Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2xdlg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-06T14:49:48.410Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Introduction: on systematics and morphological variation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2010

Kenneth Carpenter
Affiliation:
Denver Museum of Natural History
Philip J. Currie
Affiliation:
Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Alberta
Get access

Summary

In recent years, dinosaurs have captured the attention of the public at an unprecedented scale. At the heart of this resurgence in interest is an increased level of research activity, much of which is innovative within the field of paleontology. Whereas earlier studies emphasized basic morphology and taxonomy, modern studies develop our understanding of what dinosaurs were like as living animals. More than ever before we understand how their bodies worked, how they behaved, how they interacted with their surroundings and with each other, and how they changed over time. Nevertheless, these studies still rely on certain basic building blocks, including knowledge of anatomy and taxonomic relationships.

One of the aspects that we understand better than before is ontogenetic, sexual, and individual variation within a species. This helps us to evaluate our understanding of dinosaurs as biological species. Studies in progress are giving us a good understanding of all forms of variability for one or more species of each of the major groups of dinosaurs, including theropods (Chapters 6, 7), hypsilophodonts (Horner and Weishampel 1988), hadrosaurs (Horner and Makela 1979; Dilkes 1988; Horner and Weishampel 1988), iguanodonts (Norman 1987), protoceratopsians (Brown and Schlaikjer 1940; Kurzanov 1972; Dodson 1975b; Maryańska and Osmólska 1975), ceratopsians (Chapters 16, 18; studies in progress on Centrosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus), and ankylosaurs (Maryańska 1971; studies in progress on new Pinacosaurus material from China).

Type
Chapter
Information
Dinosaur Systematics
Approaches and Perspectives
, pp. 1 - 8
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×