Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World

An illustrated guide to our astonishing new understanding of dinosaurs, with the latest science and the most accurate and visually stunning palaeoart

Dinosaurs are not what you thought they were – or at least, they didn’t look like you hought they did. In recent years, rapid advances in technology and astounding new fossil finds have changed the way we see dinosaurs forever. Poised on the cutting edge of this latest research, world-leading palaeontologist Michael J. Benton brings us a new guide to the world of the dinosaurs, complete with stunning new illustrations by acclaimed palaeoartist Bob Nicholls that display the latest and most exciting scientific discoveries in vibrant colour.

Benton’s rigorous account of the discoveries informing our new visions of the dinosaurs reveals how palaeontologists are now able to determine details such as the skin patterns of animals that have been extinct for millions of years. From Sinosauropteryx, the first dinosaur to have its colour patterns identified – a ginger and white striped tail and a bandit mask – by Benton’s team at Bristol University in 2010, to the unexpected discovery of the mixed feathers and scales of Kulindadromeus, each dinosaur presented here brings to life the latest scientific breakthroughs. This eye-opening compendium will surprise and challenge everything you thought you knew about what dinosaurs looked like and how they lived.

'Want to know what dinosaurs really looked like? Leading palaeontologist Michael Benton and renowned palaeoartist Bob Nicholls join forces to show you dinosaurs like you've never seen them before. You'll see dinosaurs in full technicolour, covered in feathers, with camouflaged bodies, iridescent heads, rings on their tails, wings on their arms, and sometimes even their legs. And best of all, it's real. This gorgeous book belongs on the bookshelves of any science enthusiast, and any movie director or television producer looking to bring dinosaurs to the screen'
Steve Brusatte, professor and palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh and bestselling author of 'The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs'

'World-leading palaeontologist Michael J. Benton cracks open the fossil evidence to reveal the truth behind what dinosaurs looked like in this fascinating and remarkably illustrated guide'
How it Works

Contents List

INTRODUCTION
1. Sinosauropteryx
2. Anchiornis
3. Caudipteryx
4. Microraptor
5. Archaeopteryx
6. Confuciusornis
7. Edmontosaurus
8. Eomaia
9. Saltasaurus
10. Psittacosaurus
11. Kulindadromeus
12. Stenoptergius
13. Borealopelta
14. Anurognathus
15. Tupandactylus
Further reading

About the Author

Michael J. Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology and head of the world-leading Palaeobiology Research Group at the University of Bristol. He has written more than fifty books, including The Dinosaurs Rediscovered and When Life Nearly Died, both published by Thames & Hudson. Bob Nicholls is one of the leading palaeoartists in the world. His work is regularly used to illustrate the latest discoveries in both science journals and the general press.