Ice Age Mammals of North America A Guide to the Big, the Hairy, and the Bizarre

About this book

This popular nontechnical introduction to the strange and marvelous beasts of the Pleistocene ice ages is now even better. Since Ice Age Mammals of North America was first published in 2002, new information from the rapidly evolving sciences of genetics and radiometric dating, coupled with new fossil discoveries, has revolutionized our understanding of these mostly extinct animals. Lange untangles the complex evolutionary lineages of mammal families, including the gomphotheres, elephant-like creatures that coexisted with humans at the end of the Pleistocene. You'll learn about the geologic events that led to the ice ages, along with possible causes for the mass extinctions of so many species. Fun sidebars explore such topics as the enormous size of some Ice Age animals, what teeth tell us about diets, how fossils and Ice Age mummies are preserved, and how scientists obtain DNA from fossilized dung. A state-by-state list of fossil and museum sites will guide you to the closest places to learn about Ice Age mammals.

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