THE WORLD AFTER THE DINOSAURS: The Evolution of Mammals

by Lisbeth & George Zappler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 1970

The story of the dinosaur is one of the most exciting tales in nature."" This version of what followed is not. It covers the same material--evolution of the mammals--which Romer's college text Man and the Vertebrates (1941) does in chapters 9-14. The Zapplers, however, name and describe far more animals and devote proportionately less time to elucidating the advantages of the evolved characteristics shared by an order or genus. The extensive listing of various genera and species reads like a reference work; one would wish to meet fewer animals and have a better picture of their relationships to one another. The writing is uneven. ""Let's say we are going to trace your pet cocker spaniel, Rover. The first large categories are the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom. Well, for sure, Rover is no plant."" More representative is: ""Oxyclaenus, a genus typical of the early creodonts, was a small animal closely tied to its insectivore ancestry."" Definitions of terms often come well after their introduction, and there is no glossary; neither is there a chart to clarify relationships between the various orders, genera, and species. The material is insufficiently accessible, the manner is pedantic.

Pub Date: Sept. 18, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday-Natural History Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION