Reptiles and herbivory

by King, Gillian

This book looks at how an animal is organized to carry out a difficult task - that of feeding on plants. The complex adaptations necessary to enable animals to obtain nutrients successfully from a herbivorous diet are many. What structures are needed in the mouth, for example, or in the digestive system? How is behaviour adapted to allow an animal to survive and reproduce on a diet of plant material? For the first time, these problems are examined here purely from the perspective of the reptiles. Individual groups are looked at the structural, physiological and ecological adaptations of the herbivorous members are reviewed. The groups discussed include the modern reptiles, the lizards and the turtles and also extinct reptiles, the dinosaurs and the mammal-like reptiles. Common themes are teased out and arranged chronologically to help gain an understanding of the patterns of diversity change in the group. This book will be of great interest to researchers and students of zoology, palae