Recent Vertebrate Carcasses and Their Paleobiological Implications

Foreword by Anna K. Behrensmeyer and Catherine Badgley Translator's Note Publisher's Note Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Death and Its Aftermath 1. Death 2. Decomposition 3. Preservation 4. The Role of Insects 5. What Happens to Carcasses Lying on the Surface of the Ground 6. The Embedding Media Chapter 2: Modes of Death 1. Death Due to Volcanic Activity 2. Death Due to Gases 3. Death Due to Grass, Prairie, and Forest Fires 4. Death by Drowning 5. Bogging Down in Mud 6. Stomach Contents 7. Death in Quicksand 8. Becoming Mired in Tidal Slits 9. Death in Crude Oil and Asphalt 10. Death Due to Flooding 11. Death Due to Fluctuations in Salinity 12. Death When Bodies of Water Dry Up 13. Overcrowding of Animals during Drought 14. Death Due to Hunting 15. Death Due to Cold 16. Death on Ice Chapter 3: Laws Governing Positions of Recent and Fossil Vertebrate Carcasses 1. Burial of Land Vertebrates in Marine Strata 2. The Law of the Lower Jaw 3. The Passive Position of "Water Carcasses" 4. Displacement of Carcasses 5. Feeding Grounds 6. Partial Burial 7. Carcasses on Facies Boundary Lines 8. The Formation of Faceted Remains by Flowing Water 9. The Law of the Ribs 10. Desiccation of the Carcass 11. Hooked, Bent, and Curved Carcasses Chapter 4: The Carcass Assemblage at Smithers Lake and Its Origin 1. The Significance of the Climate 2. The Landscape at Smithers Lake 3. Laws Governing Formation of Strandlines 4. Ganois Fishes at Smithers Lake 5. Turtle Carcasses at Smithers Lake 6. Alligator Carcasses at Smithers Lake Chapter 5: Carcass Assemblages and Concentrations in the Geologic Past Conclusion Figures and Plates References IndexJohannes Weigelt is the author of 'Recent Vertebrate Carcasses and Their Paleobiological Implications', published 1989 under ISBN 9780226881669 and ISBN 0226881660.