For courses in Vertebrate Zoology, Vertebrate Biology Function, as well as specialty courses such as Paleontology and Herpetology. Widely praised for its comprehensive coverage and exceptionally clear writing style, this best-selling exploration of vertebrate life is the only text that integrates the ecology, behavior, morphology and physiology of vertebrates in a phylogenetic context. It focuses on how animals work and the consequences - in ecological and evolutionary time - of working one way versus another. *NEW - Expands the cladistic classification - especially in our treatment of anatomy and physiology. *NEW - Simplifies cladograms. - Prunes excessive detail while retaining information about the geologic time span for the lineages illustrated. *NEW - Updates literature citations - with many references from 1995 onward. *Presents information in a phylogenetic (evolutionary) context *Integrates ecology, behavior, physiology and morphology to present a view of animals as functioning systems *Offers a cladistic perspective, reflecting the widespread adoption of phylogenetic systematics (cladistics) as the basis for determining the evolutionary relationships of organisms *Includes cladograms - with accompanying synopses and primary references - illustrating the postulated relationships of vertebrates to reconcile the views of various authorities and illuminates major areas of disagreement