Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids: 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe

by Mauricio Antón and Jordi Agustí

Book Overview

Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids takes us on a journey through 65 million years, from the aftermath of the extinction of the dinosaurs to the glacial climax of the Pleistocene epoch; from the rain forests of the Paleocene and the Eocene, with their lemur-like primates, to the harsh landscape of the Pleistocene Steppes, home to the woolly mammoth. It is also a journey through space, following the migrations of mammal species that evolved...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231116411
• ISBN13: 9780231116411
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.0" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Challenging but worth the time and effort

Written for the specialist or student in evolutionary biology and paleontology this book can nevertheless be studied by anyone who has an interest in these topics. For this reviewer, the main interest in this book was in the effect of climate on mammalian extinctions, with the hopes of shedding light on the current debate on climate change/global warming. Since the book is directed towards the specialist, the non-specialist will have to deal with a large amount of terminology, this arising mostly from the classification schemes used in paleontology and zoology. This reviewer found it helpful to use a few note sheets along the way to assist in remembering some of the scientific names of the major fauna that did exist in the time frame over which the book covers. Having some background in biology and geophysics will also help in the assimilation of the material in the book, particularly in cases where the authors are discussing dating techniques. There is no part of this book that is uninteresting, and the excellent plates and drawings in the book add to the pleasure in its perusal. And the book went beyond this reviewer's expectations regarding the effects of climate change on mammalian extinctions: there are many examples discussed in the book and a few surprises, such as the assertion that the Mediterranean was completely desiccated around 6,000,000 years ago (the late Miocene). Early on though the authors caution the reader that even though much is known now regarding the time series of temperatures and oceanic changes throughout the last 65,000,000 years, one cannot conclude that there is an exact correlation between changes in climate and changes in mammalian ecosystems. Very interesting also is how the authors deduce the dietary habits of extinct mammals by examining their fossilized teeth and jawbones. This "comparative" paleontology allows one to ascertain what flora were more prevalent in ages past by comparing the dental arrangements of modern mammals with those that are extinct. The variability in dental morphology it seems does have a direct correlation with the floral that were present during the time frame that the mammal was alive. An excellent example of this, which the authors discuss in the book, is the presence of `hypsodonty', which is dental morphology wherein the teeth have high crowns and enamel that extends beyond the gum line. The authors explain this as an adaptation to the silica grains that would be present in the grasses of the Pliocene age. Mammals without this adaptation would face extinction pressures due to the quick abrasion of the teeth due to these grains. Another interesting discussion in the book concerns the `Monterey hypothesis', which is an attempt to understand the "climate crisis" in the middle Miocene in terms of the sequestering of large quantities of organic carbon. This resulted in accelerated global cooling because of the drawdown of atmospheric CO2 and the end of certain warm-water circulation

A Looong, Hard Trek...

... through 65 million years of "punctuated" mammalian evolution, based on the vast fossil record of greater Europe. If you don't have something of a fresh background in archaeological zoology, if concepts like "clades" and "radiations" are unfamiliar, if you've never been able to keep the Eocene separate from the "epicene", you'll never get past the first 5 million years. There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of words used freely in this book that are not part of our everyday vocabulary; on ONE random page, (56), I find: microchoerid, adapid, dimorphism, creodont, hypercarnivorous, sectorial, cursorial, digitigrade, miacid, canid, ursid, amphicyonid, paleothere, lophiodontid, and brachydont. And that doesn't include the italicized Genus/species names! Now many readers will be able to handle these terms, based on recognition of their Latin/Greek roots, but the onslaught of specialized vocabulary continues for 281 large pages. If you think I'm trying to scare you, you're right. I don't want you to waste your money. Nevertheless, this is a profoundly interesting and significant study of evolution within a delimited geography, revealing better than anything else I've read the random and contingent relationship between Darwin's "descent with modification" and the "catastrophic" events of the environment. By observing the waves of equilibrium and extinction/replacement in relation to changes in sea level, opening/closing of land-bridges due to continental drift, and huge shifts of climate, one can understand "evolution" over vast epochs of time far more credibly. The latter subject - climate change - makes this book more pertinent at present than mere intellectual curiosity. Climate change has been real. It has resulted in massive extinctions... and massive evolution of new forms, "endless forms most beautiful." By studying the climate changes of the past, we do have some chance of predicting the impact of the rapid climate change now occurring (with or without the uninformed consent of the McPalin crowd) and hedging our bets about our own chances as a species. I'm delighted, personally, by the realization that global warming will stimulate the evolution of wonderful new species, even new genera, within a few thousand years, but I'm unlikely to be around to see them. The difficulty of the text is partly relieved by excellent illustrations, including very clear drawings of key fossils and plausible re-imagining of the mammals they came from. In pictures and in words, you'll encounter a parade of preposterous critters - far more and far stranger than Noah's Ark could possibly have carried - all of which thrived and multiplied in some niche in the ever-changing environment of Europe. Among them, by the way, were monkeys, baboons, hominids, Homo erectus, Homo antecessor, Homo neanderthalis, and Homo sapiens -- all supplanted, alas, by Homo not-so-sapiens-after-all.

A Must Have for those interested in Prehistoric mammals

This text is the best guide to Mammoths, Sabertooths and hominds. It provides in-depth information on any species that lived in Europe from the Eocene epoch to the Pleistocene. It also covers mammals from other contients that affected the Europeon fauna. For example, from Africa came the Gomphotheres, Dinotheres and Hominoid (and many more). I enjoyed the part of the book that covers the extinct Big Cats, especially Machairodus giganteus (My favourite of all). For those who want to buy this book should also try reading The Big Cats and their fossil relatives...another excellent book.

Best single guide on Cenozoic Mammals for general reader

This is a fantastic book. There is nothing else like it currently available. The best, most informative, guide to post-Cretaceous European mammals out there for the general reader. Beautiful pictures and detail-filled text will provide any lover of paleontology or indeed zoology with all the information they could possibly want. If you are student the book will also provide a valauble entree to 150 years of scholarship. Buy this while it is still available!

A core title for Paleontology Studies reading lists

Mammoths, Sabertooths, And Hominids: 65 Million Years Of Mammalian Evolution In Europe by Jordi Agusti (Director of the Institut de Paleontologia M. Crusafont, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain) and Madrid based, scientific illustrator and artist Maurico Anton, is an astounding, informative, superbly presented tour through the 65 million years of mammalian evolution time-lined from the wake of the dinosaurs' extinction to the rise of modern Homo Sapiens. Mammoths, Sabertooths, And Hominids is an intimate, authoritative, scholarly study of the evolution of mammals, deftly illustrated in black and white with a color insert section that showcases breathtaking art of prehistoric wildlife, Mammoths, Sabertooths, And Hominids is a fascinating, enjoyable, accessible, and strongly recommended as a core title for Paleontology Studies reading lists and academic reference collections.