Extinct Animals: An Encyclopedia of Species that Have Disappeared during Human History First edition by Piper, Ross (2009) Hardcover

by Ross Piper

Everyone is familiar with the dodo and the wooly mammoth, but how many people have heard of the scimitar cat and the Falkland Island fox? Extinct Animals portrays over 60 remarkable animals that have been lost forever during the relatively recent geological past. Each entry provides a concise discussion of the history of the animal―how and where it lived, and how it became extinct―as well as the scientific discovery and analysis of the creature. In addition, this work examines what led to extinction―from the role of cyclical swings in the Earth's climate to the spread of humans and their activities. Many scientists believe that we are in the middle of a mass extinction right now, caused by the human undermining of the earth's complex systems that support life. Understanding what caused the extinction of animals in the past may help us understand and prevent the extinction of species in the future. Extinct Animals examines the biology and history of some of the most interesting creatures that have ever lived, The American Terror Bird, which probably became extinct over 1 million years ago, who were massive predators, some of which were almost 10 feet tall; the Rocky Mountain Locust, last seen in 1902, formed the most immense animal aggregations ever known, with swarms estimated to include over 10 trillion insects; the Giant Ground Sloth, which was as large as an elephant; and the Neandertals, the first Europeans, which co-existed with prehistoric Homo sapiens. Extinct Animals includes illustrations―many created for the work―that help the reader visualize the extinct creature, and each entry concludes with a list of resources for those who wish to do further research.

Genres: Science, Evolution, History, Animals, Ecology, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published March 20, 2009

Reviews

[Emiliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book with wonderful organisation.
Really makes one realise the sad realities of the devastating effects that the morden man has caused on the natural world.
Really sad book for me, but very educational and enlightening.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fun to flip through, because it can be tough to find books about extinct animals other than dinosaurs. But apart from the focus of its subject and well-designed layout, it's disappointing.

The entries themselves are badly written. There are lots of short, declarative sentences piled up on each other, which come across as boring and monotonous. And when the author does indulge in different types of sentences, they're sometimes awkward or unclear.

I was also annoyed by the book's tone and some of the conclusions it presented. For example, it claims that the large number of dire wolf fossils found in the La Brea tar pits means that dire wolves "must have been very numerous animals, very stupid, or overly aggressive." Really? Those are the only possibilities? There are lots of little, unsupported judgements like this, which made me doubt the quality of the rest of the research.

I wanted to rate this more highly just for being a book about megafauna, but it's not worth its hefty textbook price tag. I'm glad that I was able to borrow a copy.

[Eli Crannberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for understanding how humans have devastated the earth and forced so many interesting animals into extinction. My disgust for humans has grown immensely from reading this book, and my love for animals has as well. If you want a basic understanding of this subject and want greater pessimism for humanity, I can recommend this book to anyone willing to sacrifice their love for their fellow man. 5 stars!

[Chris Blanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book, pretty much exactly as you would hope, with some great illustrations and most importantly, pointers as to where to go next for further information on various fauna. I wasn't expecting any more than a layman's book, which it was, but it was entertaining enough to keep my interest.

[Michael Cagle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author covers a lot of ground but ends repeating the same verbiage over and over. would have liked more detail on the animals covered.

[João · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.
Terrible, terrible writing. The scientific aspect of it just totally vanishes sometimes... It almost makes you cry.

Also, it is too incomplete to deserve the word "encyclopedia" on that enormous title.