What do you think?
Rate this book
The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries: Amazing Fossils and the People Who Found Them
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 short-necked giraffes, camels without humps, rhinos without horns, bear-sized beavers. Others are like nothing alive today, such as chalicotheres, which look like a cross between a horse and gorilla but with claws, and uintatheres, which one scientist compared to “giant horned bunnies.” Lively and informative, The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries highlights the wonder, beauty, and strangeness of the creatures that have shared our world.
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 short-necked giraffes, camels without humps, rhinos without horns, bear-sized beavers. Others are like nothing alive today, such as chalicotheres, which look like a cross between a horse and gorilla but with claws, and uintatheres, which one scientist compared to “giant horned bunnies.” Lively and informative, The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries highlights the wonder, beauty, and strangeness of the creatures that have shared our world.
544 pages, Hardcover
Published August 18, 2026
About the author
Donald R. Prothero
45 books150 followersDonald R. Prothero is a Professor of Geology at Occidental College and Lecturer in Geobiology at the California Institute of Technology. He teaches Physical and Historical Geology, Sedimentary Geology, and Paleontology. His specialties are mammalian paleontology and magnetic stratigraphy of the Cenozoic. His current research focuses on the dating of the climatic changes that occurred between 30 and 40 million years ago, using the technique of magnetic stratigraphy. Dr. Prothero has been a Guggenheim and NSF Fellow, a Fellow of the Linnean Society, and in 1991 received the Schuchert Award of the Paleontological Society for outstanding paleontologist under the age of 40, the same award won by the renowned paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. He has authored or co-edited numerous books, including Horns, Tusks, Hooves and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals, the best-selling textbook from McGraw-Hill, Evolution of the Earth, Evolution: What the Fossils Say & Why it Matters, Bringing Fossils to Life, After the Dinosaurs, and the textbook Sedimentary Geology. He is also a Technical Editor of the Journal of Paleontology.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for an ARC of Prothero's latest book.
4.5/5 stars.
I have read few of Prothero's other books, as well as his textbook on an Introduction to Paleontology being used for my invertebrate paleontology class, and I always learn something new. Now, I am an employed paleontologist at a museum, though I specialize in invertebrates and do not have much knowledge on mammals. Many of the mammals and/or mammal groups written about in this are featured in our museum, so it was especially helpful to read to give me more of an understanding of these creatures.
Dr. Prothero discusses amazing mammal fossil discoveries, as well as the scientists or citizens who found them. Many of these discoveries were made by famous paleontologists, showcasing how unfortunately exclusive the field was historically. Some of these men were not the best people (that's an understatement when it comes to Fairfield Osborn, but they are responsible for furthering our understanding of these ancient creatures. Once does wish such people were never involved in the field, but as I'm always told... there are quite some "bold" and "controversial" personalities in this field (which is again... a serious understatement if you know anything about this field).
Despite the lack of diversity among the famous paleontologists of the past, they are credited with discovering fascinating animals. Well-known animals are mentioned in this book alongside those not as known. Going down the chapter list of well-knowns (extinct and extant), we see mastodons and mammoths, giant ground sloths, platypus, giant kangaroos, wombats, horses, buffalo, deer and antelope, whales, sea cows, bears, dire wolves, sabertoothed cats, and the early apes. Little-known creatures that are featured do resemble their present-day relatives, just with some differences (or many): short-necked giraffes, camels without their humps, rhinos without horns (and wooly rhinos), beavers the size of bears, and whales with legs. We also do see animals that are nothing like we'd think of today: Chalicotherium which looks like a horse mixed with some sort of great ape, Uintatherium which is something with just too many horns for my liking, and Entelodonts which are pigs from literal hell.
This was well written, well researched, and for anyone who wishes to learn more, Prothero as always has included his citations for each chapter. This is a great book for anyone who wishes to learn more about the evolution and taxonomy of mammals. Many of the illustrations you'll get a kick out of as well (I'm talking about you, chapter on Sirenians).
4.5/5 stars.
