Mesozoic Marine Reptiles -- wrapping up

The end is in sight on the Mesozoic marine reptile book -- only two chapters need completion, and most sections of the book are either out for review or have been reviewed. I still have to compile the pictures. Anyway, here's a draft list of the book's sections and subsections. It should be clear that I really have aimed to be comprehensive, as best as I can given constraints of size and wordcount...

ANCIENT SEA REPTILES

Darren Naish

Ch 1 Introduction

Introducing the main groups

The World of Mesozoic Marine Reptiles

The Shape of Mesozoic Seas

Mesozoic climates and temperatures

The scientific discovery of Mesozoic marine reptiles

The discovery of Plesiosaurus

Mosasaurs in Belgium, and news from the USA

New reptiles from the European Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous

A more international scene

The Mesozoic Marine Reptiles Research Renaissance

Ch 2 Evolution

A diapsid origin

The ‘Marine Reptile Superclade’

Turnovers and extinctions

Triassic events

Jurassic extinction events

Events of the Cretaceous

Ch 3 Mesozoic Marine Reptile Anatomy

Limbs, tails and swimming styles

Teeth and feeding

The Mesozoic marine reptile skull

The vertebral column

The plesiosaur neck

The limb girdles, chest bones and gastralia

Limbs and their function

Cartilage, skin and other soft tissues

Colour

Ch 4 Marine reptiles of the Permian and Triassic… and others

Mesosaurs

Mesosaur biology

Claudiosaurus and other early diapsids

Triassic Sauropterygians

The sauropterygian family tree

Placodonts

Cyamodontidans, the turtle-like placodonts

Pachypleurosaurs

Nothosaurs

Pistosaurs

Tanystropheus and kin

Phytosaurs at sea

Marine pterosaurs and birds

Hupehsuchians

Thalattosaurs

Saurosphargids, helveticosaurs and kin

Swimming rhynchocephalians

Cretaceous sea snakes

Ch 5 Shark-shaped reptiles: the ichthyosaurs and their kin

Ichthyosaur diversity and history

Nasorostrans

Grippidians, chaohusaurs and kin

Mixosaurs

Cymbospondylids

Shastasaurs

The Late Triassic rise of parvipelvians

Suevoleviathanids

Temnodontosaurs

Leptonectids

Ichthyosaurids

Stenopterygiids

Ophthalmosaurines and platypterygiines

Platypterygiines

Ch 6 Long necks, big mouths: the plesiosaurs

Plesiosaur evolution and classification

Plesiosaur anatomy

Plesiosaur swimming

Plesiosaur behaviour and biology

Rhomaleosaurids

Pliosaurids

Brachaucheniines

Plesiosaurus, microcleidids and kin

Cryptoclidids

Elasmosaurids

Elasmosaurid diversity

Aristonectines

Leptocleidids

Polycotylids

Ch 7 Sea crocs: the thalattosuchians

Thalattosuchians in the croc family tree

Teleosauroids

Aeolodontines and machimosaurids

Metriorhynchids and their kin

Salt glands, temperature control, and reproduction

Metriorhynchid diversity

Ch 8 Mosasaurs: the great sea lizards

Plesiopedal and plesiopelvic vs hydropedal and hydropelvic

Mosasaurs in the lizard family tree

Mosasaur biology and behaviour

Dolichosaurs and aigialosaurs

Tethysaurines

Tylosaurines

Halisaurines

Plioplatecarpines

Mosasaurus and kin

Ch 9 Sea turtles

Protostegids

Hard-shelled sea turtles

Leatherback sea turtles

Glossary

Index

Acknowledgements