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Beasts Before Us: The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution
For most of us, the story of mammal evolution starts after the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs, but over the last 20 years scientists have uncovered new fossils and used new technologies that have upended this story.
In Beasts Before Us , palaeontologist Elsa Panciroli charts the emergence of the mammal lineage, Synapsida, beginning at their murky split from the reptiles in the Carboniferous period, over three hundred million years ago. They made the world theirs long before the rise of dinosaurs. Travelling forward into the Permian and then Triassic periods, we learn how our ancient mammal ancestors evolved from large hairy beasts with accelerating metabolisms to exploit miniaturisation, which was key to unlocking the traits that define mammals as we now know them.
Elsa criss-crosses the globe to explore the sites where discoveries are being made and meet the people who make them. In Scotland, she traverses the desert dunes of prehistoric Moray, where quarry workers unearthed the footprints of Permian creatures from before the time of dinosaurs. In South Africa, she introduces us to animals, once called ‘mammal-like reptiles’, that gave scientists the first hints that our furry kin evolved from a lineage of egg-laying burrowers. In China, new, complete fossilised skeletons reveal mammals that were gliders, shovel-pawed Jurassic moles, and flat-tailed swimmers.
This book radically reframes the narrative of our mammalian ancestors and provides a counterpoint to the stereotypes of mighty dinosaur overlords and cowering little mammals. It turns out the earliest mammals weren’t just precursors, they were pioneers.
In Beasts Before Us , palaeontologist Elsa Panciroli charts the emergence of the mammal lineage, Synapsida, beginning at their murky split from the reptiles in the Carboniferous period, over three hundred million years ago. They made the world theirs long before the rise of dinosaurs. Travelling forward into the Permian and then Triassic periods, we learn how our ancient mammal ancestors evolved from large hairy beasts with accelerating metabolisms to exploit miniaturisation, which was key to unlocking the traits that define mammals as we now know them.
Elsa criss-crosses the globe to explore the sites where discoveries are being made and meet the people who make them. In Scotland, she traverses the desert dunes of prehistoric Moray, where quarry workers unearthed the footprints of Permian creatures from before the time of dinosaurs. In South Africa, she introduces us to animals, once called ‘mammal-like reptiles’, that gave scientists the first hints that our furry kin evolved from a lineage of egg-laying burrowers. In China, new, complete fossilised skeletons reveal mammals that were gliders, shovel-pawed Jurassic moles, and flat-tailed swimmers.
This book radically reframes the narrative of our mammalian ancestors and provides a counterpoint to the stereotypes of mighty dinosaur overlords and cowering little mammals. It turns out the earliest mammals weren’t just precursors, they were pioneers.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2021
122 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
August 31, 2024
Beasts Before Us: The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution
By Elsa Panciroli
I love history and paleontology, and this is an excellent opportunity for the beginner to learn. I have read many books on similar topics, and I think this is one of my favorites. The author explains in a pleasant, easygoing, and easy to digest manner. She also lightens the fact-based areas with humor and wit.
I will certainly be reading this again, maybe making it an annual event!
By Elsa Panciroli
I love history and paleontology, and this is an excellent opportunity for the beginner to learn. I have read many books on similar topics, and I think this is one of my favorites. The author explains in a pleasant, easygoing, and easy to digest manner. She also lightens the fact-based areas with humor and wit.
I will certainly be reading this again, maybe making it an annual event!
August 27, 2021
Annoyingly and needlessly politicised. Every two paragraphs we hear about bad white males, imperialism, colonialism and other similar catchwords and catchphrases. Nearly 1/3 of the book is such nonsense.
November 10, 2022
Found this audiobook very easy and interesting to listen to about the Mammal history. Easy to follow and to ubderstand
May 20, 2021
Delightfully written with a heartwarming vein of humor, BEASTS BEFORE US presents a new, more accurate view of mammalian evolution, lifting mammals from the rather wimpy and shameful status of dinosaur prey to which they had long been relegated. Author /paleontologist Elsa Panciroli leavens the scientific narrative with anecdotes from the long history of paleontology, and intersperses personal accounts and events, so that readers feel a kinship and presence.
June 7, 2021
Engaging and beautifully written, Beasts Before Us is a spectacular debut that tells the story of early mammal evolution. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2021...
June 12, 2023
'Beasts Before Us' is an excellent introduction to the paleontology, biology and development of mammals and their ancestors, way back to the first synapsid in the Carboniferous. Panciroli tells us about the history of our interpretation and understanding of these fossils, and presents the latest insights, as well. And she writes thus that no previous knowledge of geology, paleontology or biology is required. There are not many illustrations, but there's a section of color plates halfway the book, and every chapter is introduced with a charming page-filling pen illustration by April Neander.
So why is this not a five-star book? That's because Panciroli has a hard time sticking to her subject. Too much of the book is filled with personal experiences, very nerdy, rather lame and hardly tolerable jokes, annoying notes, and an unpleasant splash of Scottish nationalism. Moreover, this book is revisionist to a fault. Panciroli wastes no opportunity to tell us about gender issues, the neglect of women and the role of colonialism, imperialism and racism in 19th and 20th century science, and so forth and so on. This is all very well, but should be the topic of a different book. I want to read about ancient mammals, for Christ's sake!
I think 'Beasts Before Us' could have done with a serious editing, for as long as Panciroli sticks to her subject, she's a very engaging writer. But now I saw myself skipping whole passages, and finishing the book with a longing for more information on these ancient beasts. In fact, if you're relatively knowledgeable on prehistoric life, there's disappointingly little new information presented in this book, which could and should have been much more of a deep dive instead of the digression it is now.
So why is this not a five-star book? That's because Panciroli has a hard time sticking to her subject. Too much of the book is filled with personal experiences, very nerdy, rather lame and hardly tolerable jokes, annoying notes, and an unpleasant splash of Scottish nationalism. Moreover, this book is revisionist to a fault. Panciroli wastes no opportunity to tell us about gender issues, the neglect of women and the role of colonialism, imperialism and racism in 19th and 20th century science, and so forth and so on. This is all very well, but should be the topic of a different book. I want to read about ancient mammals, for Christ's sake!
I think 'Beasts Before Us' could have done with a serious editing, for as long as Panciroli sticks to her subject, she's a very engaging writer. But now I saw myself skipping whole passages, and finishing the book with a longing for more information on these ancient beasts. In fact, if you're relatively knowledgeable on prehistoric life, there's disappointingly little new information presented in this book, which could and should have been much more of a deep dive instead of the digression it is now.
March 6, 2025
The author is "a paleontologist who studies the evolution and ecology of extinct animals" at Oxford and the National Museum of Scotland. She also, in her dust jacket picture anyway, bears a passable resemblance to Genevieve O'Reilly when she is playing the character Mon Mothma in Star Wars-related TV shows. So, throughout the book, I had the subconscious impression that I was being instructed in our extremely distant ancestors (essentially, mammals and proto-mammals) by an idealistic Senator with nerves of steel.