I have read few of Prothero's other books, as well as his textbook on an Introduction to Paleontology being used for my invertebrate paleontology class, and I always learn something new. Now, I am an employed paleontologist at a museum, though I specialize in invertebrates and do not have much knowledge on mammals. Many of the mammals and/or mammal groups written about in this are featured in our museum, so it was especially helpful to read to give me more of an understanding of these creatures.
Dr. Prothero discusses amazing mammal fossil discoveries, as well as the scientists or citizens who found them. Many of these discoveries were made by famous paleontologists, showcasing how unfortunately exclusive the field was historically. Some of these men were not the best people (that's an understatement when it comes to Fairfield Osborn, but they are responsible for furthering our understanding of these ancient creatures. Once does wish such people were never involved in the field, but as I'm always told... there are quite some "bold" and "controversial" personalities in this field (which is again... a serious understatement if you know anything about this field).
Despite the lack of diversity among the famous paleontologists of the past, they are credited with discovering fascinating animals. Well-known animals are mentioned in this book alongside those not as known. Going down the chapter list of well-knowns (extinct and extant), we see mastodons and mammoths, giant ground sloths, platypus, giant kangaroos, wombats, horses, buffalo, deer and antelope, whales, sea cows, bears, dire wolves, sabertoothed cats, and the early apes. Little-known creatures that are featured do resemble their present-day relatives, just with some differences (or many): short-necked giraffes, camels without their humps, rhinos without horns (and wooly rhinos), beavers the size of bears, and whales with legs. We also do see animals that are nothing like we'd think of today: Chalicotherium which looks like a horse mixed with some sort of great ape, Uintatherium which is something with just too many horns for my liking, and Entelodonts which are pigs from literal hell.
This was well written, well researched, and for anyone who wishes to learn more, Prothero as always has included his citations for each chapter. This is a great book for anyone who wishes to learn more about the evolution and taxonomy of mammals. Many of the illustrations you'll get a kick out of as well (I'm talking about you, chapter on Sirenians).
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In The Story of The Mammals in 25 Discoveries, Donald R. Prothero takes readers on a condensed (and often dense), selective tour of mammalian evolution as well as introducing those who contributed to the field. Well-researched, highly informative, it can be at times a bit overwhelming and perhaps a bit dry in spots due to the plethora of scientific names packed into a relatively brief book as well as the structure. It’s a book, in other words, read more for content than for style or engagement, and on that level, it certainly succeeds (helped by the numerous photographs and illustrations.)
Each section focuses on a distinct group of mammals, beginning with the Mammut (Mastodons and kin) and then the Mammauthus (Mammoths). Others groups/mammals we meet among the 25 segments include (I’m going to drop the scientific names here): giant ground sloths, wooly rhinos, camels, giraffes, whales, bison, Australian mammals, deer, bears, wolves, apes, “Rodents of Unusual Size” (in a welcome moment of humor via the Princess Bride reference), brontotheres, and more.
We typically start with an early discovery of a fossil, introduce the earliest form of said group (not necessarily the same as the first fossil discovery), then move forward in time through their evolution/radiation and then, in most cases, into their extinction or, sometimes, into their winnowing into their only living descendants. Because each segment is relatively short, and Prothero covers a number of forms over the time span covered, as mentioned we get a lot of names thrown at us. Personally, I find it best to just let the names wash over me and focus on the general development/changes to get the big picture rather than worry for instance about which specific horse came before another specific horse. The structure also might be a bit problematic in that each section sees us jumping backward in time again and the coming forward once more, so time periods may get a bit jumbled. It might be best, therefore, to read one to three sections at a time rather than read through the whole work in a sitting or two.
Prothero’s explanations of the evolution are always clear and concise and are solidified in the reader’s mind by the many visuals. While it’s informative to be told the size of something in terms of feet/meters or lbs./tons, it’s so much easier to see in one’s head when we get an illustration or a photograph of a model with a human standing there to give a sense of scale. Just as it’s good to hear how bodies changed over time with lines about streamlined shapes and reduced legs but even better to read those lines and then take a look at an illustration depicting said changes across multiple images of the “same” creature.
