The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs - by Dean R Lomax & Robert Nicholls (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Fighting saber-toothed cats, ammonite eggs, and an ichthyosaur that ate seabirds and turtles - Prehistoric Private Lives will follow the same overarching theme of prehistoric animal behavior featured in Locked in Time, but with emphasis on the randomness of the fossil record in preserving fossils with often unusual or extreme acts of behavior, challenging what we thought we knew about prehistoric life. The book opens with an introduction to the fragility of the fossil record and how every single fossil is the direct result of chance, of an ancient animal being in the 'wrong place at the right time.' A subsection of the introduction will expand on behavior in modern and prehistoric animals, looking beyond Locked in Time and setting the scene for a selection of 50 more incredible and unexpected fossils that will forever change your views of the ancient world. Following a similar format to Locked in Time, each of the 50 fossils in Prehistoric Private Lives will be introduced and described before being brought to life with beautiful and spectacular illustrations by Bob Nicholls. Complementing the text and illustrations, many of the fossils will be accompanied by photographs."-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Buried within a lost world, astonishing evidence reveals the behavior of extinct animals, giving us a glimpse at both everyday and epic events. If we look at these discoveries carefully, the untold stories of these magnificent creatures come into view, breathing new life into the prehistoric past.

The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs tells the remarkable tales of ancient animals through some of the most distinctive and unusual fossils ever found, offering an intimate, behind-the-scenes look into the story of life in deep time. Venturing hundreds of millions of years into the past, Dean R. Lomax takes us on a journey through the grand cycle of life, infused with anecdotes from his own adventures and sprinkled with a touch of dinosaur humor.

These fossils tell real-world stories of prehistoric parenting, the quest for survival, and the endless struggle between predator and prey. Unbelievable moments are captured: saber-toothed cats clashing, mega-millipedes mating, dinosaurs swimming. From ammonite eggs to mosasaur mealtimes, and from a pregnant ichthyosaur that chowed down on a bird to the mammal that took down a dinosaur, these behaviors challenge what we thought we knew about the prehistoric world.

This book looks into the private moments of long-extinct creatures as never before, letting us see them not just as fossils in a museum but as living, breathing animals with personalities and emotions. Vivid illustrations by Bob Nicholls bring these incredible stories to life in full color.

Review Quotes

The discovery of any new fossil raises the question "What was life really like back then?" Lomax and Nicholls enthusiastically take up the challenge of answering, drawing from the incredible depths of the fossil record to literally envision what the bones, shells, tracks, and more left behind by ancient organisms imply. The dinosaurs, mammoths, ammonites, and other creatures that inhabit this book are not just strange and impressive, but are aptly brought to life in all their affectionate, gross, and surprising detail.--Riley Black, author of When the Earth Was Green and The Last Days of the Dinosaurs

Lomax has done it again! The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs provides unique stories of life behind some of the world's most fascinating fossils. Readers will journey through not just the prehistoric past, but also Lomax's personal adventures in paleontology. It combines scientific research with unbridled enthusiasm and incredible illustrations by Bob Nicholls, making this approachable book an absolute delight to read!--Kallie Moore, co-host of PBS Eons

Every fossil tells a story, and in this beautiful book Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls present some of the most dramatic and engaging snapshots from the four-billion-year history of life, each one underpinned by actual fossil evidence. Lomax's enthusiastic and conversational prose pairs perfectly with the stunning photo-realistic artwork that has earned Nicholls his reputation as one of the world's great paleoartists.--Steve Brusatte, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

Dean Lomax describes some amazing fossils that show the intimate lives of ancient organisms, from reproduction and birth to feeding, locomotion, and illnesses. There are dinosaurs here, but also other fossil reptiles, mammals, fishes, ammonites, and others. Lomax shows you the fossils, describes the discoveries and the discoverers, while Bob Nicholls provides stunning artwork to reveal some of the amazing lives of our ancestors.--Michael Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Paleontology, University of Bristol

About the Author

Dean R. Lomax is an internationally recognized paleontologist, author, television presenter, and science communicator. A leading authority on ichthyosaurs, he is an honorary research fellow at the University of Manchester and an 1851 Research Fellow at the University of Bristol. He is the author of more than ten books.

Bob Nicholls is a world-renowned natural history artist who specializes in the reconstruction of prehistoric animals, plants, and environments. His illustrations and models have been published in more than forty books and exhibited in museums, universities, and visitor attractions around the world.

Lomax is the author and Nicholls is the illustrator of Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils (Columbia, 2021).