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Extinct Animals An Encyclopedia of Species that Have Disappeared during Human History
Ross Piper
ISBN: 0-313-34987-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-34987-4
204 pages
Greenwood Press
Publication: 3/20/2009
List Price: $85.00 (UK Sterling Price: £58.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Subjects: Reviews:
  • "The prose is exceptionally well crafted, always including interesting facts or stories about the departed species."
    —ARBAonline     5/1/2009
  • "Extinct Animals is a remarkable and highly recommended work of scholarship that is fully accessible to the non-specialist general reader, as well as academia."
    —Midwest Book Review - MBR Bookwatch     May 2009
  • ". . . the prose is clear and even lively at times ('Fortunately for the pronghorn antelope, the American cheetah died out around 10,000 years ago'). The level of detail makes this a more rewarding resource for serious students of extinction's causes–which are many and often hard to pin down–than Don Lessem's Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals (Scholastic, 1999)."
    —School Library Journal     August 2009
  • "These 65 species are fascinating, evocative, and important to know about as representative of the history of the earth. The information is interesting and well documented, and the author writes clearly and intelligently."
    —Booklist     9/15/2009
Description: Everyone is familiar with the dodo and the wooly mammoth, but how many people have heard of the scimitar cat and the Falkland Island fox? Extinct Animals portrays over 60 remarkable animals that have been lost forever during the relatively recent geological past. Each entry provides a concise discussion of the history of the animal—how and where it lived, and how it became extinct—as well as the scientific discovery and analysis of the creature. In addition, this work examines what led to extinction—from the role of cyclical swings in the Earth's climate to the spread of humans and their activities. Many scientists believe that we are in the middle of a mass extinction right now, caused by the human undermining of the earth's complex systems that support life. Understanding what caused the extinction of animals in the past may help us understand and prevent the extinction of species in the future.

Extinct Animals examines the biology and history of some of the most interesting creatures that have ever lived, including: The American Terror Bird, which probably became extinct over 1 million years ago, who were massive predators, some of which were almost 10 feet tall; the Rocky Mountain Locust, last seen in 1902, formed the most immense animal aggregations ever known, with swarms estimated to include over 10 trillion insects; the Giant Ground Sloth, which was as large as an elephant; and the Neandertals, the first Europeans, which co-existed with prehistoric Homo sapiens. Extinct Animals includes illustrations—many created for the work—that help the reader visualize the extinct creature, and each entry concludes with a list of resources for those who wish to do further research.
Table of Contents:
  • PREFACE
    INTRODUCTION
    1. LESS THAN 100 YEARS AGO
    GOLDEN TOAD
    GASTRIC-BROODING FROG
    ESKIMO CURLEW
    CARIBBEAN MONK SEAL
    THYLACINE
    CAROLINA PARAKEET
    PASSENGER PIGEON
    EXTINCTION INSIGHT 1: THE LOTTERY OF FOSSILIZATION
    2. LESS THAN 200 YEARS AGO
    ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOCUST
    PIG-FOOTED BANDICOOT
    QUELILI
    STEPHENS ISLAND WREN
    TARPAN
    QUAGGA
    WARRAH
    GREAT AUK
    EXTINCTION INSIGHT 2: THE GREAT AMERICAN INTERCHANGE
    3. LESS THAN 500 YEARS AGO
    ELEPHANT BIRDS
    STELLERS SEA COW
    DODO
    AUROCHS
    MOA
    HAASTS EAGLE
    MARCANO'S SOLENODON
    EXTINCTION INSIGHT 3: HUMAN DISCOVERY AND EXTINCTION
    4. LESS THAN 10000 YEARS AGO
    MOA-NALO
    DU
    HORNED TURTLE
    GIANT LEMUR
    WOOLY MAMMOTH
    SIVATHERE
    GIANT DEER
    GIANT GROUND SLOTH
    CUBAN GIANT OWL
    EXTINCTION INSIGHT 4: ENTOMBED IN TAR: THE RANCHO LA BREA ASPHALT DEPOSITS
    5. 10000-12500 YEARS AGO
    GLYPTODONTS
    SABER TOOTH CAT
    SCIMITAR CAT
    AMERICAN MASTODON
    GIANT BEAVER
    AMERICAN CHEETAH
    AMERICAN LION
    WOOLY RHINOCEROS
    LITOPTERN
    DIRE WOLF
    CAVE BEAR
    SICILIAN DWARF ELEPHANT
    MERRIAMS TERATORN
    EXTINCTION INSIGHT 5: ICE AGES
    6. MORE THAN 12500 YEARS AGO
    GIANT SHORT-FACED BEAR
    FLORES HUMAN
    GIANT BISON
    HOMO ERECTUS
    NEANDERTAL
    MARSUPIAL LION
    DIPROTODON
    AUSTRALIAN THUNDER BIRDS
    GIANT MONITOR LIZARD
    QUINKANA
    GIANT SHORT-FACED KANGAROO
    GIANT ECHIDNA
    WONAMBI
    EXTINCTION INSIGHT 6: A HOLE IN THE DESERT: THE NULLARBOR PLAIN CAVES
    7. MORE THAN 50000 YEARS AGO
    GIANT RHINOCEROS
    MEGATOOTH SHARK
    MAGNIFICENT TERATORN
    POUCH-KNIFE
    TERROR BIRDS
    GIANT HYENA
    GIANT APES
    GIANT CAMEL
    SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
About the Author: ROSS PIPER is an independent scholar. His life-long interest in natural history, especially animals, led to academia and he went on to gain a 1st class degree in Zoology from the University of Wales, Bangor and a PhD in entomology from the University of Leeds. Currently, he lives in Hertfordshire, England. This is his sixth book.
LCC Class: 591.6803-dc22
PDF Catalogs:
Greenwood School and Public Library Reference 2009.pdf
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