"For all their fame and reputation, dinosaurs are only half the story during the Mesozoic Era. Many other, often equally remarkable, animals lived during that time, over, under, and around the dinosaurs, ancient species from which we can also learn about the biotic history of our planet. And in some cases, these animals reveal just as much and often more about the extinct ecosystems of the time as the dinosaurs themselves. Drawing upon a wealth of current and past discoveries, paleontologist John Foster embarks on a sweeping journey across 164 million years to visit the beast companions to the dinosaurs. Along the way, he tours fish, the first frogs and salamanders, turtles, snakes and lizards, marine reptiles, crocodiles, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, and other animals of the Mesozoic Era. As Foster convincingly shows, the world of the dinosaurs boasted an impressive diversity of life, with many of those groups still familiar to us today"--"Despite their fame and reputation, dinosaurs represent only half the story of the Mesozoic Era. In Beast Companions: The Unsung Animals of the Dinosaurs World, paleontologist John Foster explores the often-overlooked animals that coexisted with them. These ancient species, often equally remarkable as their dinosaur neighbors, can provide valuable insights into the biotic history of our planet.

In some cases, these animals reveal just as much, if not more, about the extinct ecosystems of the time as the dinosaurs themselves.By drawing on a wealth of current and past discoveries, Foster embarks on a sweeping journey across 164 million years to visit the beast companions of the dinosaurs. Along the way, he examines fish, insects, the first frogs and salamanders, turtles, snakes and lizards, marine reptiles, crocodiles, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, and other animals of the Mesozoic Era.Beast Companions is a groundbreaking exploration of the story of these contemporaries of the dinosaurs that set the modern world in motion more than 200 million years ago"--.