Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils

The book is undoubtedly an enjoyable reading experience. Read other posts to see why others rated the book as a 5. I'll list reasons why I feel it is deserving of a 4. 1. Casual writing style. Perhaps I'm too harsh, but I don't particularly enjoy folksy writing in a work of this nature. 2. Too little writing. The book is 253 pages (minus Acknowledgments, etc.). Of those pages, almost half are either photo or artistic renditions or blank portions of pages. 3. Lacks depth. The selection of fossil finds and how they contribute to our understanding of behavior is well done. My issue is that species are introduced, given some specific attribute, and then we move on to the following example. I would have preferred more significant development of the species in terms of longevity, distribution, and ancestral linkages. So, selecting specific examples and grouping by behaviors is well done. It just seems to fall short of my expectation of what I anticipated.

This book’s purpose is to take dry rocks and fossils and bring out bring real, engaging stories. It takes a wide range of animals, going about their lives (and deaths) in the ancient world, and makes them relatable and understandable to us today.Dr. Lomax is terrific and bringing up drama and life stories for all these ancient bones. And his illustrator, Bob Nicholls, hits home with images that bring the animals straight to us as they are engaged in whatever activities they were found in when they died and eventually became fossilized.In a way, these chapters are like detective stories where you see the paleontologist pick through various scenarios until they find the one that makes the most sense of the pile of bones in front of them. That was a very interesting aspect to this book, not just about the animals but about how scientists can make sense of what they are seeing in a pile of rocks.When I read it, I felt Lomax’s sense of wonder at discovering that a very old fish was not an egg layer, but, astonishingly, a mother giving live birth. That’s the first story of the book and the feeling of “Wow” stayed with me until the end.My favorite stories were the ones regarding Dinosaurs. Some people are upset that we now know Dinosaurs had feathers. To me it makes them even more amazing because I can relate to them better. Giant, terrorizing, and quick creatures that I can actually visualize because I know what birds can be like when upset and also when playful.They pieced together a moment when a Dilophosaurus was walking through the rain on a beach and stops to sit for a bit and relax. Then stands up and starts off again on his left foot. That kind of a simple life moment is just as thrilling and interesting to me as all the mighty battles and eating each other that these monsters engaged in. Showing all the different sides to Nature is what makes this such a terrific read. I liked it a lot!

Many books on prehistoric animals are well illustrated, but this combination of photos of fossils and artwork that puts flesh on those bones to portray the last moments of those animals creates a dynamic effect that I have found in no other book. I found myself empathizing with creatures that died millions of years ago. Bravo to author and illustrator for concept and execution!

I’m not a paleontologist. I’m just a retired blue collar schmuck that enjoys dinosaurs. Lomax’s book really delivers the goods. This book introduces the reader to dinosaurs previously unknown, and perhaps more importantly, introduces animal behavior explained in the fossil and connected to living animal behavior. His chapters discuss Dino sex (don’t worry, it’s appropriately G-rated), parental care, fighting, and even the humorously weird like Dino farts. (I can’t wait to tell my grandson about that over dinner!) Plenty of photos with helpful arrows pointing out important details.And not to be overlooked are illustrator Bob Nicholls’s drawings. Once you’ve read about an animal’s behavior, the artwork really helps your mind piece together what you’ve learned. (Spoiler Alert: The chapter on Hell Pigs - or the Archaeotherium, coupled with the illustration, could have easily displaced the famed velociraptors of Jurassic Park movie fame!)I’m such a fan of this book I ordered Lomax’s Ten Things book before I was finished with this book, and have now subscribed to his podcast.

So many books on dinosaurs and prehistory can be put into two distant and distinct categories, either a cute kid's book with little science or respect for the reader or a book as dry as dust that is simply exercise for the author to show off how much he knows about every feature to be found in and around a fossil skull. Lomax drives this book right up the middle. It is fun and informative. And there are fantastic illustrations by Bob Nicholls that complement the text in each chapter. I don't know about you, but I am tired of dinosaurs as movie monsters like we see in Jurassic World. I want to see these creatures as living breathing animals. Not bloodthirsty B-movie cutouts. And you will not believe the last two chapters! Fossil farts and dino pee! I read both to my wife on our commute home and she enjoyed them as much as I did. If Dr Dean Lomax will keep writing books like this, he can just sign me up for the next one. Interesting information, new ideas and humor --- what else could we ask for?

Well here we are back i n the way back machine going farther back from Ww2 to land of diosars. It was ge.tying a little boring with the kings queens and rich people,so wit one flick of a dial we,went this time not to play with t_Red but to look a fossil, we didn't have to run as fast as them because they could run. Thxok is everything you would want to know about the animal a how they lived . this science book that

Lomax pega os 50 fósseis que ele considera mais bem conservados é que trazem histórias divertidas, informativas e insólitas, como pum fossilizado e xixi de dinossauro.O livro é ótimo.

Me encantó el encuadernado y la pasta, solo me hubiera gustado un poco más de color en las páginas para ser perfecto. La información es muy interesante y completa sobre cada fósil que retrata.

A well-written look at fossils that show how animals lived, not just the details of their anatomy and deposition. Not written for specialists, but great for the amateur dinophile.

Locked In Time is a truly intimate exploration of fossils – showing extremely complex, unusual and exciting behaviours from fighting and feeding, courtship and sex, birth and parental care, accidental injury, and even quiet moments of resting or sleeping.Each of the 50 fossil stories are told with humour, delight and excitement – making this a wonderfully entertaining read. The great detail and research gives you a thorough understanding of the behaviours in each fossil, and the storytelling is open, conversational and fun. The illustrations by Bob Nicholls are vibrant and scientifically accurate - and truly showcase the complicated lives of these prehistoric animals. This book gives you so much more than the typical image of dinosaurs, mammoths, trilobites and other creatures. Expect the unexpected! One of my favourites is a strange predatory worm.Lomax and Nicholls have created a real gem; this is palaeontology at its most exciting, showcasing a collection of the most astounding fossils ever found.

Excelente lectura para los amantes de este tema, padrísimas fotografías.