The odd fact is that we have far more popular awareness of the distant ancestors of birds (i.e. dinosaurs) than of our own distant ancestors. I can think of two reasons:
1) dinosaur fossils were discovered earlier
2) dinosaurs were much bigger (at least, some of them were)
Nonetheless, over the last century or so we have learned a goodly amount about our own ancestors, and how they came to be us (or, in some cases, narrowly missed that fate). Panciroli does a good job of telling us about it, and does not skimp on the visual aids and anecdotes from her own career to help us stay interested.
The odd fact is that we have far more popular awareness of the distant ancestors of birds (i.e. dinosaurs) than of our own distant ancestors. I can think of two reasons:
1) dinosaur fossils were discovered earlier
2) dinosaurs were much bigger (at least, some of them were)
Nonetheless, over the last century or so we have learned a goodly amount about our own ancestors, and how they came to be us (or, in some cases, narrowly missed that fate). Panciroli does a good job of telling us about it, and does not skimp on the visual aids and anecdotes from her own career to help us stay interested.
April 23, 2021
Having recently enjoyed Stephen Brusatte's 'Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs', I pounced on this book. By and large, I enjoyed it too, and I'm pretty sure I can sense some influence from Brusatte in its pages (I assume the two authors are well acquainted given that they both work out of the Uni. of Edinburgh).
Fans of 'Walking with Beasts' (I am guilty as charged) will be disappointed if they're hoping for stars like Basilosaurus or Indricothere to turn up. The evolutionary timescale of the book ends a little after the extinction of the dinosaurs. However, I must credit Panciroli for getting me so thoroughly enthused about all our smaller, older ancestors (and the many, many cousins whose lineages have now ended). I have only a layperson's interest in palaeontology, but I found it rewarding to dive into the science and details I've never stopped to appreciate before, such as the unique and remarkable history of mammalian dentition. That said, there is an absolute deluge of species names and technical terminology, and I fear I will retain few specifics!
Panciroli is an energetic narrator, occasionally taking us back to her fieldwork in the present day, or into the recent past of palaeontology. I always appreciate these kinds of interjections; they definitely help refresh the mind. The humour/pop culture references sometimes felt too try-hard, but that's my main complaint.
Although I must admit that I am still more interested in the bigger, more recent mammalian species to have graced our planet, reading this book has once again reminded me of the astonishing wonder of Earth's evolutionary history.
(With thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)
Fans of 'Walking with Beasts' (I am guilty as charged) will be disappointed if they're hoping for stars like Basilosaurus or Indricothere to turn up. The evolutionary timescale of the book ends a little after the extinction of the dinosaurs. However, I must credit Panciroli for getting me so thoroughly enthused about all our smaller, older ancestors (and the many, many cousins whose lineages have now ended). I have only a layperson's interest in palaeontology, but I found it rewarding to dive into the science and details I've never stopped to appreciate before, such as the unique and remarkable history of mammalian dentition. That said, there is an absolute deluge of species names and technical terminology, and I fear I will retain few specifics!
Panciroli is an energetic narrator, occasionally taking us back to her fieldwork in the present day, or into the recent past of palaeontology. I always appreciate these kinds of interjections; they definitely help refresh the mind. The humour/pop culture references sometimes felt too try-hard, but that's my main complaint.
Although I must admit that I am still more interested in the bigger, more recent mammalian species to have graced our planet, reading this book has once again reminded me of the astonishing wonder of Earth's evolutionary history.
(With thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)
June 9, 2022
I read this book to get more insight into mammalian evolution.
While I learned some things for sure, I would say 'I, Mammal' (which she actually references) is a more exciting read. This one came across a bit dull in parts for me.
The BIGGEST factoid I got from this book, that I was completely wrong about is mammals DO NOT come from reptiles! Instead, they are from a completely separate lineage, though early synapsids often resemble true reptiles and their nomenclature is often confusing.
The author also wants you to disabuse you of the notion that mammals only evolved once the dinosaurs left. False. Mammals have been evolving for years and years prior to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The biggest focus is on dentition, which I did not realize. There are other explorations like how diet evolved through the mammalian lineage.
Another fun fact: that cool lizard-looking fellow with a sail back from the Land Before Time is in our mammalian lineage. NOT a dino. One of my favorite sections of the book was the exploration of the dimetrodon and why it has that sail.
One last thing: some reviewers are critiquing the book over the author 'politicizing' the science. I don't think this was overdone or that it detracted from the book or bogged down the story. These critiques are overblown and I respect that the author thought it was a necessary part of the journey. I do agree that some more illustrations would have improved the book.
In summary, the book has some great highlights and you can learn a lot. However, some of it is rather dull, as I suppose fossils can be. This book is a good read if you're a bit more into paleontology or if you're okay with skimming the more tedious bits.
While I learned some things for sure, I would say 'I, Mammal' (which she actually references) is a more exciting read. This one came across a bit dull in parts for me.
The BIGGEST factoid I got from this book, that I was completely wrong about is mammals DO NOT come from reptiles! Instead, they are from a completely separate lineage, though early synapsids often resemble true reptiles and their nomenclature is often confusing.
The author also wants you to disabuse you of the notion that mammals only evolved once the dinosaurs left. False. Mammals have been evolving for years and years prior to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The biggest focus is on dentition, which I did not realize. There are other explorations like how diet evolved through the mammalian lineage.
Another fun fact: that cool lizard-looking fellow with a sail back from the Land Before Time is in our mammalian lineage. NOT a dino. One of my favorite sections of the book was the exploration of the dimetrodon and why it has that sail.
One last thing: some reviewers are critiquing the book over the author 'politicizing' the science. I don't think this was overdone or that it detracted from the book or bogged down the story. These critiques are overblown and I respect that the author thought it was a necessary part of the journey. I do agree that some more illustrations would have improved the book.
In summary, the book has some great highlights and you can learn a lot. However, some of it is rather dull, as I suppose fossils can be. This book is a good read if you're a bit more into paleontology or if you're okay with skimming the more tedious bits.
April 14, 2021
I could tell from the introduction - from the very first page, that I was going to love this book. I immediately gelled with the authors writing style - I absolutely loved it. Palaeontology is a loved hobby read for me and I could endlessly read books about this subject and this one really stood out for me.
It was a fantastic walk through mammalian past and a chance to journey through history. A book to shine the light on an under represented area of palaeontology where dinosaurs tend to reign supreme.
Taking a stop through some historical names unearthing the origins of the mammal story, the book details some of the authors own expeditions and field work as well as dipping into past discoveries and explaining concepts and information on all things mammalian.
As the author says in her book - this is a smorgasbord of the tastiest morsels into mammalian history. It was really well written, being both entertaining and informative. It was enlightening, and easy to read for anyone with no prior knowledge of the subjective and those who knew a little about this topic before.
It was very informative and I really enjoyed reading it. I also liked the addition of the epilogue at the end which was very well tied into the rest of the book - explaining Anthropogenic extinction and how that can be related to the past and where we go from there in the future. Brilliant book all in all!
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book with thanks to the author and publishers via NetGalley in response for my thoughts and honest review.
It was a fantastic walk through mammalian past and a chance to journey through history. A book to shine the light on an under represented area of palaeontology where dinosaurs tend to reign supreme.