Beyond the evolutionary details, Prothero also gives us a number of mini-bios of important figures in the field. While some might have preferred less time focused on people and more on the creatures, I found these were the sections where Prothero was free to become more stylistically engaging, and I appreciated how they broke up the more dense parts on the development over time. I read a lot of popular science in this area, so many of the people were known to me and even if one doesn’t, you might recognize the “Bone Wars” duo. But even with my reading, there were several people I hadn’t heard of, which was a nice surprise. Given that he is mostly covering historical people, it should come as no surprise that most of those names are those who had the time, leisure, money, and social allowance to do this work: i.e. upper-class white men. While Prothero is clear in how important these people were thanks to their discoveries, he doesn’t ignore their many (many many) failings as people or scientists, noting who was a virulent racist, who believed in eugenics, who plagiarized, who tried to destroy other people’s lives, etc. He is more forgiving of the scientific errors, pointing out where people went astray but also noting why those errors might have made more sense in their time context or that error is the way of scientific progression.
If you’re looking for a (relatively) quick, concise overview of how various mammal groups evolved into the forms we know today, don’t mind some dense language, and aren’t looking for particularly engaging or lyrical writing, The Story of the Mammals is a good choice. And if you want more information or perhaps different styles, Prothero gives us a slew of sourcing material in each segment’s end notes for curious readers to turn to. Recommended. 3.5
Each section focuses on a distinct group of mammals, beginning with the Mammut (Mastodons and kin) and then the Mammauthus (Mammoths). Others groups/mammals we meet among the 25 segments include (I’m going to drop the scientific names here): giant ground sloths, wooly rhinos, camels, giraffes, whales, bison, Australian mammals, deer, bears, wolves, apes, “Rodents of Unusual Size” (in a welcome moment of humor via the Princess Bride reference), brontotheres, and more.
We typically start with an early discovery of a fossil, introduce the earliest form of said group (not necessarily the same as the first fossil discovery), then move forward in time through their evolution/radiation and then, in most cases, into their extinction or, sometimes, into their winnowing into their only living descendants. Because each segment is relatively short, and Prothero covers a number of forms over the time span covered, as mentioned we get a lot of names thrown at us. Personally, I find it best to just let the names wash over me and focus on the general development/changes to get the big picture rather than worry for instance about which specific horse came before another specific horse. The structure also might be a bit problematic in that each section sees us jumping backward in time again and the coming forward once more, so time periods may get a bit jumbled. It might be best, therefore, to read one to three sections at a time rather than read through the whole work in a sitting or two.
Prothero’s explanations of the evolution are always clear and concise and are solidified in the reader’s mind by the many visuals. While it’s informative to be told the size of something in terms of feet/meters or lbs./tons, it’s so much easier to see in one’s head when we get an illustration or a photograph of a model with a human standing there to give a sense of scale. Just as it’s good to hear how bodies changed over time with lines about streamlined shapes and reduced legs but even better to read those lines and then take a look at an illustration depicting said changes across multiple images of the “same” creature.
Beyond the evolutionary details, Prothero also gives us a number of mini-bios of important figures in the field. While some might have preferred less time focused on people and more on the creatures, I found these were the sections where Prothero was free to become more stylistically engaging, and I appreciated how they broke up the more dense parts on the development over time. I read a lot of popular science in this area, so many of the people were known to me and even if one doesn’t, you might recognize the “Bone Wars” duo. But even with my reading, there were several people I hadn’t heard of, which was a nice surprise. Given that he is mostly covering historical people, it should come as no surprise that most of those names are those who had the time, leisure, money, and social allowance to do this work: i.e. upper-class white men. While Prothero is clear in how important these people were thanks to their discoveries, he doesn’t ignore their many (many many) failings as people or scientists, noting who was a virulent racist, who believed in eugenics, who plagiarized, who tried to destroy other people’s lives, etc. He is more forgiving of the scientific errors, pointing out where people went astray but also noting why those errors might have made more sense in their time context or that error is the way of scientific progression.
