Greetings!

Welcome to Superoceras, a blog about science and natural history, slightly biased towards paleontology and zoology, but inclusive of all sciences. Started in October of 2009, my goal is to communicate scientific knowledge (and the occasional piece of nonsense) in an informative and entertaining manner. Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, concerns, or criticism at superoceras(at)gmail(dot)com, and follow me on Twitter @Superoceras for all that and more in 140 characters or less!

Friday, June 11, 2010

New perspectives, here I come!

Yay! After numerous publishing delays, my copy of New Perspectives on Horned Dinosaurs has finally arrived in the mail. I cannot wait to dig into this volume, and am so glad that Indiana University Press had their 60th anniversary sale a few months back, or I never would have been able to afford it.

This collection of papers from The Royal Tyrrell Museum Ceratopsian Symposium has loads of brand new research covering systematics, anatomy, functional biology, paleobiology, taphonomy, paleoecology, behavior, and even describes several new species.

I'm looking forward checking out two selections in particular: "A Semi-Aquatic Life Habit for Psittacosaurus" by Tracy L. Ford and Larry M. Martin and "New Basal Centrosaurine Ceratopsian Skulls from the Wahweap Formation (Middle Campanian), Grand Staircase—Escalante National Monument, Southern Utah" by James I. Kirkland and Donald D. DeBlieux (in which the authors describe the "Last Chance Ceratopsian", Diabloceratops eatoni).

Ceratopsians are an amazingly diverse group, and this collection of papers presents a wealth of new information on these amazing "horn faced" dinosaurs. Now if someone would just publish the paper on the Triceratops skin impressions (and bristle-like structures) I'd be a happy man!

You can grab a copy of the book for yourself from Indiana University Press here.
(Cover art image of text from Indiana University Press as well.)

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