Taking a stop through some historical names unearthing the origins of the mammal story, the book details some of the authors own expeditions and field work as well as dipping into past discoveries and explaining concepts and information on all things mammalian.
As the author says in her book - this is a smorgasbord of the tastiest morsels into mammalian history. It was really well written, being both entertaining and informative. It was enlightening, and easy to read for anyone with no prior knowledge of the subjective and those who knew a little about this topic before.
It was very informative and I really enjoyed reading it. I also liked the addition of the epilogue at the end which was very well tied into the rest of the book - explaining Anthropogenic extinction and how that can be related to the past and where we go from there in the future. Brilliant book all in all!
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book with thanks to the author and publishers via NetGalley in response for my thoughts and honest review.
June 3, 2022
A thought-provoking, insightful look at the synapsid evolutionary branch on the tree of life. Synapsids are the clade that eventually gave rise to true mammals and us. The focus here is on the species that survived and thrived for 300 million years yet are in the background of popular palaeontological thought. Elsa Pancirioli brings these diverse animals and the worlds they inhabited into sharp focus. Pancirioli challenges the reader to change their opinion on these animals and to engage in the colonial inheritance of the field of palaeontology. Funny and engaging throughout.
July 14, 2023
An extremely interesting intro to the history of mammal evolution, without ignoring the inherent political nature of paleontology and the way we have viewed both scientists and the things they are after. I see people crying about it, but this book is nothing if not a reality check, so let its political nature be one of those.
I listened to the audiobook and I now ordered a physical copy, as I'm wondering whether it has diagrams and visual info that could help me much more with understanding how things work in skeletons and fossils, as well as with the spelling.
Also, the narrator was good, but kind of monotone in her expressions, which can be a little distracting.
Overall, I think this will be something I'm going to read again in physical form very soon. It gave me a lot of info and ideas on where to look next, but I think listening to the audiobook wasn't the best idea for a beginner.
I listened to the audiobook and I now ordered a physical copy, as I'm wondering whether it has diagrams and visual info that could help me much more with understanding how things work in skeletons and fossils, as well as with the spelling.
Also, the narrator was good, but kind of monotone in her expressions, which can be a little distracting.
Overall, I think this will be something I'm going to read again in physical form very soon. It gave me a lot of info and ideas on where to look next, but I think listening to the audiobook wasn't the best idea for a beginner.
July 31, 2021
One of the best Paleobiology books I have ever read! The author has a free flowing style of writing that somehow is incredibly easy to follow and rich in information at the same time. Not only the book is a treasure trove of information, the author weaves them into a tapestry - a bigger picture and of a deeper understanding.
If you're interested in knowing how mammals evolved - this is the book!
A must read!
If you're interested in knowing how mammals evolved - this is the book!
A must read!
June 12, 2022
For a complex subject matter, the author did a fairly good job conveying the fossil discoveries, the key personalities and explaining how the latest scanning technology works to uncover details on the tiniest bones and skulls. I enjoyed her side discussions on ecology and animal physiology like the difference between hind gut and fore gut digesting herbivores for instance. Some of the human characters were not so interesting for the casual reader not as passionate about paleontology as Panciroli, though she could go on about them for pages..
I cannot help but feel that for such a complicated and 'messy' evolutionary history and phylogeny, one filled with many different and tough to remember extinct taxa that this could all be better presented in a standard text book format with multiple charts and diagrams. While effort was made at organizing time periods in chronological sequence with different chapters, one can still easily get lost and lose track. And I lost count of the number of times the author said 'more about this later..', which was a rather unnecessary phrase. This kind of casual conversational tone may work for some people, but I found it distracting at times.
It was interesting to learn of the diversity of 'mammal-like' organisms prior to the conventional Age of Mammals post demise of the dinosaurs, it just goes to show the complexity of evolution and the many paths taken and abandoned through deep time, often in a repetitive way and not as straightforward as painted by pop-science.
I cannot help but feel that for such a complicated and 'messy' evolutionary history and phylogeny, one filled with many different and tough to remember extinct taxa that this could all be better presented in a standard text book format with multiple charts and diagrams. While effort was made at organizing time periods in chronological sequence with different chapters, one can still easily get lost and lose track. And I lost count of the number of times the author said 'more about this later..', which was a rather unnecessary phrase. This kind of casual conversational tone may work for some people, but I found it distracting at times.
It was interesting to learn of the diversity of 'mammal-like' organisms prior to the conventional Age of Mammals post demise of the dinosaurs, it just goes to show the complexity of evolution and the many paths taken and abandoned through deep time, often in a repetitive way and not as straightforward as painted by pop-science.
August 13, 2022
For a long time, most of us have had the impression mammals first emerged in the late Cretaceous, not long before the asteroid that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs, 66 million years ago. In reality, as Elsa Panciroli explains here, the line that became mammals, the Synapsida, began their split from reptiles in the late Carboniferous, over 300 million years ago.
Panciroli doesn't just tell us about the mammals, but about women as well as men who did important work in uncovering the fascinating, and longer than we often assume, history of mammals. She also talks about some of the less attractive history of paleontological research, the degree to which racism produced not just imperialistic dismissal of local knowledge and observations, but real crimes. This isn't, however, a politicized history; it's just reporting facts about the history of paleontology that are often ignored.
The earliest mammals predate the earliest dinosaurs. Nor were they limited to rat-sized and rat-like creatures until the end of the Cretaceous. They quickly became diverse, pioneering, innovative animals
Monotremes, of which today we have the platypus and several species of echidna, are egg-laying mammals, who share more familiar mammalian characteristics of having fur, being endothermic (warm-blooded), and producing milk to feed their young. They appear to have emerged first, and be the oldest line of mammals.
Next came the marsupial mammals, of whom we have far more surviving examples, but still limited to Australasian and the Americas. They give birth to live young, but carry them in pouches till they are ready to emerge. And of course, emerging perhaps in the late Cretaceous, perhaps earlier, are the placental mammals, ourselves and most other mammals on the planet today.
Those earlier mammas, before the end of the non-avian dinosaurs, didn't just develop three strikingly different ways of being mammals, but expanded into a variety of habitats and survival niches, over much of the world, and including such habits as hunting at least the smaller dinosaurs. Of course, when the Chicxilub asteroid hit, it was for land animals, both mammals and dinosaurs, the smaller species who survived and were able to persist until the skies cleared, the asteroid winter ended, and life could start adapting to the emerging "new normal" environment.
This is a fascinating story that includes the discovery of what appear to be opossums in Scotland that predate the dinosaurs, a Polish woman paleobiologist leading expeditions to Mongolia in the 1960s, and men and women making ground-breaking discoveries all over the world.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
Panciroli doesn't just tell us about the mammals, but about women as well as men who did important work in uncovering the fascinating, and longer than we often assume, history of mammals. She also talks about some of the less attractive history of paleontological research, the degree to which racism produced not just imperialistic dismissal of local knowledge and observations, but real crimes. This isn't, however, a politicized history; it's just reporting facts about the history of paleontology that are often ignored.