If you’re looking for a (relatively) quick, concise overview of how various mammal groups evolved into the forms we know today, don’t mind some dense language, and aren’t looking for particularly engaging or lyrical writing, The Story of the Mammals is a good choice. And if you want more information or perhaps different styles, Prothero gives us a slew of sourcing material in each segment’s end notes for curious readers to turn to. Recommended. 3.5
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Dr. Prothero is a very intelligent and capable scientist. While reading, I learned interesting information about early mammals, including facts about their anatomy, evolution, and fossils. If this book focused on his strengths, I would have gladly rated five stars and had a welcome resource for my classroom library. The title is pure nostalgia bait for those of us who grew up reading animal fact books, and high quality resources on evolution are always welcome. Unfortunately, the rest of the book requires him to also write about scientists, discoverers, and people.
From the first chapter, the book is haunted by a general lack of representation and the portrayal of different racial and ethnic groups. In a five hundred page book, covering 25 distinct discovery categories, there is not a solid focus on a single female paleontologist. At best, there are brief mentions of graduate students or the spouses of various famous men. In one particularly memorable case, a scientist who discovered a species is described simply as his "friend's wife, Gail," without ever mentioning her full name in text. The absence of women, however, feels weirdly passive in comparison to ethnic and racial biases.
Representation of non-white scientists people is either scant, biased or ultimately connects back to the legacy of a white man. The presence of antiquated terms like the 'natives were restless' and 'on the warpath' are jarring and repeated. The positioning of the quote that starts the chapter on bison implies Native Americans have been killed off and are no longer their true selves without the buffalo as opposed to be an expression of grief and anger. This feels pointed when we lack an explicit mention of the American government's project of attempting extinction in the effort of genocide. Especially when we do get an intense description the most extreme hunting methods for buffalo used by plains groups with equal focus to those of the white settlers. The book is not better when referring to other marginalized groups. The mention of aboriginal people taking part in gathering fossils in Australia was brief and inappropriate. Every opportunity is taken to describe various indigenous groups potentially killing off various species, especially if it might soften the destruction done by colonial projects. The exceptions to this pattern of poor representation only exist where individuals or groups bring renown to a white male scientist.
The apologia in the book is strong. The description of the Bone Wars contains notes of 'boys will be boys' at a level I cannot fathom. One of the most destructive and self-serving battles of scientific egos to ever capture public attention is labeled as excusable because it did capture public attention. The fact that it resulted in a tangled and inaccurate mess of various evolutionary trees is also justified because it made people pay attention to paleontology. In a similar vein, a particularly ineffective scientist is worthwhile because of his clout and ability to fundraise, despite his being a racist and eugenicist who stole credit for the work of far better scientists. Never mind the extensive social impacts caused by a culture of bigoted scientists.
My frustration is so strong because I genuinely believe the author is capable of better. He gives credit to the value of nonacademic workers when the subject is a white layman digging up coastal fossils in brief windows of availability. Surely that lens could have been upon the Chinese farmers who helped dig up historically important fossils? And he understands the importance of evolving language. After all, there is an intense commentary about people not using the most up to date terminology for the complicated trees of early horses. (Dismissing that unclear communication and outdated text might play a factor.) Such people are described as lazy and unwilling to change. It leaves with the question of whether he unable to live to his own standards when it comes to terminology and ideology that harms living people?
Understanding evolution is hugely important to our ongoing survival as humans. It is just as important to understand and recognize the ways in which it has been used to justify harm to a variety of oppressed groups. That is simply never part of the discussion in this work beyond the vaguest hints. Given the language and poor representation, I cannot in good conscience keep this book in my classroom or offer it any kind of endorsement. Information about how different teeth structures help us determine diets of various extinct animals or how faux thumbs evolved separately in two different pandas species is not enough to offset the potential harm.
Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the ARC of this book.
Note: Due to modifications of text to address some concerns, both rating and review have been edited.
From the first chapter, the book is haunted by a general lack of representation and the portrayal of different racial and ethnic groups. In a five hundred page book, covering 25 distinct discovery categories, there is not a solid focus on a single female paleontologist. At best, there are brief mentions of graduate students or the spouses of various famous men. In one particularly memorable case, a scientist who discovered a species is described simply as his "friend's wife, Gail," without ever mentioning her full name in text. The absence of women, however, feels weirdly passive in comparison to ethnic and racial biases.
