Publisher's Synopsis
Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Appearance Chapter 2: Behavior Chapter 3: Environment Conclusion Author Bio Bonus Dinosaur Content Introduction to Dinosaurs Facts about Dinosaurs Dinosaur Extinction Dinosaur Fossils Dinosaur Eggs Dinosaur Names Dinosaur Diet Feathered Dinosaurs Plant Eating Dinosaurs The Weirdest Dinosaurs The Deadliest Dinosaurs Flying Dinosaurs Kinds of Dinosaurs The Biggest Dinosaurs The Smallest Dinosaurs Author Bio Publisher Introduction Greetings young reader! Today we are going to take a step back in time and enter a long-gone age. 1.5 million years ago there lived thousands of animals that are now extinct. "Extinct" means that they no longer exist. These extinct animals are some of the most intriguing and awe-inspiring animals that have existed on our planet. Their colossal size, strange characteristics, and mysterious disappearance make them inherently worthy of study and interest. Even more than these reasons, the study of these ancient animals itself is an incredible adventure which requires intense thought and a vivid imagination. The study of ancient animals helps you to appreciate just how mysterious and amazing our planet really is. Our planet supports not only us and the animals that live today, but it even supported creatures as gigantic and strange as the dinosaurs- just think how cool that is! I hope that you bring a spirit of openness and wonder to your study of ancient animals, and that you come to appreciate the mystery and value of the natural world. The animal we are going to talk about is a species of giant shark called Megalodon that lived during a period which coincided with the Age of the Mammals. We are going to discuss all this and more in the chapters that follow. The Megalodon was the largest predator to ever exist on the planet earth. It is a popular animal because of its immense size, power, and because it is a shark! We know what we know about ancient animals from a variety of sources including fossils, biology, and other scientific disciplines. Fossils are the ancient remains of the dinosaurs, the most familiar being their bones. Biological science is the study of life in general, but many scientists compare the ancient animals to modern day animals to support their theories. The fossils of the Megalodon are mostly relegated to its teeth. We have very few other Megalodon fossils and we will talk about this later. Before a talk about extinct animals can take place it is important that we discuss the theory of evolution. Evolutionary theory supposes that all the animals we know and see today are the direct descendants of animals that existed millions of years ago. The dinosaurs and other creatures that existed millions of years ago either died out or gradually changed into different animals. For instance, birds are considered to be surviving dinosaurs because their dinosaur ancestors survived the dinosaur extinction event (we will discuss this later). The sharks we know today are descended from the Megalodon and other related mega-sharks.
