Vertebrate Paleontology

Vertebrate paleontology is the subfield of paleontology that focuses on the history of animals with backbones, applying principles from biology to understand their evolution and extinction. Researchers in this discipline analyze fossil evidence—such as bones, teeth, eggs, and trackways—to reconstruct the anatomy, behavior, and ecology of a vast range of past life, from the earliest fish and amphibians to dinosaurs, birds, and ancient mammals, including human ancestors. This work provides a deep-time perspective on major evolutionary transitions and reveals how vertebrates have responded to environmental changes over millions of years.

  1. Foundations of Vertebrate Paleontology
    1. Defining the Discipline
      1. Scope of Vertebrate Paleontology
        1. Interdisciplinary Nature
          1. Integration with Biology
            1. Integration with Geology
              1. Integration with Ecology
                1. Integration with Comparative Anatomy
                  1. Integration with Molecular Biology
                  2. Distinction from Invertebrate Paleontology
                    1. Relationship to Neontology
                    2. History of Vertebrate Paleontology
                      1. Early Discoveries and Interpretations
                        1. Ancient Fossil Myths and Legends
                          1. Renaissance Natural Philosophy
                            1. First Scientific Descriptions
                              1. Early Taxonomic Attempts
                              2. Key Figures and Their Contributions
                                1. Georges Cuvier
                                  1. Richard Owen
                                    1. Mary Anning
                                      1. Othniel Charles Marsh
                                        1. Edward Drinker Cope
                                          1. Louis Agassiz
                                            1. Thomas Henry Huxley
                                              1. Henry Fairfield Osborn
                                              2. Major Theoretical Shifts
                                                1. Catastrophism vs. Uniformitarianism
                                                  1. The Rise of Evolutionary Theory
                                                    1. The Modern Synthesis
                                                      1. Cladistics and Phylogenetic Systematics
                                                        1. Molecular Phylogenetics Revolution
                                                      2. Core Geological Principles
                                                        1. Uniformitarianism
                                                          1. Principle of Actualism
                                                            1. Present as Key to the Past
                                                            2. Stratigraphic Principles
                                                              1. Superposition
                                                                1. Original Horizontality
                                                                  1. Lateral Continuity
                                                                    1. Cross-cutting Relationships
                                                                    2. Faunal Succession
                                                                      1. Index Fossils
                                                                        1. Biostratigraphic Correlation
                                                                          1. Evolutionary Succession
                                                                        2. Core Biological Principles
                                                                          1. Theory of Evolution
                                                                            1. Descent with Modification
                                                                              1. Common Ancestry
                                                                              2. Natural Selection
                                                                                1. Mechanisms of Selection
                                                                                  1. Adaptation and Fitness
                                                                                    1. Sexual Selection
                                                                                    2. Phylogenetic Relationships
                                                                                      1. Monophyly and Common Descent
                                                                                        1. Sister Group Relationships
                                                                                        2. Homology and Analogy
                                                                                          1. Homologous Structures
                                                                                            1. Analogous Structures
                                                                                              1. Convergent Evolution
                                                                                                1. Developmental Constraints