Representation of non-white scientists people is either scant, biased or ultimately connects back to the legacy of a white man. The presence of antiquated terms like the 'natives were restless' and 'on the warpath' are jarring and repeated. The positioning of the quote that starts the chapter on bison implies Native Americans have been killed off and are no longer their true selves without the buffalo as opposed to be an expression of grief and anger. This feels pointed when we lack an explicit mention of the American government's project of attempting extinction in the effort of genocide. Especially when we do get an intense description the most extreme hunting methods for buffalo used by plains groups with equal focus to those of the white settlers. The book is not better when referring to other marginalized groups. The mention of aboriginal people taking part in gathering fossils in Australia was brief and inappropriate. Every opportunity is taken to describe various indigenous groups potentially killing off various species, especially if it might soften the destruction done by colonial projects. The exceptions to this pattern of poor representation only exist where individuals or groups bring renown to a white male scientist.
The apologia in the book is strong. The description of the Bone Wars contains notes of 'boys will be boys' at a level I cannot fathom. One of the most destructive and self-serving battles of scientific egos to ever capture public attention is labeled as excusable because it did capture public attention. The fact that it resulted in a tangled and inaccurate mess of various evolutionary trees is also justified because it made people pay attention to paleontology. In a similar vein, a particularly ineffective scientist is worthwhile because of his clout and ability to fundraise, despite his being a racist and eugenicist who stole credit for the work of far better scientists. Never mind the extensive social impacts caused by a culture of bigoted scientists.
My frustration is so strong because I genuinely believe the author is capable of better. He gives credit to the value of nonacademic workers when the subject is a white layman digging up coastal fossils in brief windows of availability. Surely that lens could have been upon the Chinese farmers who helped dig up historically important fossils? And he understands the importance of evolving language. After all, there is an intense commentary about people not using the most up to date terminology for the complicated trees of early horses. (Dismissing that unclear communication and outdated text might play a factor.) Such people are described as lazy and unwilling to change. It leaves with the question of whether he unable to live to his own standards when it comes to terminology and ideology that harms living people?
Understanding evolution is hugely important to our ongoing survival as humans. It is just as important to understand and recognize the ways in which it has been used to justify harm to a variety of oppressed groups. That is simply never part of the discussion in this work beyond the vaguest hints. Given the language and poor representation, I cannot in good conscience keep this book in my classroom or offer it any kind of endorsement. Information about how different teeth structures help us determine diets of various extinct animals or how faux thumbs evolved separately in two different pandas species is not enough to offset the potential harm.
Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the ARC of this book.
Note: Due to modifications of text to address some concerns, both rating and review have been edited.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Book Review: The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries: Amazing Fossils by Donald R. Prothero
Rating: 3 Stars
Donald R. Prothero's *The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries* is a fascinating dive into the evolutionary journey of mammals, packed with intriguing fossil finds and the stories behind them. The book tackles some big questions: How do we know mammals lived alongside dinosaurs? What evidence links whales to four-legged land animals and ties them to hippos? Did humans or climate change lead to the mammoths’ extinction? And how closely related were horses, tapirs, and rhinos millions of years ago?
Prothero brings to life a broad spectrum of prehistoric mammals—some familiar like mastodons and sabertoothed cats, others downright bizarre like short-necked giraffes, hump-less camels, and bear-sized beavers. Then there are the truly strange creatures, such as chalicotheres—part horse, part gorilla with claws—and uintatheres, which were once described as “giant horned bunnies.” Through these examples and vivid fossil discoveries, the book highlights the beauty and oddity of mammals past and present.
That said, while the book is well-researched and informative, it can feel a bit dense at times. The pace is brisk, and the sheer volume of scientific names packed into a relatively short space occasionally makes it overwhelming. The structure is somewhat selective rather than comprehensive, and the tone leans more toward academic than casual storytelling. So, it’s definitely a read geared more toward those wanting solid facts and fascinating fossil photos than those looking for a light or highly engaging narrative.
