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Opinions/reviews of The Dinosauria, 2nd Ed?

Started by Dikiyoba, March 19, 2013, 02:11:44 AM

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Dikiyoba

I'm almost done reading through The Dinosauria, Second Edition. I've heard it's the definitive reference guide to dinosaurs, so I was expecting something pretty good. And for the most part it seemed good, but some of the organizational/taxonomic stuff seemed weird. Why are the spinosaurs, allosaurs, and more lumped together under "basal Tetanurae" while Troodontids and Dromosaurids each get their own chapter? Why are all the Mesozoic birds in the chapter "Basal Avialae?" Why are all the saurpods lumped together into one huge chapter? Unfortunately, the book is just too technical for me to access it and determine whether the information is good (if slightly outdated) or if there are flaws in it. Has anyone read/browsed it and have an opinion on it? Are there any detailed reviews easily accessible?

Bonus question: The Dinosauria and The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs each have multiple chapters on dinosaur metabolism/physiology. Why is that? Is there just too much conflicting information and too many opinions for one chapter to sum up the different theories in an unbiased way?