Ice Age Mammoth: Will This Ancient Giant Come Back to Life?
Gr 5-7-Beginning with the magnificent find in 1997 of the Jarkov Mammoth frozen into the Siberian permafrost, Hehner presents what is positively known about such Ice Age creatures and what is surmised by studies of their modern-day cousins, the elephants. She covers physiology, diet, habitat, behavior, and the possible reasons for their extinction, as well as mammoth evolution, the causes of ice ages, the use of "land bridges" in prehistoric migrations, and the relationship between the mammoth and prehistoric man. The author discusses the possibility of cloning a mammoth should the Jarkov find provide usable DNA or even undamaged frozen sperm. She also covers the initial step in the creation of a modern-day Pleistocene Park-a 62-square-mile area in Siberia that has been set aside to reproduce a prehistoric landscape with Ice Age mammals or their closest modern-day kin. The brief, readable text is larded with information boxes, maps, and color photos. Unfortunately, the material included on the Jarkov Mammoth is minimal, as scientists are thawing the great beast at a slow rate, and it will be some time before their findings are evaluated, written up, and made public. The whole is enriched by Hallett's dramatic paintings, presenting Pleistocene landscapes and their inhabitants in great detail. Slim, colorful, and informative.Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NYCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.