In Pursuit Of Early Mammals

Author : Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska
Publisher : Indiana University Press
ISBN 13 : 0253008247
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

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Download or read book In Pursuit of Early Mammals written by Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-12 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Mesozoic mammal fossils are the focus of this fascinating book, which reviews both the fossils themselves and the history of their discovery.” —Choice In Pursuit of Early Mammals presents the history of the mammals that lived during the Mesozoic era, the time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, and describes their origins, anatomy, systematics, paleobiology, and distribution. It also tells the story of the author, a world-renowned specialist on these animals, and the other prominent paleontologists who have studied them. Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska was the first woman to lead large-scale paleontological expeditions, including eight to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, which brought back important collections of dinosaur, early mammal, and other fossils. She shares the difficulties and pleasures encountered in finding rare fossils and describes the changing views on early mammals made possible by these discoveries. “A thorough review of the current state of early mammalian paleontology presented through the unique historical filter of someone who was at the foremost of the field for over half a century.” —The Quarterly Review of Biology “Whether she’s talking about how mammals evolved their distinctive ear bones, or how she built a cabin out of plywood during a particularly cold field season in the Gobi, you know that a remarkable, passionate person is telling a story of science and adventure in her own words.” —Priscum “A fascinating window into the development of the field . . . The perspective of an individual at the center of these developments is captivating, informative, and has never before been published.” —Gregory P. Wilson, University of Washington

Author : Kenneth D. Rose
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 9780801884726
Total Pages : 468 pages
Book Rating : 4.21/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Beginning of the Age of Mammals written by Kenneth D. Rose and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2006-09-26 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher description

Author : David Rains Wallace
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520237315
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.15/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Beasts of Eden written by David Rains Wallace and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2004-05-18 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description

Author : D. M. Kermack
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.15/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Early Mammals written by D. M. Kermack and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Elsa Panciroli
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472983971
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.78/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Beasts Before Us written by Elsa Panciroli and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-06-10 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For most of us, the story of mammal evolution starts after the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs, but over the last 20 years scientists have uncovered new fossils and used new technologies that have upended this story. In Beasts Before Us, palaeontologist Elsa Panciroli charts the emergence of the mammal lineage, Synapsida, beginning at their murky split from the reptiles in the Carboniferous period, over three-hundred million years ago. They made the world theirs long before the rise of dinosaurs. Travelling forward into the Permian and then Triassic periods, we learn how our ancient mammal ancestors evolved from large hairy beasts with accelerating metabolisms to exploit miniaturisation, which was key to unlocking the traits that define mammals as we now know them. Elsa criss-crosses the globe to explore the sites where discoveries are being made and meet the people who make them. In Scotland, she traverses the desert dunes of prehistoric Moray, where quarry workers unearthed the footprints of Permian creatures from before the time of dinosaurs. In South Africa, she introduces us to animals, once called 'mammal-like reptiles', that gave scientists the first hints that our furry kin evolved from a lineage of egg-laying burrowers. In China, new, complete fossilised skeletons reveal mammals that were gliders, shovel-pawed Jurassic moles, and flat-tailed swimmers. This book radically reframes the narrative of our mammalian ancestors and provides a counterpoint to the stereotypes of mighty dinosaur overlords and cowering little mammals. It turns out the earliest mammals weren't just precursors, they were pioneers.

Author : Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan
Publisher : Indiana University Press
ISBN 13 : 0253005337
Total Pages : 374 pages
Book Rating : 4.35/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Forerunners of Mammals written by Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2011-11-18 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the origin and evolutionary radiation of the synapsids. About 320 million years ago a group of reptiles known as the synapsids emerged and forever changed Earth’s ecological landscapes. This book discusses the origin and radiation of the synapsids from their sail-backed pelycosaur ancestor to their diverse descendants, the therapsids or mammal-like reptiles, that eventually gave rise to mammals. It further showcases the remarkable evolutionary history of the synapsids in the Karoo Basin of South Africa and the environments that existed at the time. By highlighting studies of synapsid bone microstructure, it offers a unique perspective of how such studies are utilized to reconstruct various aspects of biology, such as growth dynamics, biomechanical function, and the attainment of sexual and skeletal maturity. A series of chapters outline the radiation and phylogenetic relationships of major synapsid lineages and provide direct insight into how bone histological analyses have led to an appreciation of these enigmatic animals as once-living creatures. The penultimate chapter examines the early radiation of mammals from their nonmammalian cynodont ancestors, and the book concludes by engaging the intriguing question of when and where endothermy evolved among the therapsids. “Ever since Nick Hotton’s book from the 1980s we have needed an update on the biology of therapsids, and it has been Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan and her students and associates who through their bone histological work have made the greatest progress in this field.” —Martin Sander, Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn “Forerunners of Mammals is full of meticulous detail . . . [I]t also contains a number of excellently rendered illustrations of some of the animals covered in the book, and the final chapter is a discussion of the evolution of endothermy that anyone with a background in biology might find of interest. . . . Recommended.” —Choice “Forerunners of Mammals will take interested readers beyond the classic jaw-to-ear appreciation of therapsids, towards a deeper appreciation of the ancestry of mammals.” —Journal of Mammalian Evolution “This volume represents a state-of-the-art contribution to our understanding of the paleobiology of how mammals arose, and what factors contributed to their evolutionary radiation and eventual success. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in these topics, and will be accessible to readers with minimal background in bone histology and synapsid paleontology.” —Quarterly Review of Biology

Author : Donald R. Prothero
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400884454
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.52/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals written by Donald R. Prothero and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-11-15 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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

Author : Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231509278
Total Pages : 649 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs written by Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2004-11-24 with total page 649 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fossil record on Mesozoic mammals has expanded by orders of magnitude over the past quarter century. New specimens, some of them breathtakingly complete, have been found in nearly all parts of the globe at a rapid pace. Coupled with the application of new scientific approaches and techniques, these exciting discoveries have led to profound changes in our interpretation of early mammal history. Mesozoic mammals have come into their own as a rich source of information for evolutionary biology. Their record of episodic, successive radiations speaks to the pace and mode of evolution. Early mammals were small, but they provide key information on the morphological transformations that led to modern mammals, including our own lineage of Placentalia. Significant and fast-evolving elements of the terrestrial biota for much of the Mesozoic, early mammals have played an increasingly important role in studies of paleoecology, faunal turnover, and historical biogeography. The record of early mammals occupies center stage for testing molecular evolutionary hypotheses on the timing and sequence of mammalian radiations. Organized according to phylogeny, this book covers all aspects of the anatomy, paleobiology, and systematics of all early mammalian groups, in addition to the extant mammalian lineages extending back into the Mesozoic.

Author : D. M. Kermack
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.14/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Early Mammals written by D. M. Kermack and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Jason A. Lillegraven
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 9780520035829
Total Pages : 332 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Mesozoic Mammals written by Jason A. Lillegraven and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1979 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: