Ice Age Giants Of The South

The bones of extinct giants such as mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, and saber-toothed cats have been found across the southern United States. These fossils help scientists understand what life was like more than 10,000 years ago.

Featuring numerous illustrations, this book explores the many lessons to be learned from Pleistocene megafauna, including the role of humans in their extinction, their disappearance at the start of the Sixth Extinction, and what they might teach us about contemporary conservation crises. Long after the extinction of dinosaurs, when humans were still in the Stone Age, woolly rhinos, mammoths, mastodons, sabertooth cats, giant ground sloths, and many other spectacular large animals that are no longer with us roamed the Earth. These animals are regarded as “Pleistocene megafauna,” named for the geological era in which they lived—also known as the Ice Age. In Vanished Giants: The Lost World of the Ice Age, paleontologist Anthony J. Stuart explores the lives and environments of these animals, moving between six continents and several key islands. Stuart examines the animals themselves via what we’ve learned from fossil remains, and he describes the landscapes, climates, vegetation, ecological interactions, and other aspects of the animals’ existence. Illustrated throughout, Vanished Giants also offers a picture of the world as it was tens of thousands of years ago when these giants still existed. Unlike the case of the dinosaurs, there was no asteroid strike to blame for the end of their world. Instead, it appears that the giants of the Ice Age were driven to extinction by climate change, human activities—especially hunting—or both. Drawing on the latest evidence provided by radiocarbon dating, Stuart discusses these possibilities. The extinction of Ice Age megafauna can be seen as the beginning of the so-called Sixth Extinction, which is happening right now. This has important implications for understanding the likely fate of present-day animals in the face of contemporary climate change and vastly increasing human populations.

Discover the amazing prehistoric creatures, from jelly monsters to giant sharks, that roamed our seas before and during the age of the dinosaurs. Are you ready to take a walk on the wild side?Specially commissioned artwork.'Wild Guide' contains statistics of every creature.Little-known facts about prehistoric creatures.

Presents information on mammoths, and discusses the mysteries that are unlocked from the fossils and mummies that are discovered.

Discover the amazing prehistoric creatures that roamed the land during the Ice Age. Includes detailed statistics, a timeline, and vibrant pictures.

Contains expert information on the natural history and characteristics of mammoths, telling where and how they lived, what they ate and why they died. Includes information on the latest research and fossil discoveries around the world.

Discover the amazing prehistoric creatures, from the woolly mammoth to the giant cats, that roamed our planet before and during the Ice Ages. Are you ready to take a walk on the wild side?Specially commissioned artwork.'Wild Guide' contains statistics of every creature.Little-known facts about prehistoric creatures.

Explore the world of mammoths with this illustrated guide, featuring photographs of skeletons, casts, tusks and preserved flesh from the world-famous collections of the Natural History Museum, London and the Field Museum in North America.