One standout feature is the visual appeal—the cover is genuinely delightful, and plenty of photographs and illustrations throughout help break up the text and bring these ancient creatures to life.
In summary, The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries is a commendable resource for anyone interested in paleontology or mammalian evolution. It's packed with valuable information but may require some patience from readers who prefer a more conversational or narrative style. For me, it landed comfortably as a solid 3-star read—a book I’d recommend for its content more than its storytelling flair.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
Rating: 3 Stars
Donald R. Prothero's *The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries* is a fascinating dive into the evolutionary journey of mammals, packed with intriguing fossil finds and the stories behind them. The book tackles some big questions: How do we know mammals lived alongside dinosaurs? What evidence links whales to four-legged land animals and ties them to hippos? Did humans or climate change lead to the mammoths’ extinction? And how closely related were horses, tapirs, and rhinos millions of years ago?
Prothero brings to life a broad spectrum of prehistoric mammals—some familiar like mastodons and sabertoothed cats, others downright bizarre like short-necked giraffes, hump-less camels, and bear-sized beavers. Then there are the truly strange creatures, such as chalicotheres—part horse, part gorilla with claws—and uintatheres, which were once described as “giant horned bunnies.” Through these examples and vivid fossil discoveries, the book highlights the beauty and oddity of mammals past and present.
That said, while the book is well-researched and informative, it can feel a bit dense at times. The pace is brisk, and the sheer volume of scientific names packed into a relatively short space occasionally makes it overwhelming. The structure is somewhat selective rather than comprehensive, and the tone leans more toward academic than casual storytelling. So, it’s definitely a read geared more toward those wanting solid facts and fascinating fossil photos than those looking for a light or highly engaging narrative.
One standout feature is the visual appeal—the cover is genuinely delightful, and plenty of photographs and illustrations throughout help break up the text and bring these ancient creatures to life.
In summary, The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries is a commendable resource for anyone interested in paleontology or mammalian evolution. It's packed with valuable information but may require some patience from readers who prefer a more conversational or narrative style. For me, it landed comfortably as a solid 3-star read—a book I’d recommend for its content more than its storytelling flair.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
Read
July 27, 2026Donald R. Prothero once again demonstrates why he is one of the most respected voices in paleontology. The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries transforms the history of mammalian evolution into a fascinating narrative by focusing on the remarkable fossil discoveries and the scientists whose persistence reshaped our understanding of life on Earth.
Rather than presenting paleontology as a collection of isolated facts, the book reveals science as an ongoing process of curiosity, debate, and discovery. Each chapter highlights how a single fossil find contributed to answering much larger questions about evolution, extinction, adaptation, and the origins of modern mammals. Prothero's ability to combine rigorous scientific research with engaging storytelling makes complex concepts accessible without sacrificing depth.
What impressed me most was the way the book celebrates both the discoveries and the people behind them. It reminds readers that scientific progress is driven by decades of careful observation, collaboration, and perseverance. Richly informative and highly engaging, this is an outstanding contribution to popular science that will appeal to students, researchers, fossil enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the history of life on Earth.
Rather than presenting paleontology as a collection of isolated facts, the book reveals science as an ongoing process of curiosity, debate, and discovery. Each chapter highlights how a single fossil find contributed to answering much larger questions about evolution, extinction, adaptation, and the origins of modern mammals. Prothero's ability to combine rigorous scientific research with engaging storytelling makes complex concepts accessible without sacrificing depth.
What impressed me most was the way the book celebrates both the discoveries and the people behind them. It reminds readers that scientific progress is driven by decades of careful observation, collaboration, and perseverance. Richly informative and highly engaging, this is an outstanding contribution to popular science that will appeal to students, researchers, fossil enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the history of life on Earth.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Let me start by saying while I have an interest in paleontology, my professional experience is in living critters. Therefore I can't speak to the accuracy of much of the material, but it certainly does appear to be exhaustively researched. As others have noted, at times it's dense and there's a lot of scientific names being thrown at you, but the more narrative bits are easier to read. And yes, it's all about white men. Again, I can't speak to if it would be possible to highlight others in the field given the topic of the book.
