Ice Age Cave Faunas of North America (Life of the Past) [Hardcover]

Blaine W. Schubert (Editor), Jim I. Mead (Editor), Russell William Graham (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Life of the Past | Publication Date: November 10, 2003

This book gathers the findings of a number of studies on North American cave paleontology. Although not intended to be all-inclusive, Ice Age Cave Faunas of North America contains contributions that range from overviews of the significance of cave fossils to reports about new localities and studies of specific vertebrate groups. These essays describe how cave remains record the evolutionary patterns of organisms and their biogeography, how they can help reconstruct past ecosystems and climatic fluctuations, how they provide an important record of the evolution of modern ecosystems, and even how some of these caves contain traces of human activity. The book's eclectic nature should appeal to students, professional and amateur paleontologists, biologists, geologists, speleologists, and cavers. The contributors are Ticul Alvarez, Joaquin Arroyo-Cabrales, Christopher J. Bell, Larry L. Coats, Jennifer Glennon, Wulf Gose, Frederick Grady, Russell Wm. Graham, Timothy H. Heaton, Carmen J. Jans-Langel, Ernest L. Lundelius, Jr., H. Gregory McDonald, Jim I. Mead, Oscar J. Polaco, Blaine W. Schubert, Holmes A. Semken, Jr., and Alisa J. Winkler.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Caves provide a tomb-like environment in which fossils can be exquisitely preserved. However, interpretation of cave fauna is complicated because organisms may enter caves through a variety of mechanisms and because mixing of faunal elements of different ages is common. This book provides a sampling of Quaternary-aged vertebrate faunas from localities ranging from Alaska to Mexico and California to Florida, and is an edited compilation of 11 peer-reviewed, relatively technical papers. Although other vertebrates are mentioned, the papers focus mainly on Pleistocene mammals. Some papers include discussion of the complete faunule recovered from individual cave localities, whereas other papers discuss a single fossil group, such as ground sloths or tapirs. The papers are relatively technical, and typically include an extensive discussion (and description, in some cases) of the fossils from particular localities. Most of the papers include paleobiological and/or stratigraphic interpretations of the fossil assemblages. Highly recommended for universities and museums conducting vertebrate paleontology research—the technical nature of the papers will not have wide appeal to general audiences. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals." —T. J. Kroeger, Bemidji State University, Choice, July 2004

(T. J. Kroeger, Bemidji State University Choice 2004)

About the Author

Blaine W. Schubert is research associate in Geology, Department of Environmental Dynamics at the University of Arkansas.

Jim I. Mead, is Professor of Geology and Paleonotology and Director of the Quaternary Sciences Program at Northern Arizona University.

Russell Wm. Graham is Chief Curator and Head of the Collections and Research Branch, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature & Science. He has edited three books and published more than 50 professional papers on evolution, biogeography, and extinction of Quaternary mammals.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (November 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253342686
• ISBN-13: 978-0253342683
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,049,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly treatise on North American Ice Age animals, January 9, 2004

By 

Jerald R Lovell (Clinton Township, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ice Age Cave Faunas of North America (Life of the Past) (Hardcover)

If you are a passionate devotee of a subject, you hardly ever go wrong buying a book from Indiana University Press. Each effort from this publisher is copiously and carefully compiled and researched. Each has a wealth of information to offer the reader. The present text is no exception.

This book consists of eleven papers discussing various findings of preserved Ice Age fauna in North American caves. Description of the sites, ranging from Southeast Alaska, to Kentucky, to Yucatan, and to the canyonlnds of Arizona. Many sorts of creatures, including ground sloths, rodents, bears, lions, wolves, seabirds, and a host of other creatures are discussed in exacting detail, including sections on their lives, anatomy, method of preservation, appearance, et al. The work is endlessly fascinating, but must be read in small capsules.

If a drawback exists, it would lie in a lack of detailed, color photography, perhaps. Also, the reader should come armed with a considerable background in osteoanatomy and karst geology to fully understand some of the articles. The multiple bibliographies are simply outstanding.

This book is not of an introductory nature, but is geared to the advanced undergraduate or graduate student. The well-informed, but "undegreed" Ice Age enthusiast, however, will find many pearls of wisdom, and the book is also highly recommended to these people. It is a very considerable addition to the Ice Age megafauna literature.