The Evolution of North American Rhinoceroses
Cambridge University Press, 3/7/2005
EAN 9780521832403, ISBN10: 0521832403
Hardcover, 228 pages, 28.2 x 21.8 x 1.7 cm
Language: English
The family Rhinocerotidae has a long and amazing history in North America. From their first appearance about forty million years ago, they diversified into an incredible array of taxa, with a variety of ecologies that do not resemble any of the five living species. They ranged from delicate long-legged dog-sized forms, to huge hippo-like forms that apparently lived in rivers and lakes. This book includes a systematic review of the entire North American Rhinocerotidae, with complete descriptions, measurements, and figures of every bone in every species - the first such review in over a century. More importantly, it discusses the biogeographic patterns of rhinos, their evolutionary patterns and paleoecology, and what rhinos tell us about the evolution of North American landscapes and faunas over 35 million years. It is a complete and authoritative volume that will be a reference of interest to a variety of scientists for years to come.
1. Introduction
2. Methods
3. Systematics
4. Postcranial osteology
5. Biogeography
6. Paleoecology and evolutionary patterns
7. Conclusions
Bibliography.
'Only scientists from before personal computers (let alone laptops) can realise how much work is in the book The Evolution of North American Rhinoceroses of Prothero. It is impressive! ... From every species the holotype, hypodigm, known distribution, diagnosis, a description and a discussion is given. ... This book is not a casual reading book, but I can recommend it to all palaeontologists who are interested in mammal vertebrates.' www.PalArch.nl