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The Place of Dinosaurs in the History of Life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2017

Dale A. Russell
Dale A. Russell*
Affiliation:
Research Division, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6P4
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Extract

If one were to ask a group of paleontologists “How do dinosaurs fit into the history of life on Earth?” the answers would all be different. The question is so big that it surpasses the vision of a single person, and the answers would be as diverse as those of the blind men describing an elephant from its parts. The answer which follows is also from someone who cannot see the whole “elephant.” It is so simple that it is surely grossly inadequate, like lamely describing the hypnotically beautiful appearance of the Earth from space as spherical.

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Type
Thinking About Dinosaurs: Past, Present, and Future
Information
The Paleontological Society Special Publications , Volume 7: Dino Fest , 1994 , pp. 61 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 Paleontological Society 

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