Giants of the Lost World: Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Monsters of South America

by Donald R. Prothero

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 did Conan Doyle know, there were terrifying monsters in South America--they just happened to be extinct. In fact, South America has an incredible history as a land where many strange creatures evolved and died out. In his book Giants of the Lost Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Monsters of South America , Donald R. Prothero uncovers the real science and history behind this fascinating story. The largest animal ever discovered was the huge sauropod dinosaur Argentinosaurus , which was about 130 feet long and weighed up to 100 tons. The carnivorous predator Giganotosaurus weighed in at more than 8 tons and measured more than 47 feet long, dwarfing the T. rex in comparison. Gigantic anacondas broke reptile records; possums evolved into huge saber-toothed predators; and ground sloths grew larger than elephants in this strange, unknown land. Prothero presents the scientific details about each of these prehistoric beasts, provides a picture of the ancient landscapes they once roamed, and includes the stories of the individuals who first discovered their fossils for a captivating account of a lost world that is stranger than fiction.

Genres: Science, Palaeontology, Dinosaurs, Nonfiction, Natural History, Nature, History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

Donald 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.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting subject. The picture detail font was too small but overall an enjoyable book.

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prothero-irreverence love ...

"Sloths and armadillos and their kin are the two most familiar families of the Xenartha. The third are the anteaters, which are place in the group Vermilingua, which means "worm tongue" in Latin. (There is no known connection to the villainous Grima Wormtongue in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.)"

And the section on the mammals with evergrowing incisors is, of course, titled "Rodents of Unusual Size" ;-)

Overall a nice little book not deep or overly detailed but one of those informative, engaging (and fun) overviews that puts the general evolution of known large South American faunas, ranging from early protomammals of Gondwana to recent mammals, birds, and reptiles, in ecological and historical perspective and serves as a guide to things to find out more about (lots of critters that don't often get a mention in the more-usually-North America/Euro-centric-with-an-occasional-dash-of-Asia palaeontology books). South American dinosaurs are included, of course, but kept in perspective (and a single chapter) as they existed for only a small percentage of the timeline covered.

Now I have a strong urge to grab my copy of Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" to re-read it ...

[Darrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good historical narrative describing the vertebrate populations of the South American continent from the Permian until after the most recent Ice Age. This book dovetails neatly with Alan de Queiroz's book, The Monkey's Voyage much of which talks about the drift and separation of the continents of Africa and South America and, later, even talks about bio-geography in the context of Alfred Russel Wallace's explorations of the Amazon and the Malay Archipelago.

I liked the explanation of the fossil record on both sides of the K/T boundary in South America and I was particularly interested in the early period just after the extinction event and the development of founding animal populations. I didn't realize predatory birds were at the top of the food chain for millions of years in S. America.

The only quibble I have with the book are the figures, charts and photographs. Reading the reviews, I saw that I am not the only reader who had trouble reading the extremely tiny font underneath the photographs. It is microscopic to the point I almost wanted to get out a magnifying glass. My vision isn't THAT bad!

[Leew49 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur Conan Doyle's second most popular fictional character was George Edward Challenger, a scientist and explorer who never turned away from a controversy. Challenger first appeared in the 1912 novel THE LOST WORLD, about the discovery and exploration of a remote plateau in South America which is the home of dinosaurs and other life forms believed to be long extinct. Donald Prothero, a real-life scientist who understands that controversy is central to the advance of human knowledge, uses Doyle's novel as an introduction to the paleontological discoveries of South America.

The reader learns about Wegener's early theory of continental drift and the development of plate tectonics; numerous mass extinctions in earth's history, and the opposing theories that are intended to explain the disappearance of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous; tendencies of paleontologists to "lump" together similar species or "split" apart members of the same species; speculation about migrations of species from Africa to South America and between North and South America; and even the diminishing role of the book of Genesis in 19th century scientists attempt to explain the paleontological record. There have been 5 great periods of extinction in our planet's history, and Prothero points out that we may be in the middle of a sixth: brought on by humankind's careless destruction of species and their habitats.

Prothero introduces us to some of the great historical figures of paleontology and the roles they played in advancing our knowledge: Wegener, Jose Bonaparte, Alvarez, Darwin, Wallace, Cuvier, George Gaylord Simpson, and the self-educated but very productive Ameghino Brothers.

The excellent writing is enhanced by sketches, full-color plates, diagrams, maps, and photographs.

Heavy on terminology, the book can sometimes be a handful, but I think most readers will find it educational and enjoyable and a good companion to a second reading of Doyle's science fiction classic.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter of this book warrants 4 stars, but I am being critical here as I felt it could have been an even better book. South America is truly a wondrous place for biodiversity past and present, having hosted the largest dinosaurs, amphibian, reptiles, birds (terrestrial and flying) and a multitude of spectacular mammals. Her long isolation resulted in the radiation of marsupials and 'pseudo' ungulates, just to name two diverse mammal groups whose evolution had converged with unrelated old world mammals to the extent that had taxonomists confused for decades. Given this amazing cast of fauna, the treatment could have easily doubled the length of the book without taking away from its value. Many were only mentioned in brief, leaving the reader longing for more info, which the lack of a reference section did not help. Strangely, the most famous of the megafauna such as mastodons, ground sloths and saber toothed cats were not covered in much detail, even if they were not exclusive to South America.

