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
