Even in 2016, it is impossible to be a palaeontologist and not know Sir Richard Owen; the mind behind the name ‘Dinosauria’ and the erector of the British Museum (Natural History) in London. His legacy remains of unquestionable importance. The meticulous work produced by Owen, of which this is a prime example, to a large degree, is responsible for the detailed view that is used by palaeontologists ever since. Owen's monograph of the fossil reptiles of the Liassic formations is a detailed work that does not seem to leave any element untouched. The discoveries of fossil reptiles in the sea cliffs of South West England helped coalesce the concepts of geological time and extinctions, and Owen's extensive descriptions helped manifest the reality of these bizarre inhabitants of the Jurassic seas. This work includes the first description of Scelidosaurus, which happens to be the first dinosaur known from an almost complete skeleton, and also includes bones from a young individual: ‘Might be those of a foetus, borne by a gravid Scelidosaur to sea during an occasional excursion.’ Another species for which critical information is described in the monograph is Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus, of which three specimens are included, including that figured by Buckland in his ‘Bridgewater Treatise’. Dimorphodon macronyx named by Buckland is described from three specimens. The pterosaurian modification, which he recognizes as being adaptive, is bluntly followed by a critical sneer directed at workers seeking an avian relation to pterosaurs: ‘An argument in favour of avian affinity from the joint-structures could only be propounded by one not gifted with the judgement needed to deal with problems of this nature.’ Many taxonomists today would certainly agree, although they might pick a more politically correct phrasing. While he is very much opposed to other workers' theories that have since then been invalidated several times, at the time of this monograph, he still is insistently confirming his own ideas that, too, have been disproven. Notably, the ‘dislocation’ in the tail observable in many ichthyosaurs, which we now know was the original support structure of the terminal caudal fin and not a post-mortem dislocation. As he described three specimens of ichthyosaur, Owen commented on a ‘fracture’ or ‘dislocation’ observable in the caudal vertebrae of each specimen. For readers in 2016, the language may be a bit quaint, yet the scientific terminology used is little different to what is used today. Personally, I had to wrap my head around lines and inches, which is naturally slightly more complicated for non-native English speakers like myself. His writing in general does, however, come with a large degree of elegance: ‘The exterior surface of the shaft is smooth, and in the present fossil glistens, and is, as it were, bronzed by a thin coating of pyritic salt.’ I have read this book with great interest and fondness, and I truly feel Owen left no detail untouched, although sometimes his ideas do seem slightly far-fetched. Also notable is Owen's somewhat shameless pride in stating his connections and in the acquirement of the specimens that are described in the monograph, focusing solely on the required contact and not on the original individual who found the specimen (i.e. not mentioning Mary Anning). I recommend this book, for its scientific accuracy, the beautiful illustrations and the elaborate detail.
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Dec 1, 2017
Open Access
Melanie A D During 