That said, this is still a very worthwhile and fascinating read about the unique natural history of the continent, with a focus on the largest and most spectacular beasts that most may not know about.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, but could have been better. Prothero's writing is lively and clear, and while he's telling the stories of the titular Giants, it's a great book. The troubles came when he moved into the smaller and less familiar critters, known only by their Latin names. He tries hard, but I got lost.

Illustrations are a mixed bag. Lots are really good, such as most of the color plates -- but then there are color plates of animal outlines, which seem a waste of the limited color. And many of the charts and captions are printed in very small type.

So: 5 stars for the big, charismatic critters, 3 stars for the more obscure ones, 3.5 stars for the illustrations, 4 stars for the writing. Overall: definitely worthwhile if you're interested in paleontology, and this is the first attempt (that I know of) to summarize the story of the animal life of South America in the last 250 million years.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read! There were times that the science terminology got a bit overwhelming for me and I either started zoning out or I resorted to skimming. But I loved this look at dinosaurs and other extinct animals that focused specifically on South America since I feel like most of the books I see focus on North America and European creatures. Some of these dinosaurs are fascinating- and South America had the largest dinosaurs- you would think that would get more attention than it does, especially among kids because big dinos are awesome.

So basically, if you like dinosaurs and information about extinct animals, check out this book. If you aren't a scientist be prepared to skim over the science heavy areas if they start to overwhelm you, but this really was a great book.

[Tom McGlynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic look into South America’s long and diverse natural history, from the Permian right through to the Pleistocene.

Provides detailed accounts of the palaeontologists who discovered and studied creatures such as carnotaurus, megatherium, prionosuchus and argentinosaurus, whilst introducing the reader to plenty of species relatively new to science.

Would definitely recommend to anybody with an existing base knowledge of prehistoric animals, who might be looking for a bit more of a deep dive into the science behind it all and how these animals lived and existed.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The unfortunate thing about this short book is it delves into topics you can read in any other natural history book: Darwin's travels in South America, Alfred Russel Wallace losing his specimens and notes and Darwin sneakily witholding Wallace's stuff so he could publish. etc etc. There are other examples. You coul dhave talked so much more about modern paleobiologists, theory, practice, techniques whatever but alas you went to old topics.

Otherwise very interesting!!

[Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable if not fairly light read into dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts in South America, Giants of the Lost World offers interesting data and facts about some of the most well known creatures within the continent but doesn’t offer much new information even a casual reader in this field wouldn’t know about. A good introductory book for the subject but if you want something of greater substance, maybe look elsewhere.

[Corinna Bechko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting overview of the giant creatures which once roamed South America. Lucid explanations of how they got there, what they were related to, and why (maybe) they're gone. I only wish it had been a little longer. That's a lot of beasts to cram into under 200 pages and I wouldn't have minded spending more time with each of them.

[Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

The introduction was good.
The complete absence of a bibliography made this "science" book lose a star. The lack of references for a science book (even one intended for us huddled masses) is stunning. Even kids' science books have a simple bibliography.

[Cade · Rating 2 out of 5]

There wasn't anything terrible about this book. There just wasn't enough to keep me going. It felt like a slog I had to forget myself to finish. Maybe the parts I was interested in I already knew about, and the parts I didn't know about I wasn't interested in.

[mara stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book struggled with being too specific & too vague simultaneously, but it helped me lay a solid foundation for understanding the South American ecosystem throughout time. It's so humbling to remember all of the organisms that lived before the human race.

[Kate Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Well written by someone well acquainted with prehistoric data. Great read!

[Foggygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly detailed, highly engaging history of life in South America.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read albeit more about the scientists who discovered many of South America’s more iconic extinct species than the species themselves. I do agree the captioning could have been better.

[Luna Agape · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible and engaging overview of South American fossils and prehistoric creatures, from dinosaurs to ground sloths. Very cool and easy to read.

[Ondine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool read! Lots of pictures and engaging information.

[Phillipos Kalafatis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I swear my brain grew three times reading this. great storytelling within the confines of retelling natural history so good job professor prothero! Loses a star cause the cover is misleading a bit.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb Popular Account on South American Mesozoic and Cenozoic Paleontology

Drawing inspiration from Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World”, distinguished vertebrate paleobiologist Donald Prothero takes readers on a journey as incredibly memorable as Doyle’s in his “Giants of the Lost Word: Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Monsters of South America”, as though he’s a real-life counterpart to Doyle’s Professor Challenger. It’s a fascinating journey into South America’s vertebrate fossil record from the Late Permian of the Paleozoic Era, through the Mesozoic Era – best known for the global dominance of dinosaurs for over a hundred million years – and culminating with the Cenozoic Era, the geological era that includes our time. It’s a compelling trek through time that is richly illustrated with superb photographs, sketches, diagrams that should convey to readers, the uniqueness of much of South America’s fossil record over the past 250 million years of geological time. It’s also an especially memorable one in which Prothero offers readers compellingly readable vignettes on the scientists - primarily from South America – who have made important contributions to South American paleontology.

