Systematic Revision of Fossil Prairie Dogs With Descriptions of Two New Species (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

H. Thomas Goodwin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0666333343 ISBN 13: 9780666333346

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

A thorough taxonomic revision of fossil prairie dogs, clarifying their relationships and aiding study of mammal evolution.

This study revises the systematics of fossil Cynomys, the group known as prairie dogs, and explains how different fossil forms relate to living species. It combines careful skull and jaw measurements with age-context from multiple geological time intervals to present updated diagnoses for the genus and its subgenera.

Readers will find a clear account of methods, a framework for comparing fossil and Recent forms, and a synthesis of their phylogenetic relationships. The work references specimens from many museums and localities to support its conclusions.

• Grounds the taxonomic framework for Cynomys and its subgenera with new measurements and descriptions.
• Explains how fossil ages are determined and how specimens are placed in time within Land Mammal Ages.
• Discusses the phylogenetic relationships among fossil and living prairie dogs.
• Documents a broad inventory of fossil material, including several named and likely species.

Ideal for students, researchers, and readers interested in paleontology, mammal evolution, and fossil taxonomy.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0666333343
• ISBN 13: 9780666333346
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 49