Prehistoric Earth
8 total works
Vertebrates are the most familiar of all animals on Earth, with humans being but one of about 45,000 species of living vertebrates. The rise of the first vertebrates is synonymous with the Paleozoic Era, a span of increasing ecological complexity where the first explosion of life occurred in the seas. In this fully illustrated volume, ""The First Vertebrates"" examines the dramatic rise of vertebrate life in the Paleozoic seas with the development of early fish, including jawless fish, fish with teeth and jaws, early sharks and other cartilaginous fish, and bony fish, the ancestors of present-day fish species.
The Prehistoric Earth is a comprehensive set devoted to dinosaurs and other fascinating prehistoric creatures, including mammals, birds, flying reptiles, fish and other ocean life, and human ancestors. The wide variety of life-forms detailed in this fascinating set will intrigue student researchers. Each title highlights fundamental principles of scientific inquiry and provides insight into the work of scientists. Striking full-color photographs and illustrations bring to life the secrets of Earth's ancient past.
In the Early and Late Cretaceous periods, changing geological and ecological conditions created opportunities for the expansion of dinosaurs. These worldwide geologic and climate shifts of the Cretaceous period allowed for the evolution of Saurischian - lizard-hipped - dinosaurs and Ornithischian - bird-hipped - dinosaurs, including several families that appeared for the first time during this span. However, these same ecological changes also contributed to the eventual extinction of dinosaurs large and small. ""Last of the Dinosaurs"" explores the theories for what may have caused the mass extinction that ended the reign of the dinosaurs and many other terrestrial and marine creatures of the time. The non-dinosaurian reptiles of the Mesozoic era are also examined.
The human species is relatively new to the planet in geologic terms. With origins reaching back only a few million years, the rise of humans from primate ancestors is a remarkable evolutionary success story. ""Early Humans"" traces the beginnings of the human species, its success and adaptability, and the development of such innovations as human language and culture. In exploring human origins, provocative questions arise concerning the human species: how are we different from each other, is there a biological basis for race, and what does the future hold for human evolution?
In the story of human origins, the first primates were small, unremarkable tree dwellers in a world full of diverse mammals of all sizes. Over several million years, primates branched out into the groups known as monkeys and apes. Their larger brains led to new variety in mammal adaptation that led to the development of social groups and sophisticated survival strategies. From the apes evolved a new, highly intelligent kind of primate, the hominins, ancestors of the human species. The richly illustrated ""Primates and Human Ancestors"" tells the story of 50 million years of primate evolution during the Pliocene epoch, from their origins in Africa to their spread to the New World and origin of the human species.
The Paleocene epoch was a time of recovery for mammals and birds, survivors of the Mesozoic era. As the Earth continued to change as the continents drifted further apart, it was a world of evolutionary experiments, as birds and mammals each found ways to fill the ecological gaps left vacant by the disappearance of the dinosaurs. ""The Rise of Mammals"" details the pattern of bird and mammal evolution prior to the Cenozoic era as well as the critical first 10-million-year span of the Cenozoic known as the Paleocene epoch, during which mammals and birds rapidly adapted to the new ecological conditions. By the end of the Paleocene epoch, the roots of most modern birds and mammal families had been set, forging a series of divergent and specialized paths that continue to radiate some 55 million years later.
The first bursts of life found in the fossil record were single-celled bacteria and algae, the foundation of life that led to the extraordinary cavalcade of organisms that have walked the stage of Earth ever since. From the initial signs of life in the Precambrian Period to the end of the Cambrian Period about 488 million years ago, ""Early Life"" explores the development of early life that culminated in one of the most extraordinary periods in the evolution of life on Earth. Characterized as a ""biological big bang,"" the Cambrian Period was a relatively short span of time during which nearly all basic forms of animal life that still exist first appear in the fossil record of the ancient oceans. Alien-looking marine creatures developed in the oceans, and the first predators began hunting down other species in a biological ""arms race"" that pitted elegant strategies for defense against increasingly efficient means of attack.
About 15 million years ago, the diversity of mammals worldwide reached an astounding peak. As the continental landmasses shifted and temperate climates encouraged flowering plants, woodlands, and grasses to grow in abundance, mammals stepped into ecological niches left vacant by the extinction of the dinosaurs. The Oligocene and Miocene epochs saw the foundations of modern-day mammal groups. Adaptations of the jaw, teeth, skull, limbs, and other traits led to mammals that were better adapted for every mode of life. ""The Age of Mammals"" explains how mammals and birds increased their collective footprint to dominate the Earth, and how they evolved to present-day form.