Megafauna: Giant Beasts of Pleistocene South AmericaIndiana University Press, 2013 M05 22 - 833 páginas “An enjoyable read that provides a substantial amount of detail on the biology, ecology, and distribution of these fantastic animals . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice 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. “Collectively, this book brings attention to the discovery and natural history of ancient beasts in South America while providing a broader temporal and geographic background that allows readers to understand their evolution and potential immigration to South America.” —Quarterly Review of Biology “An excellent volume . . . This book is likely to facilitate progress in the understanding of fossil mammals from the Americas.” —Priscum |
Contenido
3 | |
2 Distinguished Paleomammalogists | 31 |
3 Geological and Ecological History of South America during the Cenozoic Era | 73 |
4 North American Late Cenozoic Faunas | 103 |
5 The Great American Biotic Interchange and Pleistocene Habitats in South America | 135 |
6 Bestiary | 171 |
7 Physics of the Giants | 235 |
8 General Paleoecology | 275 |
Lessons from the Deep Past | 351 |
Appendix 1 A Primer on Skeletal Anatomy | 355 |
Appendix 2 Skeletal Anatomy of Xenarthrans | 383 |
Appendix 3 Equations Used to Estimate Body Masses Based on Dental and Skeletal Measurements and Their Respective Sources | 393 |
Appendix 4 Calculations | 397 |
401 | |
423 | |
9 Extinction | 317 |
Otras ediciones - Ver todas
Megafauna: Giant Beasts of Pleistocene South America Richard A. Fariña,Sergio F. Vizcaíno,Gerry De Iuliis Sin vista previa disponible - 2013 |
Megafauna: Giant Beasts of Pleistocene South America Richard A. Fariña,Sergio F. Vizcaíno,Gerry De Iuliis Sin vista previa disponible - 2013 |
Términos y frases comunes
Ameghino America animals Appendix Fig Argentina armadillos articulates Atlantogenata beasts body mass bones Brazil Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Province canine carapace carnivorans carnivores Cenozoic Chapter cheek teeth clade climate considered continents Darwin distal diversity Doedicurus early equations estimated evidence example extinct Farina fauna felids field figure find first fossil genera genus giant Glossotherium glyptodonts gomphotheres ground sloths habitat herbivores horses incisors isotope Iuliis kind permission late Pleistocene later Lestodon limb litopterns living log mass Lujanian Macrauchenia mainly mammalian mammals mandible marsupials megafauna megalonychid Megatherium Megatherium americanum Miocene modern molar morphological muscle Museo Mylodon mylodontids North noted notoungulates ofthe osteoderms Owen paleontology pampatheres Panochthus Patagonia Plata posterior predator premolar present prey proboscideans reflect region relatively remains represented rodents sabertooth scientific scientists Sebastian Tambusso skeleton skull Smilodon South American species specimen Stegomastodon suggested taxa tooth Toxodon ungulates vertebrae Vizcaino xenarthrans