Megafauna: giant beasts of Pleistocene South America

Description

Paleontology and science : what is science? -- Distinguished paleomammalogists -- Geological and ecological history of South America during the Cenozoic era -- North American late Cenozoic faunas -- The Great American Biotic Interchange and Pleistocene habitats in South America -- Bestiary -- Physics of the giants -- General paleoecology -- Extinction.;More than 10,000 years ago spectacularly large mammals roamed the pampas and jungles of South America. This book tells the story of these great beasts during and just after the Pleistocene, the geological epoch marked by the great ice ages. Megafauna describes the history and way of life of these animals, their comings and goings, and what befell them at the beginning of the modern era and the arrival of humans. It places these giants within the context of the other mammals then alive, describing their paleobiology-how they walked; how much they weighed; their diets, behavior, biomechanics. Paleontology and science : what is science? -- Distinguished paleomammalogists -- Geological and ecological history of South America during the Cenozoic era -- North American late Cenozoic faunas -- The Great American Biotic Interchange and Pleistocene habitats in South America -- Bestiary -- Physics of the giants -- General paleoecology -- Extinction.