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Cover image of Horns, Tusks, and Flippers
Cover image of Horns, Tusks, and Flippers
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Horns, Tusks, and Flippers

The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals

Donald R. Prothero and Robert M. Schoch

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Since the extinction of the dinosaurs, hoofed mammals have been the planet's dominant herbivores. Native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica, they include not only even-toed artiodactyls (pigs, hippos, camels, deer, antelopes, giraffes, sheep, goats, and cattle) and odd-toed perissodactyls (horses and rhinos), but also tethytheres (elephants and their aquatic relatives, manatees and seas cows) and cetaceans (whales and dolphins), which descended from hoofed land mammals. Recent paleontological and biological discoveries have deepened our understanding of their evolution and in...

Since the extinction of the dinosaurs, hoofed mammals have been the planet's dominant herbivores. Native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica, they include not only even-toed artiodactyls (pigs, hippos, camels, deer, antelopes, giraffes, sheep, goats, and cattle) and odd-toed perissodactyls (horses and rhinos), but also tethytheres (elephants and their aquatic relatives, manatees and seas cows) and cetaceans (whales and dolphins), which descended from hoofed land mammals. Recent paleontological and biological discoveries have deepened our understanding of their evolution and in some cases have made previous theories obsolete. In Horns, Tusks, and Flippers, Donald R. Prothero and Robert M. Schoch present a compelling new evolutionary history of these remarkable creatures, combining the latest scientific evidence with the most current information about their ecology and behavior.

Using an approach based on cladistics, the authors consider both living and extinct ungulates. Included in their discussion are the stories of rhinos, whose ancestors include both dinosaur-sized hornless species and hippo-like river waders; elephants, whose earliest ancestors had neither tusks nor trunks; and whales, whose descent from hoofed mesonychids has never properly been described for the lay audience. Prothero and Schoch also update the evolutionary history of the horse, correcting the frequent errors made in textbooks and popular works, and they make available to the general public new evidence about the evolution of camels, horned antelopes, and cattle. In addition, they raise important conservation issues and relate anecdotes of significant fossil finds.

Scientifically accurate and up to date, generously illustrated, and clearly written, Horns, Tusks, and Flippers is a useful and much-needed resource for specialists in the fields of paleontology, zoology, ecology, and evolutionary biology, as well as for general readers interested in learning more about the story of life on earth.

Reviews

Reviews

A highly readable and enjoyable account full of historical anecdotes, scientific discovery, and biological detail... This is one of those rare books that is both fun to read and informative. Highly recommended for both specialists and general readers.

To learn about these mammals—from arsinoitheres, brontotheres, chalicotheres, dugongs, and elephants to yaks and zebras—this is the place to turn.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the morphological perspective on the evolution of hoofed mammals and particularly to those wanting to learn more about the fossil record of individual clades. It is enjoyable and informative.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
8.5
x
11
Pages
384
ISBN
9780801871351
Illustration Description
194 halftones, 50 line drawings
Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Cloven hooves
Chapter 3. Tylopods
Chapter 4. Where the deer and the antelope play
Chapter 5. Hollow horns
Chapter 6. A whale's tale
Chapter 7

Preface and Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Cloven hooves
Chapter 3. Tylopods
Chapter 4. Where the deer and the antelope play
Chapter 5. Hollow horns
Chapter 6. A whale's tale
Chapter 7. Out of Africa
Chapter 8. The origin on Jumbo
Chapter 9. Kingdom of ivory
Chapter 10. A horse of a different color (and shape)
Chapter 11. Equus
Chapter
12. Thunder beasts
Chapter 13. Proboscises and claws
Chapter 14. Rhinoceroses without horns
Chapter 15. Thundering to extinction
Epilogue
References
Index

Author Bios
Donald R. Prothero
Featured Contributor

Donald R. Prothero, Ph.D.

Donald R. Prothero is a professor of geology at Occidental College and coeditor or author of many books, including Horns, Tusks, and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals, published by Johns Hopkins; The Evolution of Perissodactyls; and Bringing Fossils to Life: An Introduction to Paleobiology.