Cetacean paleobiology / Felix G. Marx, Olivier Lambert, and Mark D. Uhen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Marx, Felix G., author.

Lambert, Olivier (Paleontologist), author.

Uhen, Mark D., author.

Series:

Topics in paleobiology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cetacea, Fossil.

Evolutionary paleobiology.

Physical Description:

ix, 319 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 25 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Chichester, West Sussex, UK ; Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2016.

Summary:

Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have fascinated and bewildered humans throughout history. Their mammalian affinities have been long recognized, but exactly which group of terrestrial mammals they descend from has, until recently, remained in the dark. Recent decades have produced a flurry of new fossil cetaceans, extending their fossil history to over 50 million years ago. Along with new insights from genetics and developmental studies, these discoveries have helped to clarify the place of cetaceans among mammals, and enriched our understanding of their unique adaptations for feeding, locomotion and sensory systems. Their continuously improving fossil record and successive transformation into highly specialized marine mammals have made cetaceans a textbook case of evolution - as iconic in its own way as the origin of birds from dinosaurs. This book aims to summarize our current understanding of cetacean evolution for the serious student and interested amateur using photographs, drawings, charts and illustrations. Book jacket.

Contents:

Cetaceans past and present

The cetacean fossil record

Morphology

Phylogeny

Major steps in the evolution of cetaceans

Fossil evidence of cetacean biology

Macroevolutionary patterns

Palaeontological insights into evolution and development

Living cetaceans in an evolutionary context.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Marx, Felix G., author. Cetacean palaeobiology.

ISBN:

9781118561270

1118561279

9781118561539

1118561538

OCLC:

910651411