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Every rock is a tangible trace of the earth’s past. In The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks, Donald R. Prothero tells the fascinating stories behind the discoveries that shook the foundations of geology

One of the leading textbooks in its field, Bringing Fossils to Life applies paleobiological principles to the fossil record while detailing the evolutionary history of major plant and animal phyla. It

How do we know that mammals lived alongside the dinosaurs? What proves that whales evolved from four-legged land animals and are related to hippos? Did hunting by humans or climate change cause the extinction of mammoths? How far back would we need to go to see that horses were once almost identical to tapirs and rhinos?Donald R. Prothero takes readers on a journey through the history of mammals, opening a window onto the worlds of some of the most incredible and peculiar animals that ever lived. He tells the dramatic stories of fossil findings and the paleontologists who unraveled them, showing how scientific ingenuity advanced our knowledge of both ancient and present-day mammals.Alongside iconic animals like mastodons, dire wolves, and sabertoothed cats, Prothero introduces readers to a vast range of little-known prehistoric creatures. Some resemble their living relatives, but with a twist: short-necked giraffes, camels without humps, rhinos without horns, bear-sized beavers. Others

In Fantastic Fossils, Donald R. Prothero offers an accessible, entertaining, and richly illustrated guide to the paleontologist’s journey. He details the best places to look for fossils, the art of ho

More than a hundred years ago, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a novel called The Lost World with the exciting premise that dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts still ruled in South America. Little di

Devastating natural disasters have profoundly shaped human history, leaving us with a respect for the mighty power of the earth -- and a humbling view of our future. Paleontologist and geologist Dona

Donald R. Prothero's science books combine leading research with first-person narratives of discovery, injecting warmth and familiarity into a profession that has much to offer nonspecialists. Bringin

Today, any kid can rattle off the names of dozens of dinosaurs. But it took centuries of scientific effort—and a lot of luck—to discover and establish the diversity of dinosaur species we now know. Ho

The fascinating true story of the explosion of the Mount Toba supervolcano--the Earth's largest eruption in the past 28 million years--and its lasting impact on Earth and human evolutionSome 73,000 ye

The family Rhinocerotidae has a long and amazing history in North America. From their first appearance about forty million years ago, they diversified into an incredible array of taxa, with a variety of ecologies that do not resemble any of the five living species. They ranged from delicate long-legged dog-sized forms, to huge hippo-like forms that apparently lived in rivers and lakes. This book includes a systematic review of the entire North American Rhinocerotidae, with complete descriptions, measurements, and figures of every bone in every species - the first such review in over a century. More importantly, it discusses the biogeographic patterns of rhinos, their evolutionary patterns and paleoecology, and what rhinos tell us about the evolution of North American landscapes and faunas over 35 million years. It is a complete and authoritative volume that will be a reference of interest to a variety of scientists for years to come.

Every fossil tells a story. Best-selling paleontology author Donald R. Prothero describes twenty-five famous, beautifully preserved fossils in a gripping scientific history of life on Earth. Recountin

Every fossil tells a story. Best-selling paleontology author Donald R. Prothero describes twenty-five famous, beautifully preserved fossils in a gripping, scientific history of life on Earth. Recounti

One of the leading textbooks in its field, Bringing Fossils to Life applies paleobiological principles to the fossil record while detailing the evolutionary history of major plant and animal phyla. It

Perhaps nudged over the evolutionary cliff by a giant boloid striking the Earth, the incredible and fascinating group of animals called dinosaurs (except for their feathered descendants) became extinc

During the transition from the Eocene to the Oligocene epochs, the mild tropical climates of the Paleocene and early Eocene were replaced by modern climatic conditions and extremes, including glacial ice in Antarctica. The best terrestrial record of the Eocene-Oligocene transition is found in North America, including the spectacular cliffs and spires of the Big Badlands National Park, in South Dakota. The first part of this book summarises the latest information in dating and correlation of the strata of late middle Eocene through early Oligocene age in North America, including the latest insights from argorgon dating and magnetic stratigraphy. The second part reviews almost all the important terrestrial reptiles and mammals found near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary in the White River chronofauna, from the turtles, snakes and lizards to the common rodents, carnivores, artiodactyls, and perissodactyls. This is the first comprehensive treatment of these rocks and fossils in over sixty

The family Rhinocerotidae has a long and amazing history in North America. From their first appearance about forty million years ago, they diversified into an incredible array of taxa, with a variety of ecologies that do not resemble any of the five living species. They ranged from delicate long-legged dog-sized forms, to huge hippo-like forms that apparently lived in rivers and lakes. This book includes a systematic review of the entire North American Rhinocerotidae, with complete descriptions, measurements, and figures of every bone in every species - the first such review in over a century. More importantly, it discusses the biogeographic patterns of rhinos, their evolutionary patterns and paleoecology, and what rhinos tell us about the evolution of North American landscapes and faunas over 35 million years. It is a complete and authoritative volume that will be a reference of interest to a variety of scientists for years to come.

During the transition from the Eocene to the Oligocene epochs, the mild tropical climates of the Paleocene and early Eocene were replaced by modern climatic conditions and extremes, including glacial ice in Antarctica. The best terrestrial record of the Eocene-Oligocene transition is found in North America, including the spectacular cliffs and spires of the Big Badlands National Park, in South Dakota. The first part of this book summarises the latest information in dating and correlation of the strata of late middle Eocene through early Oligocene age in North America, including the latest insights from argorgon dating and magnetic stratigraphy. The second part reviews almost all the important terrestrial reptiles and mammals found near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary in the White River chronofauna, from the turtles, snakes and lizards to the common rodents, carnivores, artiodactyls, and perissodactyls. This is the first comprehensive treatment of these rocks and fossils in over sixty

Prothero is an expert on fossil mammals, their environments, and the means to date them, but he has enlarged that perspective to include discussions of such topics as extinctions in general, especiall