What I can speak to, and which brought it down to a two star rating for me, was the repeated use of outdated language. '...even as the Natives were becoming restless...', 'Today we see....Plains Indians using horses as the basis for their nomadic culture...', '...avoid being killed by hostile warriors on the warpath...'. Additionally, there are at least two errors in the text related to zoology: nine-banded armadillos give birth to identical quadruplets, but this isn't the case across all the species. And Cape buffalo do not 'kill more humans in Africa than any other wild animal...'. Even if you don't count mosquitoes as 'animals', that title belongs to the hippo.
Thank you very much to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the ARC!
What I can speak to, and which brought it down to a two star rating for me, was the repeated use of outdated language. '...even as the Natives were becoming restless...', 'Today we see....Plains Indians using horses as the basis for their nomadic culture...', '...avoid being killed by hostile warriors on the warpath...'. Additionally, there are at least two errors in the text related to zoology: nine-banded armadillos give birth to identical quadruplets, but this isn't the case across all the species. And Cape buffalo do not 'kill more humans in Africa than any other wild animal...'. Even if you don't count mosquitoes as 'animals', that title belongs to the hippo.
Thank you very much to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the ARC!
August 27, 2026
This book is what the title says: it talks about the paleontologists and fossil hunters who found fossils of mammals, the discussions over what these animals might be and how they might have lived.
Each chapter would normally introduce a genera of mammals. The approach Prothero took varied quite a lot depending on the animal. Some animals would get story about their discovery, theorised lifestyle, and even what is left of this genera nowadays. Some chapters, however, left me re-checking the chapter title because they mostly talked about paleontologists having arguments or even scientific wars, and had barely anything to do with the latin/greek name the chapter was given. I wish I could have read more about the animals.
This book is not pop-sciency - it does not give easily digestible story of mammals and I do not recommend it for the general audience. I liked it exactly for the reason that it did not make everything super easy. I also found author's rare quips and attempts to lighten the mood very pleasurable.
I avoided this book for a long time because the cover just looks so uninspired and the title sounds like a top 10 YouTube video title. But I was surprised in a very good way.
Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
Each chapter would normally introduce a genera of mammals. The approach Prothero took varied quite a lot depending on the animal. Some animals would get story about their discovery, theorised lifestyle, and even what is left of this genera nowadays. Some chapters, however, left me re-checking the chapter title because they mostly talked about paleontologists having arguments or even scientific wars, and had barely anything to do with the latin/greek name the chapter was given. I wish I could have read more about the animals.
This book is not pop-sciency - it does not give easily digestible story of mammals and I do not recommend it for the general audience. I liked it exactly for the reason that it did not make everything super easy. I also found author's rare quips and attempts to lighten the mood very pleasurable.
I avoided this book for a long time because the cover just looks so uninspired and the title sounds like a top 10 YouTube video title. But I was surprised in a very good way.
Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.
This was an extremely fascinating read, with lots of insight into fossil discoveries, how they've been interpreted throughout history, and the people who discovered them. The illustrations with their size in relation to modern humans was very useful in helping the reader to understand just how large some of these now extinct mammals were.
The parallels between how people at the time of discovery interpreted them compared to how they're viewed in modern day was really interesting. I like that people in the past, who could only work with the resources and information avaliable to them, weren't criticised for their incorrect conclusions, unless they stemmed from deliberate ignorance, racism, imperialism, or a stubborness to cling to ideas that had already been disproven.
Although not the focus of the book, I like how it showed the changing way that Palentologists view and interact with the fossils they find and how our understanding of the role that these animals may have played in indiginous peoples' lives.
Overall, this was such a fascinating read and really useful for understanding the history of mammals.
This was an extremely fascinating read, with lots of insight into fossil discoveries, how they've been interpreted throughout history, and the people who discovered them. The illustrations with their size in relation to modern humans was very useful in helping the reader to understand just how large some of these now extinct mammals were.
