The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs: Unearthing the Real Behaviors of Prehistoric Animals

by Dean R. Lomax, Robert Nicholls

Genres: Science, Biology

360 pages, Hardcover

Published October 28, 2025

About the author

Dr. Dean Lomax is an internationally recognized and award-winning palaeontologist, presenter, and author. He has traveled the globe excavating dinosaurs and has described several new species of prehistoric reptile. He lives in the UK.

Reviews

[Simon Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed all of Dean’s wonderful books particularly locked in time, this is very much locked in time part two with again superb paleo art by Bob Nicholls but this time in glorious colour.

I grew up watching my favourite presenter (David Attenborough) talk about Natural History and I fell in love with all things fossils and Nature wise.
My mother brought me a copy of his Life on Earth book and I was thrilled.
Well Mr Lomax fills me with as much joy for his subjects and we learn that so many fossils have incredible tales to tell us from the long distant past.

My only criticism would be the book title because what we get here are the secret lives of not only of Dinosaurs but numerous animals told by their fossil remains but then I guess that really wouldn’t work as a book title.
Another fantastic read I’m already excited for the next instalment.

[Annik Gmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a Great Book about all things palaeo. The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking. It’s well worth a read!

I’m just a tiny bit disappointed by the title, as I would have expected more/only dinosaurs from the title. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the other stuff too, but for me the title is a bit misleading. However, as I don’t have any better suggestion I will not dwell on that.

[R.J. Southworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent follow-up to the author’s previous work Locked In Time, looking at more fascinating examples of fossils from which behaviour can be inferred; I still like the author’s humorous but informative writing style, with its many knowing references to prehistoric media. The accompanying artwork is brilliant too. The only real criticism I can make is the title being slightly misleading since most of the prehistoric animals covered aren’t dinosaurs - but then, I suppose it’s intended to draw prospective readers in and they’re unlikely to be disappointed.

[Brent McCollister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Dean Lomax. Similar to his previous book, Locked in Time, this book gave a lot of interesting information about the behavior of extinct animals based on trace fossils. It was a fun read. Some of Robert Nichols' beautiful paleoart was included in the ARC. I've already pre-ordered a finished copy for when it comes out in September 2025 and can't wait to view the art in physical form.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs turns heads with its beautiful presentation and its selection of remarkable fossils, improving on the concept introduced in Lomax's previous book. Read the full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2025...

[Jerry]

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