Bernissart Dinosaurs and Early Cretaceous Terrestrial Ecosystems

<p>In 1878 the first complete dinosaur skeleton was discovered in a coal mine in Bernissart Belgium. <i>Iguanodon </i> first described by Gideon Mantell on the basis of fragments discovered in England in 1824 was initially reconstructed as an iguana-like reptile or a heavily built horned quadruped. However the Bernissart skeleton changed all that. The animal was displayed in an upright posture similar to a kangaroo and later with its tail off the ground like the dinosaur we know of today. Focusing on the Bernissant discoveries this book presents the latest research on <i>Iguanodon</i> and other denizens of the Cretaceous ecosystems of Europe Asia and Africa. Pascal Godefroit and contributors consider the Bernissart locality itself and the new research programs that are underway there. The book also presents a systematic revision of <i>Iguanodon</i>; new material from Spain Romania China and Kazakhstan; studies of other Early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems; and examinations of Cretaceous vertebrate faunas.</p>