On the wing: insects, pterosaurs, birds, bats and the evolution of animal flight

Description

On the Wing is the first book to take a comprehensive look at the evolution of flight in all four groups of powered flyers: insects, pterosaurs, birds and bats. David Alexander describes and evaluates both traditional and modern wing-origin theories in light of new fossil and genetic evidence.;Cover; Contents; Acknowledgments; Note on Sources; 1. Can't Tell the Players without a Scorecard; 2. Theme and Variations: Similarities and Differences among Nature's Flyers; 3. How to Fly?; 4. Gliding Animals: Flight without Power; 5. Insects: First to Fly; 6. Birds: The Feathered Flyers; 7. Bats: Wings in the Dark; 8. Pterosaurs: Bygone Dragons; 9. Pedestrians Descended from Flyers: Loss of Flight; 10. Unifying Themes?; Bibliography; Index. Cover Contents Acknowledgments Note on Sources 1. Can't Tell the Players without a Scorecard 2. Theme and Variations: Similarities and Differences among Nature's Flyers 3. How to Fly? 4. Gliding Animals: Flight without Power 5. Insects: First to Fly 6. Birds: The Feathered Flyers 7. Bats: Wings in the Dark 8. Pterosaurs: Bygone Dragons 9. Pedestrians Descended from Flyers: Loss of Flight 10. Unifying Themes? Bibliography Index.