Horns, tusks, and flippers : the evolution of hoofed mammals
"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 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, generously illustrated, and clearly written, Horns Tusks, and Flippers is a 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."--Jacket
Print Book, English, 2002
Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2002
ix, 311 pages : illustrations ; 29 cm
9780801871351, 0801871352
49681344
Cloven hooves
Tylopods
Where the deer and the antelope play
Hollow horns
A whale's tale
Out of Africa
The origin of jumbo
Kingdom of ivory
A horse of a different color (and shape)
Equus
Thunder beasts
Proboscises and claws
Rhinoceroses without horns
Thundering to extinction