After a terse introduction where Prothero comments on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s career, especially Doyle’s creation of intrepid explorer and scientist Professor George Challenger, Prothero introduces readers to Alfred Wegener and his continental drift hypothesis, explaining how it became the cornerstone of plate tectonics theory during the 1970s, and describing some of the earliest tetrapod – land-dwelling vertebrate – fauna found in South America during the Permian Period of the Paleozoic Era. He devotes three chapters to South America’s dinosaurs, noting in Chapter Two (“Tyrant Lizard Kings”), the substantial contributions made by José Bonaparte, not only South America’s greatest living paleontologist, but someone worthy of recognition as one of the foremost paleontologists of our time. In Chapter Four (“Demise of the Dinosaurs”), Prothero offers a succinct summary of the asteroid/comet impact theory of the Cretaceous – Paleogene mass extinction, even if some of his conclusions are not those I endorse. In Chapter Five, Prothero describes how reptiles and dinosaurs – in plain English, gigantic crocodiles, snakes and birds – dominated South America’s tetrapod faunas for much of the early Cenozoic Era, nearly tens of millions of years after the nonavian dinosaurs became extinct.

If there is one overarching theme in Prothero’s surprisingly terse, but still notable, book, it is the uniqueness of the South American vertebrate faunas across hundreds of millions of years. Gigantic organisms became the rule, not the exception, among nonavian dinosaurs, crocodiles, snakes, birds, and then, much later, marsupial and placental mammals, as Prothero notes repeatedly throughout “Giants of the Lost World”. Since South America was cut off from much of the globe, it allowed the island continent to be a vast natural laboratory of evolution, giving rise to carnivorous marsupials that superficially resembling placental carnivores such as cats and dogs, and herbivorous placental mammals that resemble horses, hippos and elephants. “Giants of the Lost Word: Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Monsters of South America” not only belongs on the shelves of anyone who has more than a terse interest in paleontology, it is a notable book on evolutionary biology and relevant aspects of geology, and should interest anyone who is keenly interested in science. It is unquestionably one of the foremost new popular science books published this year, demonstrating why Donald Prothero is one of the great science popularizers of our time.

[Michelle Bizzell · Rating 2 out of 5]

All of the information actually about extinct creatures from South America was very interesting. There were a good number of pictures and diagrams that I didn't really get the full benefits of because I was reading on Kindle, so I can't say if they would greatly enhance the book in printed form. My complaints were really with the structure overall. So much of this already brief book focused on rehashing basic paleontological history about European scientists that it left little room to really explore the uniqueness of South America's geologic and ecological history. Since that was what I picked this up to learn about, I was disappointed. I also felt that the discussions of more recent South America (when humans inhabited it) were distinctly lacking any references to the many indigenous people who live there, perpetrating the idea that explorers like Darwin were touring an "empty wilderness" and not someone's homeland. I could have done without that and without the lengthy quotes from Darwin, Wallace, etc. I can read about them elsewhere. I came for Titanasours and giant sloths and bizzare marsupials. That was the rewarding part of this read.

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼]

~ this book was an Advance Review Copy

GIANTS OF THE LOST WORLD takes on the subject of the dinosaurs of South America. I thought it was interesting because it broke me out of my narrow North American focus. To be honest I haven't read a great deal about 'Saurs since I was child, so there were a few ideas that were new to me, but not so many new grander concepts that surprised.

I'm hoping in the finished version that the photos and graphics are better. ARCs seldom have finished quality and I'm not worried as Smithsonian is a good publisher.

The writing is accessible to regular people. If you are a long time fan of paleontology some of it will be repetitive. I'm thinking here of the discussions of some of the forefathers of the science. There is lots of good info though on the southern continents dinosaur families. Worth getting from the library.

[Aline Ghilardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livro bom, de leitura bem rápida, cujo foco é o público geral que gosta de ciência e principalmente paleontologia. Prothero infelizmente, do ponto de vista profissional da paleontologia, comete vários equívocos, como apontar a existência de gorgonopsídeos no Brasil, passar a compreensão errada sobre a filogenia de celurossauria e origem das aves, etc. Fora sua visão extremamente colonizadora como cientista e o orgulho estadunidense que não lhe permite admitir/considerar trabalhos feitos por cientistas sulamericanos nas últimas décadas.
Ainda assim, o livro tem uma leitura fluida e muito conteúdo para se aproveitar.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does contain good descriptions of dinosaurs and other large animals that once lived in South America, along with an interesting account of how paleontology is done on the continent. However, there is also loads of evolutionary garbage scattered all through the book (millions of years, feathered dinosaurs, etc.).

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great book by Dr. Don. Chapter 4 must be read twice. Read it carefully. He makes the scientific thought process very easy to understand. My only criticism is that Chapter 12 seems to want to blame the sixth extinction on only one mammal species but may also be more complex than that.