REVIEW: The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs: Unearthing the Real Behaviors of Prehistoric Animals by Dean R. Lomax
Buried within a lost world, astonishing evidence reveals the behavior of extinct animals, giving us a glimpse at both everyday and epic events. If we look at these discoveries carefully, the untold stories of these magnificent creatures come into view, breathing new life into the prehistoric past.
The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs tells the remarkable tales of ancient animals through some of the most distinctive and unusual fossils ever found, offering an intimate, behind-the-scenes look into the story of life in deep time. Venturing hundreds of millions of years into the past, Dean R. Lomax takes us on a journey through the grand cycle of life, infused with anecdotes from his own adventures and sprinkled with a touch of dinosaur humor.
These fossils tell real-world stories of prehistoric parenting, the quest for survival, and the endless struggle between predator and prey. Unbelievable moments are captured: saber-toothed cats clashing, mega-millipedes mating, dinosaurs swimming. From ammonite eggs to mosasaur mealtimes, and from a pregnant ichthyosaur that chowed down on a bird to the mammal that took down a dinosaur, these behaviors challenge what we thought we knew about the prehistoric world.
This book looks into the private moments of long-extinct creatures as never before, letting us see them not just as fossils in a museum but as living, breathing animals with personalities and emotions. Vivid illustrations by Bob Nicholls bring these incredible stories to life in full color.
Review
Naturally, we know that we will never know all the ins and outs of the behavior of ancient animals because we were not there to observe them in real time; there are no Sir David Attenborough documentaries for us to watch in wonder. Yet, this is one of the reasons why we are so captivated by prehistoric life. But rather than speculation or pure fantasy, remember that everything in this book is based on evidence and comprehensive research.
Five and a half years ago (omg, has it been that long?) I read “Locked in Time,” by Dr. Dean Lomax and illustrated by Robert Nicholls and it’s fascinating. This new book, also written and illustrated by the same men, has more examples of fossils that allow us to learn what ancient animals were doing as well as what they looked like. It’s also got an endorsement from Slash of Guns N’ Roses!
Starting with mating and reproduction and going through (just shot-gunning it here) birth, maternal care, locomotion and travel, what dinos ate, fighting, what you can learn from poo, injuries, and “stranger things,” Lomax discusses and provides photos to go along with Nicholls’ illustrations of what we just learned about.
This is my personal favorite of all known ichthyosaur stomach contents. Yeah, I know that it is weird to have a favorite type of long-dead creature’s final meal, but that is just how nerdy you can get in paleontology.
There is fascinating evidence that dinosaurs had developed avian style digestive systems 160 million years ago. Many new species of dinos, lizards, and beetles (among other things) have been discovered because their fossils have been found in the stomachs of the prey that killed and or ate them, including one beetle from 230 million years ago. If you’re ever near Williams, Arizona be sure to check out the Poozeum which has the slogan “#1 for fossilized #2” as there are amazing things being learned from coprolites. And we even have examples from T Rex (and they’re huge)!
I love that Lomax loves his subject and is passionate in telling people about it. His enthusiasm jumps off the page. He talks with experts in their paleontological fields and tells us neat things like there’s an ankylosaur named after a Ghostbuster monster – Zuul crurivastator – which means “Destroyer of Shins” which you’ll understand when you know that ankylosaurs are the armored tanks with club tails.
“Wow, this is an exceptional discovery from a time when our planet—our home—was occupied by these marvelous creatures.”
My suggestion for readers is to take a few chapters a day as the Latin names for these creatures can get a little mind numbing. One thing to note is that the book doesn’t focus entirely on dinosaurs. Some of the other animals interacted with dinos and Lomax mentions more recent finds after the end of the age of Dinosaurs. He admits to what is (probably) behind the title.
Dinosaurs will forever be the shining emblem of the paleontology world. It is how it is. I know this, you know this, and the whole world knows this. Expectedly so, dinosaurs feature heavily in this book—no surprise there— but they are joined by a myriad of other exquisite animals that came long before and after the dinosaur’s reign.
I enjoyed learning some fascinating things about ancient life from someone who radiates his joy in the subject. B
~Jayne
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Read about the new species that Dr. Lomax helped name.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjzvzzy0mxo
Aun no lo he leído pero me decepciona un poco por el título, yo esperaba un libro sólo de dinosaurios y éste más parece la segunda parte de “Locked in time”. Será sólo para aumentar las ventas supongo.
@Christian Mier y teran: It kind of is a continuation of “Locked in Time.” I used his own quote at the end of the review to explain the title. He does cover more than just dinosaurs so if you’re looking only for dinosaurs, you might be disappointed.