The earliest mammals predate the earliest dinosaurs. Nor were they limited to rat-sized and rat-like creatures until the end of the Cretaceous. They quickly became diverse, pioneering, innovative animals
Monotremes, of which today we have the platypus and several species of echidna, are egg-laying mammals, who share more familiar mammalian characteristics of having fur, being endothermic (warm-blooded), and producing milk to feed their young. They appear to have emerged first, and be the oldest line of mammals.
Next came the marsupial mammals, of whom we have far more surviving examples, but still limited to Australasian and the Americas. They give birth to live young, but carry them in pouches till they are ready to emerge. And of course, emerging perhaps in the late Cretaceous, perhaps earlier, are the placental mammals, ourselves and most other mammals on the planet today.
Those earlier mammas, before the end of the non-avian dinosaurs, didn't just develop three strikingly different ways of being mammals, but expanded into a variety of habitats and survival niches, over much of the world, and including such habits as hunting at least the smaller dinosaurs. Of course, when the Chicxilub asteroid hit, it was for land animals, both mammals and dinosaurs, the smaller species who survived and were able to persist until the skies cleared, the asteroid winter ended, and life could start adapting to the emerging "new normal" environment.
This is a fascinating story that includes the discovery of what appear to be opossums in Scotland that predate the dinosaurs, a Polish woman paleobiologist leading expeditions to Mongolia in the 1960s, and men and women making ground-breaking discoveries all over the world.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
November 27, 2021
Just finished reading "Beast Before Us - The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution" by Elsa Panciroli.
Dr. Panciroli perhaps is the best poster child of the Woke ideology running amok in the scientific community and elsewhere right now. Instead of taking readers on a thrilling discovery of scientific journey, the good doctor decided also to go full Woke and take every opportunity to blast White Men as evil and blame them for everything bad that has ever happened in the past, present, and future. I wonder if the White Men who mentored and encouraged her in her career have also earned her disdain.
When Dr. Panciroli stays on subject, she writes a compelling story about how mammals arose here on Earth. Sadly when she chooses to spew hate and her own political opinions she goes way off track. There is also no logic to her the hate and racism she promotes. Oddly, she focuses on the discoveries and work of her White Male colleagues, with only a few mentions of her work done by her female colleagues. And yes, when you openly denigrate someone based on the color of their skin and gender, like the Woke ideology she embraces in her book does, you're a racist and someone who promotes hate.
So as frequent readers of my reviews know, I do deduct stars when writers decide to go down the Woke route for no rhyme or sane reason. While the scientific content is spot on, Dr. Panciroli's woke commentary is offensive and promotes hate.
Not Recommended.
One Star - the science is good, her personal hate isn't.
https://www.amazon.com/Beasts-Before-...
Dr. Panciroli perhaps is the best poster child of the Woke ideology running amok in the scientific community and elsewhere right now. Instead of taking readers on a thrilling discovery of scientific journey, the good doctor decided also to go full Woke and take every opportunity to blast White Men as evil and blame them for everything bad that has ever happened in the past, present, and future. I wonder if the White Men who mentored and encouraged her in her career have also earned her disdain.
When Dr. Panciroli stays on subject, she writes a compelling story about how mammals arose here on Earth. Sadly when she chooses to spew hate and her own political opinions she goes way off track. There is also no logic to her the hate and racism she promotes. Oddly, she focuses on the discoveries and work of her White Male colleagues, with only a few mentions of her work done by her female colleagues. And yes, when you openly denigrate someone based on the color of their skin and gender, like the Woke ideology she embraces in her book does, you're a racist and someone who promotes hate.
So as frequent readers of my reviews know, I do deduct stars when writers decide to go down the Woke route for no rhyme or sane reason. While the scientific content is spot on, Dr. Panciroli's woke commentary is offensive and promotes hate.
Not Recommended.
One Star - the science is good, her personal hate isn't.
https://www.amazon.com/Beasts-Before-...
November 26, 2021
This is a highly detailed and comprehensive overview of mammalian evolution for readers who already have background knowledge and interest in paleontology. Panciroli gives us firsthand views of dig sites, history, scientific methods, and makes a concerted effort to include perspectives of scientists from around the world.
Overall, this was highly enjoyable and well suited for a modern reader interested in expanding their knowledge of paleontology, but it may not work for everyone. The tone of the book is difficult to describe since it can be very casual and yet also highly technical. For example, on one chapter the dinocephalian from the Permian period, Moschops, is referred to as a 'chonky boi' and yet in another chapter Panciroli does not shy away from sentences like "The quadrate and quadratojugal in the skull were also involved in sound transmission [...] this arrangement, known as the mandibular middle ear of cynodonts, or MMEC, is our starting point."
Overall, this was highly enjoyable and well suited for a modern reader interested in expanding their knowledge of paleontology, but it may not work for everyone. The tone of the book is difficult to describe since it can be very casual and yet also highly technical. For example, on one chapter the dinocephalian from the Permian period, Moschops, is referred to as a 'chonky boi' and yet in another chapter Panciroli does not shy away from sentences like "The quadrate and quadratojugal in the skull were also involved in sound transmission [...] this arrangement, known as the mandibular middle ear of cynodonts, or MMEC, is our starting point."
June 8, 2021
First off, you don't need to be well-versed in palaeontology to get a lot out of this book. "Beasts Before Us" is written intuitively and with humour, making it fairly easy to grasp the subject matter. I found this book hugely exciting (this is US, our history, our Earth!!) and devoured every chapter. I can only hope Elsa Panciroli writes more books in the future.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.
November 27, 2021
As a paleontologist that used to consider focusing on therapsids and such, I was drawn to this. Even though I work on marine mammals primarily, I still love the topic. This was a nice read, friendly and satisfying even for a professional in the field.
May 1, 2022
Our ancestors ruled the earth BEFORE the dinosaurs? Just one of the many fascinating things I learned from this book. Panciroli's enjoyable writing style, plus her passion for the subject, puts this book as my favorite of 2022 so far.
February 1, 2022
I loved this book so much. It is packed with scientific information, but it's so easy to read. Surely my view of the world has widened a little.
July 1, 2022
The Cretaceous is generally viewed as a period during which the dinosaurs dominated, while the mammals lived a largely hidden existence only to emerge with when the dinosaurs died out. Panciroli corrects this viewpoint by showing that the mammals had undergone continuous development, eventually evolving a spectrum of capabilities that allowed specializations well beyond anything seen in the reptile world.
Overall, an excellent book, but the evolutionary events are sometimes hard to place in chronological order and in reference to the geological time scale.
"A key flaw was the notion that marsupials and monotremes were somehow less advanced than other mammals. It’s an idea so entrenched that it persists into the twenty-first century. But it’s just not true."
Panciroli starts in the Carboniferous, providing a sketch of the period. Average temperatures were 20 versus 14 today and the atmosphere was was one third oxygen versus one fifth today. The landscape dominated by Lepidodendron one of the oldest vascular plants. The lobe-finned fishes gave rise to the tetrapods which divided into the amniotes and anamniotes. The anamniotes rely on water for reproduction - the frogs and salamanders being examples. The amniotes developed amniotic fluid to allow offspring to develop out of water, and developed mouth breathing.
