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Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of
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Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution Hardcover - 2003

by John A. Long; Michael Archer; Timothy Flannery


From the publisher

From kangaroos and koalas to the giant Diprotodon and bizarre "thingodontans," prehistoric mammals evolved within the changing and sometimes harsh environments of Australia. As part of Gondwana, Australia was the first landmass to be isolated from the supercontinent Pangaea. In Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea, four respected paleontologists present a history of the development of modern mammals from the unique evolutionary environment of Australia and New Guinea. The authors describe both what is known about prehistoric Australian mammals and what can be reconstructed from the fossil evidence about their appearance and behaviors.

This accessible reference work offers facts about how each mammal got its name and provides a description of how the fossil mammal resembles its modern descendants. Over 200 four-color illustrations enhance the text, which describes the age, diet, and habitat of these extinct mammals. The authors also detail how each mammal evolved and is now classified. Diagrams showing skeletal features and tooth structure and a glossary of technical terms are also included.

First line

The living mammal fauna of Australia reads like a picture book of prehistoric times - egg-laying and pouch-bearing mammals inhabiting a drifting island remnant of Gondwana, the ancient southern supercontinent.

Details

  • Title Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution
  • Author John A. Long; Michael Archer; Timothy Flannery
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Pages 240
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press, USA
  • Date January 3, 2003
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Glossary, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780801872235 / 0801872235
  • Weight 2.9 lbs (1.32 kg)
  • Dimensions 11.32 x 9.36 x 0.88 in (28.75 x 23.77 x 2.24 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: Australian
    • Cultural Region: Oceania
  • Library of Congress subjects Mammals, Fossil - Australia, Mammals, Fossil - New Guinea
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2002069485
  • Dewey Decimal Code 569.099

About the author

John A. Long is the curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Western Australian Museum and the author of The Rise of Fishes, also available from Johns Hopkins. Michael Archer is the director of the Australian Museum in Sydney and a professor of biological science at the University of New South Wales. Timothy Flannery is the director of the South Australian Museum in Adelaide and an acclaimed author. Suzanne Hand is the senior project scientist in the School of Biological Science at the University of New South Wales.