
The Proboscidea
Evolution and Palaeoecology of Elephants and Their Relatives
Oxford University Press
Published on 26. September 1996
Book
Hardback
502 pages
978-0-19-854652-8 (ISBN)
Description
The Proboscidea, of which only two species of elephant survive today, were one of the great mammalian orders of the Cenozoic. Their success over evolutionary time is reflected by their morphological and taxonomic diversity, their nearly worldwide distribution on every continent except Australia and Antarctica, and their persistence through nearly fifty million years. Their great past ability to migrate and to adapt to changing climatic conditions and interspecific competition provides a unique laboratory for the testing of evolutionary theories and development of new concepts. This is the first complete treatise on the evolution and palaeoecology of this group for half a century. It reviews their classification and phylogeny, the early differentiation of proboscideans, the major adaptive radiations and their evolutionary patterns, and the origins and current status of extant elephant species. Written by leading international experts, this is a major study documenting the record of terrestrial biodiversity.
Reviews / Votes
the present multi-authored volume edited by two of the greatest students of the subject is a landmark ... This book is a landmark in the study of the biology and paleobiology of the Emperor of Beasts. * Malcolm C. McKenna, American Museum of Natural History, Science, Vol. 276, April 1997 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
halftones, numerous line figures, tables
Dimensions
Height: 283 mm
Width: 220 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
1782 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-854652-8 (9780198546528)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Editor
Research AssociateResearch Associate, Cranbrook Institute of Science, Michigan
University Lecturer CNRS, Universite de Paris 6University Lecturer CNRS, Universite de Paris 6
Content
PART I: INTRODUCTION ; PART II: PROBOSCIDEAN RELATIVES ; PART III: THE FIRST RADIATION: EARLY PROBOSCIDEANS ; PART IV: THE SECOND RADIATION: GOMPHOTHERES AND STEGODONTIDS ; PART V: THE THIRD RADIATION: ELEPHANTIDAE ; PART VI: PALAEOECOLOGY, TAPHONOMY, EXTINCTION, AND CONSERVATION ; PART VI: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS