The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives - Hardcover

Antón, Mauricio; Turner, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0231102283 ISBN 13: 9780231102285

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 1997

Synopsis

In this beautifully illustrated natural history that links extinct larger feline species with those still in existence, collaborators Alan Turner and Mauricio Anton weave together the evidence of modern feline behavior with that of the fossil record. Turner's clear, insightful prose and Anton's masterly illustrations combine to offer specialists and newcomers alike an accurate and accessible guide to the evolution of cats.

About this title

About the Author

Alan Turner is a paleontologist and reader in vertebrate paleontology in the School of Biological and Earth Schiences at Liverpool John Moores University and is a former senior curator of paleontology at the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria, South Africa.Mauricio Antón specializes in creating images that bring prehistoric creatures and their environments back to life. He has been an illustrator for nearly 30 years.
Mauricio Antón is an artist and scientific illustrator based at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid. His work has appeared in numerous scientific publications, including the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Alan Turner is a paleontologist and reader in vertebrate paleontology in the School of Biological and Earth Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University and is a former senior curator of paleontology at the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria, South Africa.

Reviews

With nearly 200 exquisite and anatomically exact drawings, this book exerts a compelling attraction on actual or would-be paleontologists. Another asset is the way Turner connects modern cats, which first appear in the fossil record about 3 million years ago, with ancestors who lived more than 30 million years ago. That connecting theme allows Turner, highly regarded in this field, to make plain the operations of evolutionary pressures on a single family and on a creature, Smilodon (the so-called saber-toothed tiger), as beloved as T. rex by dino-obsessed kids. The author and illustrator describe the accepted species and skeletal differences between them and then make the bones "speak" about possible behaviors; inferential evidence comes from the hunting manner of today's lions, jaguars, and even the domestic cat. Concisely written and precisely drawn, the guide's contents should excite much wonder while instilling the facts about extinct cats. Gilbert Taylor

Paleontologist Turner and scientific illustrator Anton provide a unique and eye-catching account of living and extinct big cats. Following the introduction discussing their evolution, Turner offers detailed descriptions and differentiation of individual species. A close look at anatomy and its expression in the behavior of living big cats is used to make inferences about functions and behaviors in extinct species. Finally, Turner sets the evolutionary history of the big cats in a global context, discussing factors influencing their evolution and extinction. Although the author does not footnote his information, he does provide a lengthy list of sources for further reading in each chapter. The excellent illustrations illuminate and expand on many of Turner's points. The book remains fairly technical, especially regarding taxonomy and anatomy. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.?Jeanne Davidson, Oregon State Univ. Lib., Corvallis
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0231102283
• ISBN 13: 9780231102285
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 233