The amniote tetrapods separated into two major lineages: Synapsida - monotremes, marsupials and mammals - and Sauropsida - birds, crocodilians, reptiles and turtles. There are currently several strong candidates for the earliest synapsid, the lineage of four-limbed animals that includes mammals and their relatives. All of them have been found in the Carboniferous rocks of Nova Scotia. It would seem our most ancient synapsid ancestors were Canadians.
The author calls the 250 million year Permian the missing period as it is between the Devonian - the age of fishes - and the Triassic, known for the early dinosaurs. "The complex ecosystems of the Permian are often overlooked when people tell the great story of evolution." It was in the Permian that herbivory really took off, notable examples being Edaphosaurus and Casea.
Hindgut fermenters such as elephants, rodents, rabbits and koalas solved the problem of plant-digestion by fermenting their meals in the lower intestine and caecum. Foregut fermenters including ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer and giraffes, developed multi-chambered stomachs. Foregut fermenters get a lot more nutrition from their food, and can survive on much less, but their longer digestion time means they can’t bulk-process food. This difference in herbivore stomachs is why horses can survive in parts of North America where forage is too poor for cattle.
Pelycosaurs arose in the early Permian, an example being the carnivorous Dimetrodon. The therapsids emerged from the Pelycosaurs. The teeth differentiated with the canines becoming distinct from the back teeth. The face bones changed with the lower jaw providing support for the canines, making them better biters. The shoulders and hips changed to bring the legs underneath the body. "These changes opened up a new culinary world."
The transition from the Permian to the Triassic resulted in the extinction of 75 percent of all species. The therapsids were swept away and the mammals of the Permian were almost totally replaced by reptiles which beat the therapsids in the race to reclaim niche-space. While a few large mammals remained, such as Lystrosaurus and Lisowicia, 90 percent of the animals in the early Triassic were small species.
The small dog-like cynodonts emerged from the therapsids late in the Permian and made it through the mass extinction. Changes in the skull allowed for an increasingly precise bite. A hard palate allowed simultaneous eating and breathing. The Triassic extinction wiped out most of the non-mammalian cynodonts.
In most non-mammalian backboned animals the vertebrae are quite similar along the length of the body. One of our earliest cynodont relatives, a digging animal called Thrinaxodon, showed regionalization of the spine. While earlier synapsids had ribs all the way down, it had a waist allowing it to run and the eventual development of the diaphragm.
Mammals arose from the cynodonts, distinguished by the arrangement of their jaw bones. The faster metabolism and warmer blood of mammals were a gift from their predecessors. These traits meant they could not only become smaller in the Late Triassic, but also nocturnal. The night vision resulted in concentration of rods, which causes most mammals to be colorblind. Tooth development lead to more varied diets.
Other mammalian developments include the development of milk - no other animal group creates a nutrient from their skin in the same way - and the transition to birthing. Modification of the mouth to allowed suckling and chewing. By slotting the upper and lower teeth together during chewing, mammals to shear and grind their food.
We now know Mesozoic mammals were the diverse pioneers of true mammaldom. The story of their journey is told most vividly by unique fossils from China. The last of the therapsids were long gone, and of the many cynodonts that proliferated after the end-Permian mass extinction, only mammals and their closest relatives, the tritylodontids, remained by the Middle Jurassic. The first mammals appeared to have been simple shrew-like insectivores.
The earliest mammals, including docodontans, are side branches that split off the tree before the common ancestor of mammalians. It is in docodontans that we first see the true power of teeth to unlock mammal potential. Around 160 million years ago in a world replete with giant reptiles, docodontans tried their hand at almost everything.
Modern mammals can hear sound at ranges far beyond other tetrapods. Mammal ears are a Mesozoic invention not just on the inside, but also on the outside. It is likely that until they had the middle and inner ear architecture to detect high-frequency sound, the mammal lineage didn’t have ear flaps on the outside of their heads as they are primarily useful for determining the direction of higher frequency sounds.
The multituberculates were the most common mammals in the Cretaceous, comprising as much as half of all species. Some Cretaceous mammals have been found to be carnivores, even eating small dinosaurs.
Multituberculates made it across the K-T boundary, but apparently declined due competition from the rodents, arguably the most successful mammalian group today based on the number of species.
Overall, an excellent book, but the evolutionary events are sometimes hard to place in chronological order and in reference to the geological time scale.
"A key flaw was the notion that marsupials and monotremes were somehow less advanced than other mammals. It’s an idea so entrenched that it persists into the twenty-first century. But it’s just not true."
Panciroli starts in the Carboniferous, providing a sketch of the period. Average temperatures were 20 versus 14 today and the atmosphere was was one third oxygen versus one fifth today. The landscape dominated by Lepidodendron one of the oldest vascular plants. The lobe-finned fishes gave rise to the tetrapods which divided into the amniotes and anamniotes. The anamniotes rely on water for reproduction - the frogs and salamanders being examples. The amniotes developed amniotic fluid to allow offspring to develop out of water, and developed mouth breathing.
The amniote tetrapods separated into two major lineages: Synapsida - monotremes, marsupials and mammals - and Sauropsida - birds, crocodilians, reptiles and turtles. There are currently several strong candidates for the earliest synapsid, the lineage of four-limbed animals that includes mammals and their relatives. All of them have been found in the Carboniferous rocks of Nova Scotia. It would seem our most ancient synapsid ancestors were Canadians.
The author calls the 250 million year Permian the missing period as it is between the Devonian - the age of fishes - and the Triassic, known for the early dinosaurs. "The complex ecosystems of the Permian are often overlooked when people tell the great story of evolution." It was in the Permian that herbivory really took off, notable examples being Edaphosaurus and Casea.
Hindgut fermenters such as elephants, rodents, rabbits and koalas solved the problem of plant-digestion by fermenting their meals in the lower intestine and caecum. Foregut fermenters including ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer and giraffes, developed multi-chambered stomachs. Foregut fermenters get a lot more nutrition from their food, and can survive on much less, but their longer digestion time means they can’t bulk-process food. This difference in herbivore stomachs is why horses can survive in parts of North America where forage is too poor for cattle.
Pelycosaurs arose in the early Permian, an example being the carnivorous Dimetrodon. The therapsids emerged from the Pelycosaurs. The teeth differentiated with the canines becoming distinct from the back teeth. The face bones changed with the lower jaw providing support for the canines, making them better biters. The shoulders and hips changed to bring the legs underneath the body. "These changes opened up a new culinary world."
The transition from the Permian to the Triassic resulted in the extinction of 75 percent of all species. The therapsids were swept away and the mammals of the Permian were almost totally replaced by reptiles which beat the therapsids in the race to reclaim niche-space. While a few large mammals remained, such as Lystrosaurus and Lisowicia, 90 percent of the animals in the early Triassic were small species.
The small dog-like cynodonts emerged from the therapsids late in the Permian and made it through the mass extinction. Changes in the skull allowed for an increasingly precise bite. A hard palate allowed simultaneous eating and breathing. The Triassic extinction wiped out most of the non-mammalian cynodonts.