The parallels between how people at the time of discovery interpreted them compared to how they're viewed in modern day was really interesting. I like that people in the past, who could only work with the resources and information avaliable to them, weren't criticised for their incorrect conclusions, unless they stemmed from deliberate ignorance, racism, imperialism, or a stubborness to cling to ideas that had already been disproven.
Although not the focus of the book, I like how it showed the changing way that Palentologists view and interact with the fossils they find and how our understanding of the role that these animals may have played in indiginous peoples' lives.
Overall, this was such a fascinating read and really useful for understanding the history of mammals.
May 12, 2026
Reviewing this one is not an easy task - nor was reading it. I didn't enjoy it, but I can recognise that a lot of research went into it and it's well constructed and a good choice for those who are looking for what this book offers.
I'll admit, I might've put too much stock on the section of the blurb that promised "opening a window onto the worlds of some of the most incredible and peculiar animals that ever lived", and underestimated the amount of information about "the palaeontologists who unraveled them". This was 100% a case of tarnished expectations. I enjoyed the bits about the animals, their anatomy and supposed behaviours, where and in what condition their fossils were found, anything around that, really. However, I felt like there was a lot more focus on the people involved in the process, which just doesn't interest me as much.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC
I'll admit, I might've put too much stock on the section of the blurb that promised "opening a window onto the worlds of some of the most incredible and peculiar animals that ever lived", and underestimated the amount of information about "the palaeontologists who unraveled them". This was 100% a case of tarnished expectations. I enjoyed the bits about the animals, their anatomy and supposed behaviours, where and in what condition their fossils were found, anything around that, really. However, I felt like there was a lot more focus on the people involved in the process, which just doesn't interest me as much.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Well-worth reading
I enjoyed this book. The information on the fossils was interesting, with a lot of great supporting visuals, especially the reconstruction of the extinct animals. I enjoyed the author’s journey and the biographical information. The author more than adequately communicated his enthusiasm for the material, to the point where to me, he sometimes provided too much information. I liked the quotes that introduced all the chapters and some of the nods to the reader. This book was well worth reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the advance reader copy.
I enjoyed this book. The information on the fossils was interesting, with a lot of great supporting visuals, especially the reconstruction of the extinct animals. I enjoyed the author’s journey and the biographical information. The author more than adequately communicated his enthusiasm for the material, to the point where to me, he sometimes provided too much information. I liked the quotes that introduced all the chapters and some of the nods to the reader. This book was well worth reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the advance reader copy.
August 26, 2026
This book explores the evolutionary history of mammals, from their coexistence with dinosaurs to the ancestors of whales and the demise of mammoths. It reveals the stories behind fossil discoveries and the paleontologists who made them, showcasing a wide array of prehistoric creatures, both familiar and bizarre, that have inhabited our world.
I love this series. In this book, the author did a great job of selecting examples that illustrate the variety of mammals that have existed over time. The book is fascinating and easy to read for anyone who enjoys evolution and paleontology.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I love this series. In this book, the author did a great job of selecting examples that illustrate the variety of mammals that have existed over time. The book is fascinating and easy to read for anyone who enjoys evolution and paleontology.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love science books that allow the reader to ingest and digest the material in manageable junks and that include the human history of scientific ideas. This was full of interesting information and divided into short sections that were easy to read in a short sitting. It started rather slowly and ponderously but picked up once the organization was established and could move along with allusions to material covered earlier in the book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Fascinating.
Written in an engaging style for what it is.
Easy to understand and follow.
Lots of interesting information if you're interested in the topic.
I personally really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it.
Read as an ARC but is my own personal review and this is a topic I normally quite enjoy normally.
Written in an engaging style for what it is.
Easy to understand and follow.
Lots of interesting information if you're interested in the topic.
I personally really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it.
Read as an ARC but is my own personal review and this is a topic I normally quite enjoy normally.
April 8, 2026
Truly incredible book. I had no idea that so many prehistoric mammals existed and how everything fit together. Just extraordinary research and written in such a readable and enjoyable way.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews