The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives: An Illustrated Guide to Their Evolution and Natural History by Mauricio Anton

by Alan Turner

Here's a book for cat lovers, but those who prefer good hard science to the warm and fuzzy feline tomes. While very readable, not to mention beautifully and lavishly illustrated, The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives is a serious and intelligent look at how today's lions, tigers, and other cat species are linked to their ancient and extinct ancestors. The way cats have evolved over 25 million years, and the descriptions of feline behavior, both ancient and present, will intrigue animal lovers in general, and not just cat people.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Biology, Palaeontology, Nature, History

Paperback

First published March 6, 1997

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for people who are serious about the evolutionary biology of the big cats. It is very scientific and not really a light or easy read. It is more a book for the professional or for students doing projects on cats. It is extremely informative however and I have referred to it many times.

[ilona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed with this book. Anyone interested in the evolutionary history of big cats/mammals/paleontology. Technical and informative text, fantastic pencil drawing/illustration comparisons of skull+ jaw and skeletal/muscular systems of extinct and living species and the felines in between that connect it all together. Specialization into Carnivora order of both caniforms and feliforms. Focus on diet/movement/habitat/hunting behavior. Point of habitat destruction and importance of conservation efforts mentioned at the end hit home.. especially for a book published almost quarter of a decade ago. Even provides list of institutions worldwide where specific species’ fossils/full skeletons can be seen.

[Last Ranger · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright”*

The Animal Kingdom is divided into two camps; predators and prey, all perfectly balanced and in harmony with one another. Among the predators the Cat Tribe is the most graceful and efficient, ranging in size from our common house cat up to the mighty Siberian Tiger. The “Carnivore Guild” has a long, and complex, evolutionary history that has its roots back some 70 Million Years or so. In Alan Turner’s beautiful book “The Big Cats and their Fossil Relatives” (1997) the author takes a close look on how the cat tribe got from their humble beginnings in the Eocene (or earlier) to their modern day charismatic representatives that face an uncertain future. Although the book can be quite complex at times, the text is primarily accessible to the layman reader and any of the difficult portions are clearly explained by Turner. If you do take on this challenging book be prepared for some complex sections and lots of scientific terminology. One of the signature animals of the past is the so called “Saber Tooth Tiger” but it turns out that there were many long toothed carnivores**, and some of them were, in fact, distantly related to the cat tribe. While the focus of Turner’s book is mainly on the big cats and their close relatives, he does touch upon some of other groups as well. “The Big Cats and their Fossil Relatives” is not only well written, it is also visually stunning with art-work by paleo-artist Mauricio Anton. The illustrations include lots of line drawings and technical reconstructions of anatomy with comparative examples of different species and their various environments. But it’s the color plates that are the most eye catching, and there are several included in a middle section of the book. Over the years I’ve read this book several times but I never get tired of reading it again and the art work is timeless, especially those color plates. The book closes with short profiles on several important fossil sites around the world, some like the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in California are justly famous while others a bit more obscure, but all are intriguing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an active interest in big cat evolution and the search for evidence on how they have changed over time.

Last Ranger

(*) From a 1794 poem by William Blake.
(**) There was even a South American saber tooth marsupial or two as well as a creodont from an earlier age.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I was curious why cats evolved.

The book didn’t exactly answer my question, but it covered how they evolved- the evolutionary history of cats up to the present. The book is intended for a layperson but is quite scientific- if you’ve seen BBC specials on Ice Age fauna and want to go to the next level, this might be for you.

The illustrations are outstanding - the author does a good job of explaining how we can guess what living animals look and moved like from just bones (and often not even complete skeletons). I especially liked the discussion about how saber tooths used their giant canines.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dense and slow to work through for the average reader, but a very informative and thorough book! I learned more than I even knew there was to learn about prehistoric cats. I greatly enjoyed this book. It was well organized and thought out. Very well written. And even if it was a bit dense and technical for the average layman, still nothing was beyond understanding, and the author was aware not all terms would be common to all readers and carefully explained ideas where necessary. If you like big cats and paleontology, this is a must read!

[Bonnie_blu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book examines the origin of the big cats and provides a great deal of scientific information. Thankfully, the author also provides numerous illustrations to bring the data to life. I thoroughly enjoyed following the evolution of the big cats (I was surprised to learn that hyenas are related to cats and not canids). The book was more academic in nature than I expected, but it will not be a difficult read for those with a basic understanding of biology and evolution.

[Miroslav · Rating 5 out of 5]

výborná kniha o 10 miliónov rokov trvajúcej evolúcii šeliem s dôrazom na šabľozubce (pretože jaskynný lev tam tak trochu chýbal), o ich telesnej stavbe, spôsobe lovu, života, prostredí a podobne... kiež by bola tá kniha dlhšia :)

[Yanick Punter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations were excellent and so was the information. I enjoyed this one although it was rather short.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and very interesting with lots of facts.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I really liked that it explored basically every possible aspect of the Felidae. Chapter 1 discusses taxonomy and the classification of different types of big cat. Chapter 2 focuses on the origin and evolution of the cats, examining both the relationship between different genera and the broader context within mammalian evolution. I was intrigued to learn here that the Nimravidae, creodonts, and certain marsupials also developed the broader/long canines of the saber-toothed cats (Machairodontiae). Chapter 3 is an overview of the genera and major species of big cats, living and extinct. Each genera account includes information about the fossil locales, size, any unique or distinguishing features, and illustrations. In addition, the descriptions are narrative rather than a simple list or digest, which makes them more interesting to read. Chapter 4 focuses on Anatomy and movement, including coat/colors, senses, bones, teeth, skull, and the reconstruction both of artistic illustrations and of movement patterns. Chapter 5 focuses on behavior and ecology, exploring the diversity and flexibility of social interactions as well as the relationship between different species in the carnivore guild. Finally, Chapter 5 focuses on broader changes in fauna in the past 10 MYA, especially focusing on how climate, biome, and prey species affected the spread and diversity of the Felidae and other Carnivora.
The author takes care to clarify taxonomic relationships, to include dozens of illustrations throughout the book, and to repeat crucial information. My only challenge was that I was lost during much of Chapter 4 (the anatomy section), because had no idea where any of these bones were or what they do.

[Charlotte R.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very much a special interest book that covers the fossil relatives and evolution of the big cats, from Proailurus sp. to modern genera. I would recommend this book to anyone with a background in evolution and an interest in cats. Not only is the text clear and engaging, but the illustrations are phenomenal in the intricacy of their detail. Fossil cats are presented in skeletal form, and gradually build up layer by layer, giving readers an intimate look at these extinct felids and how they lived and functioned. And perhaps the best thing about this book? It makes few assumptions about your level of education in felid biology, so that a basic understanding of evolution is truly all you need.

[Lone Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should more accurately be titled ‘Fossil Big Cats and Their Living Relatives’ – the vast majority of the book focuses on extinct species, with only a short section on extant big cats. It is a fascinating insight into the evolution and lives of incredible creatures such as the sabre-toothed Smilodon, illustrated with exquisite pictures by well-known artist by Mauricio Anton.

Due to the time of publication, some of the information given is now outdated. For example, the subfamily Pantherinae is not acknowledged and the puma is placed in the genus Felis. Despite that, though, I recommend this if you’re interested in fossil felids.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that the parts about cat anatomy and skeletons were boring when they weren't being used to deduce the behaviours of the cats in the wild, but the rest of the book is fascinating.

In particular I liked:
- Everything about cheetahs.
- The stuff about figuring out how sabertooths took down their prey and used their teeth.
- The hypothesizing about the social adaptability of the cats, like they figure tigers could live in more complex social structures in different climates, and how lions sometimes live in smaller groups.
- The pictures, obviously.

[Tabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of interesting and useful information. I loved all the pictures that went with the information. Parts of the book were a little hard to follow with all the big Latin names but other than that it was a great book. I can't wait to use it as a source for school! It's clear a lot of research went into creating this book and connecting all the dots of extinct and extant animals, especially the big cats.

[David Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must have for the collection of any evolutionary enthusiast. It is readable and had great illustrations. I read it in tandem with Columbia University Press' book "Dogs: their fossil relatives and evolutionary history". Unfortunately for "The Big Cats", "Dogs" is better written. Both books are an essential part of a well rounded library on the topic.

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a beautifully illustrated overview of the taxonomy and evolutionary history of the Felidae and associated clans, you could not do better. I do realize it's a very small niche, but it fills it so splendidly!

[Jean-michel Pigeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très intéressant concernant l'évolution des félins