In most non-mammalian backboned animals the vertebrae are quite similar along the length of the body. One of our earliest cynodont relatives, a digging animal called Thrinaxodon, showed regionalization of the spine. While earlier synapsids had ribs all the way down, it had a waist allowing it to run and the eventual development of the diaphragm.
Mammals arose from the cynodonts, distinguished by the arrangement of their jaw bones. The faster metabolism and warmer blood of mammals were a gift from their predecessors. These traits meant they could not only become smaller in the Late Triassic, but also nocturnal. The night vision resulted in concentration of rods, which causes most mammals to be colorblind. Tooth development lead to more varied diets.
Other mammalian developments include the development of milk - no other animal group creates a nutrient from their skin in the same way - and the transition to birthing. Modification of the mouth to allowed suckling and chewing. By slotting the upper and lower teeth together during chewing, mammals to shear and grind their food.
We now know Mesozoic mammals were the diverse pioneers of true mammaldom. The story of their journey is told most vividly by unique fossils from China. The last of the therapsids were long gone, and of the many cynodonts that proliferated after the end-Permian mass extinction, only mammals and their closest relatives, the tritylodontids, remained by the Middle Jurassic. The first mammals appeared to have been simple shrew-like insectivores.
The earliest mammals, including docodontans, are side branches that split off the tree before the common ancestor of mammalians. It is in docodontans that we first see the true power of teeth to unlock mammal potential. Around 160 million years ago in a world replete with giant reptiles, docodontans tried their hand at almost everything.
Modern mammals can hear sound at ranges far beyond other tetrapods. Mammal ears are a Mesozoic invention not just on the inside, but also on the outside. It is likely that until they had the middle and inner ear architecture to detect high-frequency sound, the mammal lineage didn’t have ear flaps on the outside of their heads as they are primarily useful for determining the direction of higher frequency sounds.
The multituberculates were the most common mammals in the Cretaceous, comprising as much as half of all species. Some Cretaceous mammals have been found to be carnivores, even eating small dinosaurs.
Multituberculates made it across the K-T boundary, but apparently declined due competition from the rodents, arguably the most successful mammalian group today based on the number of species.
January 1, 2022
A good and informative book about the evolution of mammals, from their beginnings to the present day. The author shows that mammals never evolved from reptiles, but instead evolved alongside them. While mammals were small and easily overlooked during the age of the dinosaurs, that did not mean they were restricted: in fact, she shows that mammals kept evolving and filling ecological niches at that time, before they began to take on bigger challenges after the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs.
Her descriptions of the fieldwork done in the past and today to form the modern picture of the evolution of mammals is fascinating. She also points out the colonialism, racism and sexism that was rife in palaeontology, that she and others are now changing, getting more women and local people involved in palaeontological research.
In short, a book that should be read to get the modern picture of the origins and evolution of mammals.
What follows is a chapter by chapter summary of the book:
Chapter one introduces the author, her field work on fossils on the Scottish Isle of Skye, and on the beginnings of the group that would give rise to mammals.
Chapter two gives a summary of the history of mammal fossils. When first found in rocks dating back to the age is the dinosaurs, mammal fossils were considered primitive and identified as belonging to marsupials. This is a misconception due to the idea of animals changing to become more sophisticated (and human) over time. It is only in modern times that modern marsupials are shown to be just as sophisticated as placental mammals and evolved alongside, not from, the reptiles and dinosaurs.
Chapter three looks back in time to the Carboniferous period, where most groups of life were starting to emerge on land. After the plants, the insects were the most abundant landform. But following behind were the animal groups that would give rise to the mammals and reptiles. While early mammals forms are often described as 'reptile-like', this is wrong. As the author shows, mammals and reptiles developed from different groups of animals (as shown through examination of their fossil skull bones in this period) and only resemble each other at that stage of life, leading to the misunderstanding.
Chapter four looks at the Permian period. It is during this time that the Synapsids began to get big, with animals like the well known Dimetrodon and others. Various explanations are provided for that animal's sail on its back. But it was also during this period that herbivores (plant eating animals) first developed.
Chapter five looks at other groups of animals that were also present during the Permian that descended from the Synapsids. One group, the Therapsids, would give the world predators and herbivores that are distinguished from other groups of animals by possessing specialized teeth for cutting and chewing. Another group, the Cynodonts, who would become the ancestors of the mammals, also developed a more upright gait, that would let them move more efficiently. It was around this time that evidence for hot-blooded animals can be found in the fossils.
Chapter six looks at the Triassic period, which came after a major extinction event that marked the end of the Permian. It took millions of years for the major groups of animals to recover, but when it did, the world would look very different. Gone were the Therapsids that dominated the Permian. In their place were the reptile groups that would give rise to various forms of crocodiles and that most well known of ancient animals, the dinosaurs. Why this happened is still subject to research.
Chapter seven continues to look at the development of animals during the Triassic that would eventually lead to animals that can be recognized as mammals. During this period, these animals would become smaller and become nocturnal, a successful way of living. Their hearing and sense of touch and smell would also become well-developed. Their teeth would also develop into specialized forms for eating.
Chapter eight looks at some is the technology, like CT scans and Synchrotron machines, that are able to penetrate stones and fossils to reveal their inner structure. This technology would be critical for analysing mammal fossils, as there are often small and fragile. The scanning technology world help to illuminate how some of the basic features of mammals, like whiskers, hair and the ability to provide milk, would begin to appear in ancient mammals.
Chapter nine looks at the mammal-like forms developing in the Jurassic period. Many were small, which initially caused many people to overlook them, concentrating on the much larger dinosaurs in that period. But closer examination shows that the mammal-like forms were developing new ways of living, like burrowing or gliding. Their small size may also have helped them to develop more sensitive hearing by helping to free up jaw bones to be used as inner ear bones.
Chapter ten looks at the ancestors of mammals and mammal-like animals in the Cretaceous. With dinosaurs now dominating the landscape, it can be easy to overlook the much smaller mammals during this time, but fossils continue to show mammals diversifying and finding new ways of living in a landscape that was also undergoing change, with the development of flowering plants.
Chapter eleven looks at what happens after the asteroid impact that lead to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs. Various forms of mammals (and other life forms) that survived flourished, leading to the world we now know. But the usual story that the dinosaurs were preventing mammals from developing, before the impact, may not be correct, if the author's research is correct, indicating that other kinds of mammals may also have had a hand.
Her descriptions of the fieldwork done in the past and today to form the modern picture of the evolution of mammals is fascinating. She also points out the colonialism, racism and sexism that was rife in palaeontology, that she and others are now changing, getting more women and local people involved in palaeontological research.
In short, a book that should be read to get the modern picture of the origins and evolution of mammals.
What follows is a chapter by chapter summary of the book:
Chapter one introduces the author, her field work on fossils on the Scottish Isle of Skye, and on the beginnings of the group that would give rise to mammals.
