Surprising Mammals Of The Ancient Arctic

Author : Frederic A. Lucas
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781590160343
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (63 download)

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Download or read book Animals of the Past written by Frederic A. Lucas and published by . This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is estimated that at least 99% of every thing that has ever lived is now extinct. From the smallest bacteria, to the largest vertebrate mammals, the variety of life that once existed in the fossilized past is enormous. The animals that walked this planet millions of years ago were as different and distinct then as the diversity of animal life today, yet so much more removed. Many of the long-extinguished species mentioned in this book can only be found in the fossil record. What we do know about these ancient creatures can best be described as astounding and nearly incomprehensible. What we don't know about them, we can only imagine.Many people are familiar with the extinction of the dinosaurs, of the passenger pigeon, the Dodo bird, and the many other species that are threaten by our very existence on this planet. Few of us have been taught the diversity of life in the ancient world. Lesser known species described in this book include the giant bird Phororhacos and Maori, their smaller toothed cousin Hesperornis, the sea lizard Ichthysaur, the great Pterodactyl, its smaller cousins Dimorphodon and Rhamphorhynchus, a variety of well-known dinosaurs, and giant sea turtles. Later chapters include a detailed description on the ancestry of the horse as well as that of the mammoth and mastodon.This book includes an introductory chapter on how fossils are formed, followed by information on the earliest of vertebrates. Several sections are devoted to a diversity of extinct animals of the land, sea and air; followed by a concluding chapter of why animals become extinct. At the end of each chapter are invaluable references and notes pertaining to the location and condition of many of the articles cited within the text. As the director of the American Museum of Natural History, the author had an unusually rich resource of research material available to compile this admirable work. Most of the illustrations come from the rich collection of the American Museum of Natural History, which at the time this book was first published, contained the most complete specimens of fossil vertebrates worldwide.