Asian alvarezsaur Mononykus—and a nearby bunch of slightly larger ornithopod dinosaurs (Thescelosaurus) looked on warily. Each of these groups of dinosaurs had been striding unhurriedly across the floodplain, tolerating one another's presence, spurred on by intriguing scents wafting down the sunlit valley. Nevertheless, a charging Triceratops provided a good reason to temporarily abandon their longterm goals and deal with this more immediate problem.
In unison, they all looked up at the advancing Triceratops, its profile and rapidly increasing pace causing it to appear ever larger as it neared. Next to them, a mixed flock of toothed birds and pterosaurs all turned and aligned themselves with the wind at their backs. They began hopping while flapping their wings, and then were aloft, chattering loudly. This was all the motivation one of the more skittish theropods needed to start running, and the rest of his group followed suit. The ornithopods only hesitated a second or two before doing the same. First, though, more than a few of both species lightened the load before taking off, involuntarily voiding their bowels and leaving variably colored and sized scat, peppered with seeds, on top of their distinctive footprints. In her haste, one Thescelosaurus slipped on a muddy patch and fell on her side. She quickly righted herself and bolted to catch up with the others, leaving a long, smeared body impression on the sand among the tracks."
Short version: If you want the only popular adult book about dino traces, get Martin's "Dinosaurs Without Bones: Dinosaur Lives Revealed by their Trace Fossils" (henceforth Bones). If you want the best adult day-in-the-life dino book, get Bones. If you want the most 1 of a kind adult dino book, get Bones.
Long version: Read on.
As you may have noticed, I usually review non-fiction dino books that either don't get enough praise for being good or don't get enough criticism for being bad. What's interesting about Bones is that it got a lot of praise for covering so much ground on dino traces, but little-to-no praise for how it covers said ground (which is what really makes it 1 of a kind). Not only is Bones the only popular adult book about dino traces, but also the best adult day-in-the-life dino book. In this review, I list the 2 main reasons why I think that is.
1) The 1st part of a day-in-the-life dino book usually tells a day-in-the-life story of a dino. 1 of the major problems I have with many day-in-the-life dino books is that their stories are poorly-written. Thanks to Martin, Bones doesn't have that problem. In fact, Bones is basically a dino-centric version of Aardema's "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale" written in the style of Bakker's "Raptor Red", but better: For 1, Chapter 1 tells a day-in-the-life story of a "big male Triceratops" & how its "aggressive movement[...]triggered overt and subtle changes in the behaviors of nearly every dinosaur nearby"; This is like Aardema's book ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO1K4wXy2CI ), but better because it's more realistic; For another, Chapter 1 "serves as a vehicle for [Martin] to give science lessons in a user-friendly format" ( http://testdesertmsw.blogspot.com/200... ); This is like Bakker's book, but better because "most[...of the dinos in Chapter 1...]are from near the end of the Cretaceous Period (about 70 million years ago) and in an area defined approximately by Montana and Alberta, Canada."* This is especially apparent in the Martin quote.
2) The 2nd part of a day-in-the-life dino book usually explains the science behind the story. 1 of the major problems I have with many day-in-the-life dino books is that they concentrate on the story with only limited emphasis on the science (which doesn't make sense to me given how much science there is behind a given story). It'd be like "The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition — Blu-ray" having 26 hours of film & only 11 hours of bonus material ( http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/m... ). Thanks to Martin, Bones doesn't have that problem. In fact, Bones is the closest thing we have to an adult day-in-the-life dino book done right, LOTR style: Not only do Chapters 2-11 cover all of the dino traces in Chapter 1, but also all related dino traces (E.g. See the Martin quote; Not only does Chapter 8 cover dino "scat", but also dino stomach & intestinal contents, vomit, & urine); It helps that, like LOTR DVD extras, Chapters 2-11 are very well-organized, beginning with Triceratops tracks (in reference to the big male's "aggressive movement") in Chapter 2 & ending with sauropod trails (which made "the sunlit valley" itself possible) in Chapter 11.