Chapter two gives a summary of the history of mammal fossils. When first found in rocks dating back to the age is the dinosaurs, mammal fossils were considered primitive and identified as belonging to marsupials. This is a misconception due to the idea of animals changing to become more sophisticated (and human) over time. It is only in modern times that modern marsupials are shown to be just as sophisticated as placental mammals and evolved alongside, not from, the reptiles and dinosaurs.
Chapter three looks back in time to the Carboniferous period, where most groups of life were starting to emerge on land. After the plants, the insects were the most abundant landform. But following behind were the animal groups that would give rise to the mammals and reptiles. While early mammals forms are often described as 'reptile-like', this is wrong. As the author shows, mammals and reptiles developed from different groups of animals (as shown through examination of their fossil skull bones in this period) and only resemble each other at that stage of life, leading to the misunderstanding.
Chapter four looks at the Permian period. It is during this time that the Synapsids began to get big, with animals like the well known Dimetrodon and others. Various explanations are provided for that animal's sail on its back. But it was also during this period that herbivores (plant eating animals) first developed.
Chapter five looks at other groups of animals that were also present during the Permian that descended from the Synapsids. One group, the Therapsids, would give the world predators and herbivores that are distinguished from other groups of animals by possessing specialized teeth for cutting and chewing. Another group, the Cynodonts, who would become the ancestors of the mammals, also developed a more upright gait, that would let them move more efficiently. It was around this time that evidence for hot-blooded animals can be found in the fossils.
Chapter six looks at the Triassic period, which came after a major extinction event that marked the end of the Permian. It took millions of years for the major groups of animals to recover, but when it did, the world would look very different. Gone were the Therapsids that dominated the Permian. In their place were the reptile groups that would give rise to various forms of crocodiles and that most well known of ancient animals, the dinosaurs. Why this happened is still subject to research.
Chapter seven continues to look at the development of animals during the Triassic that would eventually lead to animals that can be recognized as mammals. During this period, these animals would become smaller and become nocturnal, a successful way of living. Their hearing and sense of touch and smell would also become well-developed. Their teeth would also develop into specialized forms for eating.
Chapter eight looks at some is the technology, like CT scans and Synchrotron machines, that are able to penetrate stones and fossils to reveal their inner structure. This technology would be critical for analysing mammal fossils, as there are often small and fragile. The scanning technology world help to illuminate how some of the basic features of mammals, like whiskers, hair and the ability to provide milk, would begin to appear in ancient mammals.
Chapter nine looks at the mammal-like forms developing in the Jurassic period. Many were small, which initially caused many people to overlook them, concentrating on the much larger dinosaurs in that period. But closer examination shows that the mammal-like forms were developing new ways of living, like burrowing or gliding. Their small size may also have helped them to develop more sensitive hearing by helping to free up jaw bones to be used as inner ear bones.
Chapter ten looks at the ancestors of mammals and mammal-like animals in the Cretaceous. With dinosaurs now dominating the landscape, it can be easy to overlook the much smaller mammals during this time, but fossils continue to show mammals diversifying and finding new ways of living in a landscape that was also undergoing change, with the development of flowering plants.
Chapter eleven looks at what happens after the asteroid impact that lead to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs. Various forms of mammals (and other life forms) that survived flourished, leading to the world we now know. But the usual story that the dinosaurs were preventing mammals from developing, before the impact, may not be correct, if the author's research is correct, indicating that other kinds of mammals may also have had a hand.
August 17, 2022
It was good not great for me. I thought the author spent much more time in the present day than I would have liked. I was hoping for more of a narrative story telling sort of journey through time to explore all the different mammal relatives and how they lived.
The bits about excavations and research today were just less interesting, I found
The bits about excavations and research today were just less interesting, I found
October 7, 2021
Beasts Before Us, by Dr. Elsa Panciroli
In this scientifically rigorous and enormously entertaining book, Dr. Elsa Panciroli brings to life the origins of Mammalian life on Earth. The mammal lineage began with Synapsida, the group which split from the Sauropsida, basically reptiles and their kin. This happened around 360 million years ago in the Carboniferous Era. Occasionally in her narrative, these gigantic stretches of time seem to telescope into each other, and it is easy to get lost.
From the tiniest fossils of mammals ever discovered to larger forms, Dr. Panciroli explains the importance of each in the evolution of the Mammalian lineage. With the aid of the latest in computer technology and imaging tools, it is now possible to literally look inside these remnants of animals. Her enthusiasm is infectious and riveting.
Of course, humans evolved over millions of years. It would be a mistake, of course, to suggest that we are somehow just bigger and better creatures of earlier ancestors; evolution doesn’t work like that. Dr. Panciroli explains, patiently and with great humor, how Mammalian life did change and adapt to different circumstances. One of the most beautifully written chapters of the book expands on the idea of survival of certain species after the great K-Pg mass extinction of 66 million years ago, when that big nasty rock hit the Earth. The image of small mammals peeking out of their burrows after the catastrophe is nicely done.
In this book, you can learn the names of dozens, if not hundreds, of animals and lineages that might be unfamiliar; they certainly were to me.
There is also in her narrative, a keen appreciation of the part played by female paleontologists in this until-now male-dominated field. I think it is becoming accepted that women will play more important parts in science, in every STEM field, and that those who made contributions in the recent past will be getting their due recognition. Notably, Dr. Panciroli mentions Dr. Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska whose contributions to the study of early mammal forms are enormously important but relatively unknown to the lay public.
There is much to learn in this book, and I hope it receives the attention it so richly deserves.
In this scientifically rigorous and enormously entertaining book, Dr. Elsa Panciroli brings to life the origins of Mammalian life on Earth. The mammal lineage began with Synapsida, the group which split from the Sauropsida, basically reptiles and their kin. This happened around 360 million years ago in the Carboniferous Era. Occasionally in her narrative, these gigantic stretches of time seem to telescope into each other, and it is easy to get lost.
From the tiniest fossils of mammals ever discovered to larger forms, Dr. Panciroli explains the importance of each in the evolution of the Mammalian lineage. With the aid of the latest in computer technology and imaging tools, it is now possible to literally look inside these remnants of animals. Her enthusiasm is infectious and riveting.
Of course, humans evolved over millions of years. It would be a mistake, of course, to suggest that we are somehow just bigger and better creatures of earlier ancestors; evolution doesn’t work like that. Dr. Panciroli explains, patiently and with great humor, how Mammalian life did change and adapt to different circumstances. One of the most beautifully written chapters of the book expands on the idea of survival of certain species after the great K-Pg mass extinction of 66 million years ago, when that big nasty rock hit the Earth. The image of small mammals peeking out of their burrows after the catastrophe is nicely done.
In this book, you can learn the names of dozens, if not hundreds, of animals and lineages that might be unfamiliar; they certainly were to me.
There is also in her narrative, a keen appreciation of the part played by female paleontologists in this until-now male-dominated field. I think it is becoming accepted that women will play more important parts in science, in every STEM field, and that those who made contributions in the recent past will be getting their due recognition. Notably, Dr. Panciroli mentions Dr. Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska whose contributions to the study of early mammal forms are enormously important but relatively unknown to the lay public.
