"This book is the go-to manual for comparative anatomy and vertebrate morphology courses. The excellent artwork and clear text make it understandable and practical for students. Having taught anatomy for 36 years and used every possible lab manual, I chose this manual among all others. The inclusion of a variety of vertebrate skulls makes it a valuable tool for biology students. The 3rd edition adds valuable information on the protochordates and the sheep heart and shark reproductive system. The clear instructions and illustrations of this manual make the job of the lab instructor much easier and enjoyable. This is the best comparative anatomy lab manual!" --Dr. Philip J. Motta, Professor Emeritus of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa

"De Iuliis and Pulerà have produced a must-read primer for helping our students understand the anatomy of vertebrates. It is a delightful guide full of important and relevant anatomical information on a variety of vertebrates. It is written in a straightforward, concise, easy to follow style and is accompanied by amazing artwork. We look forward to the Chinese version coming out! Read this book - and learn from one of the best." --Dr. Zhikun Gai Associate Professor of Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

"I have been using this outstanding lab manual for my Vertebrate Biology course for more than ten years. It is simply the best available for vertebrate comparative anatomy courses. I have always appreciated the broad coverage and excellent diagrams, and especially the combination of artwork and photographs. The third edition builds upon the strengths of the previous two by adding sections on the amphioxus, sea squirt, and sheep heart. These new sections have excellent diagrams and photos; for example, the photos of the preserved sheep heart with the superficial adipose tissue and cut vessels show the students what the heart in the dissecting tray in front of them actually looks like, as opposed to a stylized artistic view of the heart seen in most lab texts. No other lab manual I am aware of offers this realistic approach. Like the previous editions, the new photos and art are clear and easy to read and study. I am looking forward to bringing this updated lab text to a whole new generation of students." --Dr. Mark S. Mills, Assistant Professor of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St Joseph

"De Iuliis and Pulerà’s The Dissection of Vertebrates is a special work that combines current science and anatomical description with exceptional illustration. Importantly, the authors introduce vertebrate anatomy on a solid phylogenetic footing before proceeding to the sections that separately focus on dissections of exemplar vertebrates. I have used De Iuliis and Pulerà’s The Dissection of Vertebrates since its inaugural publication – no other manual comes close to this work in terms of its clarity of prose and highly polished scientific illustration. In my course, we focus on the dissection of the cat, and the content of the manual is excellently suited for an in-depth coverage of mammalian anatomical systems over the course of a semester. The writing is clear and accessible, and its organization is well suited for training students to rely on working between the guide and specimen, with dissection tools in hand.

The sections on mammal and reptile skulls are exciting features usually not seen elsewhere, and introduce students to the intricacies and varieties of form that have evolved in those lineages. This aspect, along with the breathtaking illustrations, transforms the manual into an important reference for students and morphologists alike. In addition, De Iuliis brings the content up to date, such as including new terms such as procoracoid, which reflects the current work on recent reconsiderations of anatomical homologies.

The illustrations deserve extra comment: Pulerà’s renderings show an extraordinary commitment to accuracy and aesthetic excellence; in addition to their value for navigating anatomy, virtually any of his illustrations could be framed and displayed as high culture natural history art. In this regard, the manual could, arguably, serve as a source for a course in scientific illustration. For all of these reasons I could not recommend a work on vertebrate anatomy more highly. All told, it is a work that would make the science’s founder, Georges Cuvier, proud." -- Dr. Thomas D. Carr, Associate Professor of Biology, Carthage College, Kenosha