This atlas offers a wide selection of fossil vertebrates and corresponding extant representatives, tracing probable connections from their origins to the present day. Each plate of illustrations guides us progressively through the temporal changes that have engendered all existing vertebrate forms.
The evolutionary links highlighted in this book reflect an evolutionary path of over 500 million years, from the ancestor common to all vertebrates – a tiny jawless fish – to both its fossilized and living legacy today. This unique pedagogical document is essential for understanding animal evolution in general and vertebrates in particular.