If I could, I'd give Bones a 4.5/5. My only problem is the lack of paleoart (There's a series of color plates; That's about it): On the 1 hand, Bones is a "TRANSITION TO THE TECHNICAL" & thus doesn't have "lots of different dinosaurs fully restored" ( www.deviantart.com/jd-man/journal/SD-... ); On the other hand, similar books do have "high quality pictures and graphs that break up the text" ( https://paleoaerie.org/2014/06/02/bes... ); At the very least, Chapter 1 should've been illustrated for obvious reasons. However, for the purposes of this review, I'll round up to 5/5.
*To quote Holtz ( http://web.archive.org/web/2007103101... ), "The fauna Bakker portrays is a very artificial one, combining genera from two different parts of the Early Cretaceous."
Quoting Martin: "In between the two Triceratops, a group of small feathered theropod dinosaurs with stubby forearms—similar to the Asian alvarezsaur Mononykus—and a nearby bunch of slightly larger ornithopod dinosaurs (Thescelosaurus) looked on warily. Each of these groups of dinosaurs had been striding unhurriedly across the floodplain, tolerating one another's presence, spurred on by intriguing scents wafting down the sunlit valley. Nevertheless, a charging Triceratops provided a good reason to temporarily abandon their longterm goals and deal with this more immediate problem.
In unison, they all looked up at the advancing Triceratops, its profile and rapidly increasing pace causing it to appear ever larger as it neared. Next to them, a mixed flock of toothed birds and pterosaurs all turned and aligned themselves with the wind at their backs. They began hopping while flapping their wings, and then were aloft, chattering loudly. This was all the motivation one of the more skittish theropods needed to start running, and the rest of his group followed suit. The ornithopods only hesitated a second or two before doing the same. First, though, more than a few of both species lightened the load before taking off, involuntarily voiding their bowels and leaving variably colored and sized scat, peppered with seeds, on top of their distinctive footprints. In her haste, one Thescelosaurus slipped on a muddy patch and fell on her side. She quickly righted herself and bolted to catch up with the others, leaving a long, smeared body impression on the sand among the tracks."
August 2, 2018
As a fledgling dino enthusiast, my biggest takeaway from this book was how to be skeptical. I learned a lot about trace fossils and dino behavior, of course. But, I also learned how to question what I'm reading and think of alternate explanations while practicing seeing the bigger picture and getting a more realistic view of the not so black and white world of science. Martin has definitely helped me grow a little more as a science-minded individual, making this an easy 5-stars!
His terrible puns, methodical writing style, and stout defense of ichnology made the book flow pretty well (as well).
His terrible puns, methodical writing style, and stout defense of ichnology made the book flow pretty well (as well).
July 20, 2021
Not bad, but the material is a bit slender. Trace fossils are every artifact but bones, basically. So, footprints, impressions, and maybe more broadly speaking, what you can tell by the arrangements and juxtapositions of the bones. These trace fossils can often let you infer more about behavior than knowing about bones. Martin spends a lot of time imagining what you could infer _if_ you had the right trace fossils. Which is fun to think about, especially since he throws in extra detail in the narration, but it makes me wonder, well, do those right traces exist?
April 27, 2022
I greatly enjoyed this book. It was very informative and really opened my eyes to the variety of trace fossils out there. With dinosaurs everybody mentions coprolites, with some talk of teeth marks, and those are covered here. But the amount of info on these topics is much greater than in most sources, and the variety of other traces discussed is great.
The book is also a lot of fun. You can feel the author's enthusiasm throughout the book, and I was amused at his many little jokes and wordplay (he had a lot of fun in the chapters on dino digestive and reproductive traces).
The book is also a lot of fun. You can feel the author's enthusiasm throughout the book, and I was amused at his many little jokes and wordplay (he had a lot of fun in the chapters on dino digestive and reproductive traces).
June 10, 2017
I love this book. Having grown up with the image of paleontologists digging in the dirt for bones and chipping away at stone, it hadn't occurred to me how much you can understand from the non-bone traces. Martin describes things clearly for the non-scientist (much appreciated!). But what I also enjoy about the book is how enthusiastic he is about what he does, what he sees, and what he thinks about what he sees. It's a surprisingly fun read.
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