Horns, Tusks, and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals
A highly readable and enjoyable account full of historical anecdotes, scientific discovery, and biological detail... This is one of those rare books that is both fun to read and informative. Highly recommended for both specialists and general readers.(Northeastern Naturalist)To learn about these mammals—from arsinoitheres, brontotheres, chalicotheres, dugongs, and elephants to yaks and zebras—this is the place to turn.(Choice)We live in a world where most of the attention gets grabbed by the carnivores—and mammals are no exception. We have TV shows entitled 'Fangs' but none (alas) called 'Molars,' and the hoofed mammals are often regarded as little more than fodder. Prothero and Schoch have done much to redress the imbalance with their new book. They encompass the span of the radiation of hoofed mammals (including, perhaps surprisingly to many people, whales and dolphins), covering both the interrelationships and ecology of the living species and the diversity and probable lifestyles of the extinct ones, interwoven with entertaining subplots about the history of fossil discoveries and naturalists' observations and stories from the field.(Christine Janis, Brown University)I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the morphological perspective on the evolution of hoofed mammals and particularly to those wanting to learn more about the fossil record of individual clades. It is enjoyable and informative.(Dr. Samantha PriceAquatic Mammals)