Description
Book SynopsisThis volume is a comprehensive review of current scientific knowledge about the world’s largest and most famous living reptiles.
Trade ReviewBiology and Evolution of Crocodyliansis an expensive book, but it is one that will serve any paleontologist seeking a detailed review of all aspects of modern crocodylian biology. The photographs and illustrations also make it a very attractive book for any natural history enthusiast.
-- Adam Pritchard * Palaeontologica Electronica *
The author, Gordon Grigg, and illustrator, David Kirshner, have written a wonderful, beautifully illustrated, all-inclusive treatise on the Crocodylia that has already become (and will remain for the foreseeable future) the most important compilation of information and references yet attempted. It will be invaluable to both current researchers and future generations of crocodylian biologists.... [D]espite working in the area of crocodylian evolutionary biology for over 35 years, I learned more about these animals than I ever imagined by reading this volume.... Overall, this is a most remarkable publication, one that surely will stand the test of time and be remembered as one of the most important contributions ever in the history of crocodylian research.
-- Llewellyn D. Densmore * The Quarterly Review of Biology *
Table of ContentsForeword
Preface
Acknowledgements1. INTRODUCTION
Introducing crocodylians
The living species of crocodylians
The growth of scientific knowledge about crocodylians
Body size and age2. THE CROCODYLIAN FAMILY TREE
The modern crocodylians and their relationships
Extinct Crocodylia and other crocodile-like reptiles; crocs in 'deep time'
Summary3. CROCODYLIANS CLOSER UP
The external features of crocodylians
Skull and musculoskeletal system4. LOCOMOTION, BUOYANCY, AND TRAVEL
Crocodylians on land
Crocodylians in the water
Buoyancy
Stomach stones (gastroliths)
Capacity for long distance travel5. SENSORY SKILLS AND BRAIN
Vision
Hearing, movement and balance
Brain and cranial nerves
Olfaction and gustation (chemosensation)
Sense organs of the skin
Cognitive capacities and learning6. FEEDING, DIGESTION, AND NUTRITION
What do crocodylians eat?
Prey capture and handling
Digestion
Nutrition7. ENERGY SUPPLY AND DELIVERY
The metabolic engines: crocodylian biochemistry and metabolism
Whole body metabolism (anaerobic and aerobic)
The respiratory system
The circulatory system8. THE WORLD'S MOST EXTRAORDINARY HEART
A tour of the crocodylian heart
Non-shunting and shunting patterns of blood flow
What is the significance of pulmonary by-pass shunting in crocodylians?9. DIVING AND SUBMERGENCE BEHAVIOUR AND PHYSIOLOGY
When? Why? How deep? How, and how for so long?
Diving behaviour of crocodylians in the wild
Physiological support for crocodylian diving
What are the longest submergences by crocodylians that can be supported aerobically?10. THERMAL RELATIONS
Introduction: crocodylians are not like other reptiles
Daily and seasonal patterns of body temperature
Behaviours that modify body temperature
Physiological mechanisms of thermoregulation
Thermal acclimatization
Crocodylians may have endothermic ancestry
Could even the basal archosaurs have been endothermic?11. SALT AND WATER BALANCE
Salt and water balance in Crocodylus porosus: an introduction to crocodylian osmoregulation
Salt and water balance in other crocodylians
Living out of water, 'aestivation'
Salt glands and implications for crocodylian evolutionary history12. REPRODUCTION
Introduction: they’re more like birds
Oviducts, ovulation, fertilisation and the gravid stage13. POPULATIONS AND POPULATION ECOLOGY
Populations (and species)
Population dynamics: changes through time
Case Histories14. CONSERVATION, COMMERCIALISATION, AND CONFLICT
Introduction
Historical perspective
The future for crocodylians?INDEX
