Zala’s Reviews > The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us > Status Update
Zala
is 20% done
”Next time you chip (or lose) a tooth and need expensive dental work, you can curse your Triassic ancestors.”
thank you, I will
— Jan 19, 2026 11:49AM
thank you, I will
4 likes · Like flag
Zala’s Previous Updates
Zala
is 59% done
”The delicate, paper-thin bones of Paleocene birds are found alongside the mammals in New Mexico, and these postextinction pioneers enjoyed their own run of success—culminating in the ten-thousand-plus species of birds that live today, around twice the number of mammal species!”
— 23 hours, 26 min ago
Zala
is 47% done
”Caldwell conscripted 150 Aboriginal people to slaughter as many platypuses as they could find, along with another furry Australian oddity that was purported to lay eggs: the spiny echidnas. It was imperialistic science at its worst: some fourteen hundred animals were killed, and the Aboriginal peoples were horribly mistreated.”
— Jan 19, 2026 12:40PM
Zala
is 15% done
”Temperatures increased by about 9 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (5–8 degrees Celsius) within a few tens of thousands of years—similar to what is happening today, although actually at a slower pace than modern warming (a fact that should give everyone reading this pause).”
well yikes
— Jan 19, 2026 11:49AM
well yikes
