Mammal Teeth: Origin, Evolution, and Diversity
Nothing about mammals makes sense except in the light of their teeth! In this impressive, comprehensive volume Peter Ungar explores every aspect of mammalian teeth—their evolutionary origin, histology, development, and fundamental physiological role in fueling a high-energy, endothermic lifestyle. Ungar explains how teeth allow high-resolution tracking of 200 million years of mammalian radiation, thanks to the fortuitous combination of their fossilizability and their relationship to trophic biology. No mammalogist, paleontological or neontological, will want to be without this excellent work.(Tom S. Kemp, University of Oxford)Food processing is fundamental to the way animals meet the energy requirements of life. Peter Ungar captures several fundamental aspects of how animals do this—by growing teeth with such exquisitely adapted physical and structural properties and with such a diversity of size and shape! Never has this subject been better captured.(Christopher Dean, University College London)A pick for any college-level collection strong in natural history.(Midwest Book Review)In this wonderful volume, anthropologist-paleontologist Ungar provides the most complete source available (or imaginable) on the subject... Highly recommended.(Choice)Mammal Teethis a highly valuable contribution to recent literature on the important subject of dental morphology and evolution.(Matthew J. RavosaAmerican Midland Naturalist)A superb reference book for anyone with an interest in the subject... I wholeheartedly recommend the purchase ofMammal Teeth: Origin, Evolution, and Diversityto anyone with an interest in dental morphology and the teeth of mammals.(Ian CorfeJournal of Vertebrate Paleontology)Ungar's book is a superb overview of the field of dental morphology, structured in an easily accessible format.Mammal Teethis an outstanding and valuable resource for the novice or student starting out in the field, and it can also be used successfully as a reference for professional biologists or odontologists.(Alistair EvansBioscience)An invaluable reference on this fascinating subject for readers at all levels.(Hans-Dieter SuesQuarterly Review of Biology)Mammal Teethis an impressive work, both for its scholarship and clear, often entertaining presentation...Mammal Teethis a must-have for vertebrate paleontologists, physical anthropologists, and mammalogists interested in morphology, the biomechanics of chewing, and feeding ecology. Students will findMammal Teethespecially useful as a point-of-entry into the literature on mammalian teeth.(John P. HunterJournal of Mammalian Evolution)