There is much to learn in this book, and I hope it receives the attention it so richly deserves.
October 1, 2021
Beasts Before Us: The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution
by Elsa Panciroli
⚡️ I was provided an e-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
🌟: 4 / 5
📚: Long before the mammoths and sabertooth tigers of the ice age, even more prehistoric mammals roamed the earth, pioneering traits that would one day make us, us.
💭: I think that a lot of folks who know me can tell you that, as much as I love dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals are what I really freak out over when I see them in museums. Panciroli brings all of the things that I love most about loving prehistory as an adult, namely a sense of humor and a compelling narrative that brings these animals to life, to the table in her fully immersive and creative nonfiction.
Not only is Beasts Before Us beautifully typeset (watch the deep nerd come out in this review, am I right?), but it is beautifully illustrated and full of imagery that makes this book stand out amongst a genre that can get pretty dry. And not only is it scientifically accurate, but it’s genuinely hilarious. Panciroli keeps a running commentary filled with jokes, personal reflections, puns, and fun facts in the footnotes (something that the audiobook lacks and makes reading a physical or e-book copy worth it). I snorted multiple times at lines such as “they are nature going digital: the first fingers and toes” and “this animal [Moschops] was a serious ‘chonky boi.’”
Something else that makes Beasts Before Us stand out is that, in a sea of paleo books mainly written by men, Panciroli uses her book as an opportunity to discuss the shortcomings of paleo history and the bias that the views of the (mostly) men who led the field had on how we understand prehistory. By highlighting oft-forgotten indigenous knowledge, pioneering work by women in the field, and the grassroots efforts to advance science, Panciroli almost effortlessly weaves a narrative that allows readers to see themselves in the story of prehistory.
by Elsa Panciroli
⚡️ I was provided an e-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
🌟: 4 / 5
📚: Long before the mammoths and sabertooth tigers of the ice age, even more prehistoric mammals roamed the earth, pioneering traits that would one day make us, us.
💭: I think that a lot of folks who know me can tell you that, as much as I love dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals are what I really freak out over when I see them in museums. Panciroli brings all of the things that I love most about loving prehistory as an adult, namely a sense of humor and a compelling narrative that brings these animals to life, to the table in her fully immersive and creative nonfiction.
Not only is Beasts Before Us beautifully typeset (watch the deep nerd come out in this review, am I right?), but it is beautifully illustrated and full of imagery that makes this book stand out amongst a genre that can get pretty dry. And not only is it scientifically accurate, but it’s genuinely hilarious. Panciroli keeps a running commentary filled with jokes, personal reflections, puns, and fun facts in the footnotes (something that the audiobook lacks and makes reading a physical or e-book copy worth it). I snorted multiple times at lines such as “they are nature going digital: the first fingers and toes” and “this animal [Moschops] was a serious ‘chonky boi.’”
Something else that makes Beasts Before Us stand out is that, in a sea of paleo books mainly written by men, Panciroli uses her book as an opportunity to discuss the shortcomings of paleo history and the bias that the views of the (mostly) men who led the field had on how we understand prehistory. By highlighting oft-forgotten indigenous knowledge, pioneering work by women in the field, and the grassroots efforts to advance science, Panciroli almost effortlessly weaves a narrative that allows readers to see themselves in the story of prehistory.
October 23, 2021
I wish I had been able to read this book before starting grad school, ha! It's a great introduction to mammal evolution and paleontology. It's also engaging, funny, and modern.
Panciroli - like a favorite science writer of mine, David Quammen - knows how to tell a story and keep you reading. (Or listening, in my case. The audiobook narrator was a delight.) Her writing style is jaunty and delightfully nerdy. She brings natural history together with a healthy dose of sociology to analyze not only paleontological research, but also who has historically been able to produce that knowledge and how. I especially loved her tribute to Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, one of the most prominent modern paleontologists who is still relatively unknown outside of the field.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening and definitely recommend to anyone who's interested in paleontology, mammal evolution, and/or representation (particularly of women) in science!
Panciroli - like a favorite science writer of mine, David Quammen - knows how to tell a story and keep you reading. (Or listening, in my case. The audiobook narrator was a delight.) Her writing style is jaunty and delightfully nerdy. She brings natural history together with a healthy dose of sociology to analyze not only paleontological research, but also who has historically been able to produce that knowledge and how. I especially loved her tribute to Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, one of the most prominent modern paleontologists who is still relatively unknown outside of the field.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening and definitely recommend to anyone who's interested in paleontology, mammal evolution, and/or representation (particularly of women) in science!
June 19, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review a free copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.
This book would be a good pairing with "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs" by Stephen Brusatte. Although it was not quite as easy to read as Brusatte's book, it covered much the same time period and in a similar fashion except that it was from the viewpoint of the mammals rather than the dinosaurs.
Having read a pre-production text, I had some difficulty following the story due to typos, lack of ability to switch between bookmarks of reference pages and text, and the lack of some of the appendices. I hope that the final production copy will flow more easily.
I would rate this as a very good popular science book and would recommend it to anyone interested in anthropology.
This book would be a good pairing with "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs" by Stephen Brusatte. Although it was not quite as easy to read as Brusatte's book, it covered much the same time period and in a similar fashion except that it was from the viewpoint of the mammals rather than the dinosaurs.
Having read a pre-production text, I had some difficulty following the story due to typos, lack of ability to switch between bookmarks of reference pages and text, and the lack of some of the appendices. I hope that the final production copy will flow more easily.
I would rate this as a very good popular science book and would recommend it to anyone interested in anthropology.
October 27, 2021
This book does for prehistoric mammals and their ancestors what Steve Brusatte did for dinosaurs in "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs". It dispels the common misconception that mammals arose from reptile or amphibian ancestors. It details the first age of the mammals that occurred in the Permian, way before reptiles and dinosaurs became the dominant lifeform on Earth. It then goes on to explore how mammals became small when dinosaurs evolved. It is written in a similar style to Brusatte's book: informative, with well drawn characters that have worked in the field. I found the diagram on the inside cover of the book invaluable. This is suitable for adults and bright 12 year olds upwards. If you have given a child a brightly coloured DK type book on dinosaurs, and want them to take the next step, this may well be it. I highly recommend it.
July 5, 2022
I was so excited when I found this book, but the author's lack of focus made it difficult to process and almost impossible to enjoy. I felt like it suffered from either a lack of editing or interference from an editor to make the book more relatable.
The author goes from technical speak to social commentary on the 2020s constantly with the unfortunate result that the technical aspects remain difficult for the layperson to understand. It felt like 2 books interspliced with each other rather than a single narrative, and both narratives suffered as a result. The social commentary was glib and overbroad while the scientific portion relied too heavily on technical terms and an existing knowledge of earth sciences for a popular science book.
The author goes from technical speak to social commentary on the 2020s constantly with the unfortunate result that the technical aspects remain difficult for the layperson to understand. It felt like 2 books interspliced with each other rather than a single narrative, and both narratives suffered as a result. The social commentary was glib and overbroad while the scientific portion relied too heavily on technical terms and an existing knowledge of earth sciences for a popular science book.
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