Megafauna: Giant Beasts Of Pleistocene South America (Life Of The Past Ser.)

By: and and and

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Synopsis
More than 10,000 years ago spectacularly large mammals roamed the pampas and jungles of South America. This book tells the story of these great beasts during and just after the Pleistocene, the geological epoch marked by the great ice ages. Megafauna describes the history and way of life of these animals, their comings and goings, and what befell them at the beginning of the modern era and the arrival of humans. It places these giants within the context of the other mammals then alive, describing their paleobiology--how they walked; how much they weighed; their diets, behavior, biomechanics; and the interactions among them and with their environment. It also tells the stories of the scientists who contributed to our discovery and knowledge of these transcendent creatures and the environment they inhabited. The episode known as the Great American Biotic Interchange, perhaps the most important of all natural history "experiments," is also an important theme of the book, tracing the biotic events of both North and South America that led to the fauna and the ecosystems discussed in this book.
Copyright:
1995

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
448 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780253007193
Related ISBNs:
9780253002303
Publisher:
Indiana University Press
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Gerry De De Iuliis, Sebastián Tambusso, Richard A. Fariña, Sergio F. Vizcaíno
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Science, Animals
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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