The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals

The ultimate illustrated guide to the lost world of prehistoric mammals

After the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, mammals became the dominant terrestrial life form on our planet. Roaming the earth were spectacular beasts such as saber-toothed cats, giant mastodonts, immense ground sloths, and gigantic giraffe-like rhinoceroses. Here is the ultimate illustrated field guide to the lost world of these weird and wonderful prehistoric creatures.

A woolly mammoth probably won't come thundering through your vegetable garden any time soon. But if one did, this would be the book to keep on your windowsill next to the binoculars. It covers all the main groups of fossil mammals, discussing taxonomy and evolutionary history, and providing concise accounts of the better-known genera and species as well as an up-to-date family tree for each group. No other book presents such a wealth of new information about these animals—what they looked like, how they behaved, and how they were interrelated. In addition, this unique guide is stunningly illustrated throughout with full-color reconstructions of these beasts—many never before depicted—along with photographs of amazing fossils from around the world.

  • Provides an up-to-date guidebook to hundreds of extinct species, from saber-toothed cats to giant mammoths
  • Features a wealth of color illustrations, including new reconstructions of many animals never before depicted
  • Demonstrates evolution in action—such as how whales evolved from hoofed mammals and how giraffes evolved from creatures with short necks
  • Explains how mass extinctions and climate change affected mammals, including why some mammals grew so huge
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The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals

The ultimate illustrated guide to the lost world of prehistoric mammals

After the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, mammals became the dominant terrestrial life form on our planet. Roaming the earth were spectacular beasts such as saber-toothed cats, giant mastodonts, immense ground sloths, and gigantic giraffe-like rhinoceroses. Here is the ultimate illustrated field guide to the lost world of these weird and wonderful prehistoric creatures.

A woolly mammoth probably won't come thundering through your vegetable garden any time soon. But if one did, this would be the book to keep on your windowsill next to the binoculars. It covers all the main groups of fossil mammals, discussing taxonomy and evolutionary history, and providing concise accounts of the better-known genera and species as well as an up-to-date family tree for each group. No other book presents such a wealth of new information about these animals—what they looked like, how they behaved, and how they were interrelated. In addition, this unique guide is stunningly illustrated throughout with full-color reconstructions of these beasts—many never before depicted—along with photographs of amazing fossils from around the world.

  • Provides an up-to-date guidebook to hundreds of extinct species, from saber-toothed cats to giant mammoths
  • Features a wealth of color illustrations, including new reconstructions of many animals never before depicted
  • Demonstrates evolution in action—such as how whales evolved from hoofed mammals and how giraffes evolved from creatures with short necks
  • Explains how mass extinctions and climate change affected mammals, including why some mammals grew so huge
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The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals

The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals

The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals

The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals

eBook

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Overview

The ultimate illustrated guide to the lost world of prehistoric mammals

After the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, mammals became the dominant terrestrial life form on our planet. Roaming the earth were spectacular beasts such as saber-toothed cats, giant mastodonts, immense ground sloths, and gigantic giraffe-like rhinoceroses. Here is the ultimate illustrated field guide to the lost world of these weird and wonderful prehistoric creatures.

A woolly mammoth probably won't come thundering through your vegetable garden any time soon. But if one did, this would be the book to keep on your windowsill next to the binoculars. It covers all the main groups of fossil mammals, discussing taxonomy and evolutionary history, and providing concise accounts of the better-known genera and species as well as an up-to-date family tree for each group. No other book presents such a wealth of new information about these animals—what they looked like, how they behaved, and how they were interrelated. In addition, this unique guide is stunningly illustrated throughout with full-color reconstructions of these beasts—many never before depicted—along with photographs of amazing fossils from around the world.

  • Provides an up-to-date guidebook to hundreds of extinct species, from saber-toothed cats to giant mammoths
  • Features a wealth of color illustrations, including new reconstructions of many animals never before depicted
  • Demonstrates evolution in action—such as how whales evolved from hoofed mammals and how giraffes evolved from creatures with short necks
  • Explains how mass extinctions and climate change affected mammals, including why some mammals grew so huge

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781400884452
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 11/15/2016
Series: Princeton Field Guides , #112
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 240
File size: 34 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Donald R. Prothero is research associate in vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and professor emeritus of geology at Occidental College. His many books include Greenhouse of the Dinosaurs: Evolution, Extinction, and the Future of Our Planet, Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters, and After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals.

