ABOUT JEFF POLING:

I am from Columbus, Ohio, born and raised. I graduated from THE Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering two days before the aerospace industry collapsed. There was a glut of engineers in the market at the time so, despite passing the engineer's equivalent of the Bar Exam, I was unable to find work. I went back to college and graduated from THE Ohio State University with a Master of Business Administration with specializations in both Management Information Systems and Computer Science. Today I'm just a regular working stiff.

My childhood interest in dinosaurs was reawakened by the movie Jurassic Park. Soon after, I began voraciously reading dinosaur books, beginning with Bakker's Dinosaur Heresies and Horner's Digging Dinosaurs and The Complete T. rex.

As my knowledge of the subject grew I found myself wanting to discuss my knowledge and ask questions that were plaguing me, but had nowhere to turn. At this time I became active on the Internet. I scoured the web for dinosaur information, but never found what I was really looking for. Hence the genesis of Dinosauria On-Line.

ABOUT DINOSAURIA ON-LINE:

In the marketplace today there are many publications one can turn to for information about dinosaurs. However, the information in these publications tend to be about a single subject, overly scientific, badly out-of-date, or singular expositions of the author's thought.

Dinosauria On-Line is intended to give the reader a broader exposure to dinosaur science. I've tried to bring together discussions about the topics that are hot among dinosaur enthusiasts today. This allows the reader not only to see a subject from many points of view, but allows him to see what others think about ideas and questions that the reader has wondered about but not been able to pose to knowledgeable people.

Dinosauria On-Line is meant for the serious enthusiast and rank amateur alike. Discussions are both technical and at a level at which those without formal education in paleontology can understand and enjoy. Original articles written specifically for Dinosauria On-Line are intended to clear up certain issues, such as the meaning of the term "warm-blooded," for those just starting out in their hobby, and to clarify meaning for those already deeply enmeshed. Dictionaries, maps, and lists aid enthusiast, amateur, casual researcher and professional alike by defining important terms, listing known genera, and clarifying the technical information presented both here and in publications. Pictures are used where possible to clarify or emphasize important points.

Dinosauria On-Line, despite its commitment to science, is a testament to what I have concluded about dinosaurs. At Dinosauria On-Line the dinosaurs are warm-blooded and active, T. rex is a fearsome hunter, and birds are dinosaurs because, to me, it wouldn't be cool any other way ... and because the fossil evidence supports these conclusions. I have concluded that the smaller dinosaurs, primitively or at least beginning with the common ancestor of the Maniraptorformes and Ornithomimids, were covered with feathers or feather-like integument. I've also dropped Ornithischia in favor of the more accurate, and less confusing, name Predentata. All of these decisions and conclusions are controversial to some degree and are not necessarily shared by professionals or even other enthusiasts. Nonetheless, this is my page and it is about what I have concluded.

SPECIAL THANKS:

Special thanks go to the University of California Press. They have given me permission to use images from their book The Dinosauria on Dinosauria On-Line, including as part of the Dinosauria On-Line logo. The Dinosauria is an excellent, excellent technical book on dinosaurs, complete with pictures, discussion of anatomy and relationships, maps and anything else technical about dinosaurs. It was published in 1990 so it is somewhat out of date, yet it remains among the top dinosaur reference books in existence. I never hesitate to recommend it to people.

Weishampel, David B., Peter Dodson and Halszka Osmolska, eds. The Dinosauria. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990.

CONTRIBUTIONS:

Dinosauria On-Line is a very popular website. In fact, it's too popular according to my internet service provider. I have a personal web-page account, yet I receive three to five times the traffic of the nearest commercial web-page account, and as much as 110,000 times the traffic of others. My ISP has threatened to charge me commercial rates, which I cannot afford. If you think Dinosauria On-Line is worthwhile and should not disappear from the Web, send a contribution, in any amount, to

Dinosauria On-Line
POBox 3402
Dublin, OH 43016-0194

(614) 718-9432 (e-mail will get a quicker response)

Checks should be made payable to Jeff Poling.

FOOTNOTES:

I have footnoted most of the original articles, dictionaries, and other related materials whenever possible. The exceptions are most of the articles in Jeff's Journal of Dinosaur Paleontology. This is due to the fact that most of the articles are gleaned from the Dinosaur Mailing List where it is next to impossible to footnote every statement. The series of articles entitled Evolution Debated are not footnoted for different reasons. This particular series drew information I have learned from many, many sources. Most of these sources are not in my own personal library. Therefore, everything was done from memory and my own personal understanding of the issues surrounding the science of dinosaur paleontology. As references slowly filter back into my hands I hope to properly footnote this series (and, indeed, have already begun to do so).

KEY:

	Illustrates which way the animal would be facing if the anatomical feature pictured was to be viewed from the side. Does not illustrate which animal the anatomical feature may have come from.
	Illustrates which way the animal would be facing if the anatomical feature pictured was to be viewed from the top. Does not illustrate which animal the anatomical feature may have come from.

AWARDS