Table of Contents

Preface 6
1 The Age of Mammals 7
Dating Rocks 8
Clocks in Rocks 10
What’s in a Name? 11
How Do We Classify Animals? 12
Bones vs Molecules 15
Bones and Teeth 15
2 The Origin and Early Evolution of Mammals 20
Synapsids (Protomammals or Stem Mammals) 20
Mammals in the Age of Dinosaurs 23
Morganucodonts 23
Docodonts 25
Monotremes (Platypus and Echidna) and Their Relatives 27
Multituberculates 30
Triconodonts 31
Theria 34
3 Marsupials: Pouched Mammals 37
Marsupial vs Placental 37
Marsupial Evolution 38
Ameridelphia 39
Australiadelphia 41
4 Placental Mammals (Eutheria) 47
The Interrelationships of Placentals 50
5 Xenarthra: Sloths, Anteaters, and Armadillos 51
Edentate vs Xenarthran 51
Order Cingulata (Armadillos) 53
Order Pilosa (Anteaters and Sloths) 55
6 Afrotheria: Elephants, Hyraxes, Sea Cows, Aardvarks, and Their Relatives 58
Tethytheres and Afrotheres 58
Order Proboscidea (Elephants, Mammoths, Mastodonts, and Their Relatives) 60
Order Sirenia (Manatees and Dugongs, or Sea Cows) 67
Order Embrithopoda (Arsinoitheres) 72
Order Desmostylia (Desmostylians) 73
Order Hyracoidea (Hyraxes) 75
Order Tubulidentata (Aardvarks) 77
Order Macroscelidia (Elephant Shrews) 78
Order Afrosoricida 79
7 Euarchontoglires: Euarchonta Primates, Tree Shrews, and Colugos 80
Archontans 80
Order Scandentia (Tree Shrews) 82
Order Dermoptera (Colugos, or Flying Lemurs) 82
Order Plesiadapiformes (Plesiadapids) 84
Order Primates (Euprimates) 86
8 Euarchontoglires: Glires Rodents and Lagomorphs 94
Chisel Teeth 94
Order Rodentia (Rodents) 95
Order Lagomorpha (Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas) 101
9 Laurasiatheria: Insectivores Order Eulipotyphla and Other Insectivorous Mammals 103
Order Eulipotyphla 103
Extinct Insectivorous Groups 107
10 Laurasiatheria: Chiroptera Bats 112
Bat Origins 114
11 Laurasiatheria: Pholidota Pangolins, or Scaly Anteaters 117
Order Pholidota (Pangolins) 118
Palaeanodonts 120
12 Laurasiatheria: Carnivora and Creodonta Predatory Mammals 122
Carnivores, Carnivorans, and Creodonts 122
Order Creodonta 124
Order Carnivora 127
13 Laurasiatheria: Ungulata Hoofed Mammals and Their Relatives 146
Condylarths 147
14 Laurasiatheria: Artiodactyla Even-Toed Hoofed Mammals: Pigs, Hippos, Whales, Camels, Ruminants, and Their Extinct Relatives 151
Artiodactyl Origins 153
Suoid Artiodactyls 154
Whippomorpha 160
Tylopods 169
Ruminantia 175
15 Laurasiatheria: Perissodactyla Odd-Toed Hoofed Mammals: Horses, Rhinos, Tapirs, and Their Extinct Relatives 186
Equoids 187
Tapiroids 191
Rhinocerotoids 196
Brontotheres, or Titanotheres 199
16 Laurasiatheria: Meridiungulata South American Hoofed Mammals 203
Order Notoungulata (Southern Ungulates) 205
Order Pyrotheria (Fire Beasts) 206
Order Astrapotheria (Lightning Beasts) 207
Order Litopterna (Litopterns, or Smooth Heels) 207
17 Uintatheres, Pantodonts, Taeniodonts, and Tillodonts 209
Order Dinocerata (Uintatheres) 209
Order Pantodonta (Pantodonts) 212
Order Taeniodonta (Taeniodonts) 214
Order Tillodontia (Tillodonts) 216
18 Mammalian Evolution and Extinction 218
Why Were Prehistoric Mammals So Big? 218
Where Have All the Megamammals Gone? 219
How Did Mammals Diversify after the Dinosaurs Vanished? 222
What about Mass Extinctions? 228
The Future of Mammals 229
Illustration Credits 231
Further Reading 232
Index (with Pronunciation Guide for Taxonomic Names) 234

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Up-to-date, comprehensive, and very readable. Prothero is a renowned expert in this field, with decades of experience working on diverse groups of prehistoric mammals. He clearly knows his subject well and skillfully conveys this knowledge to readers."—Spencer G. Lucas, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

"Prothero knows his fossil mammals."—Christine M. Janis, coauthor of Vertebrate Life

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