THE LOST PARROTS OF AMERICA; STELLER'S SEA COW; THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 1990

Clear, full-color photos of museum specimens, historic drawings and paintings, and fossil reconstructions help readers visualize and imagine the extinct animals described in these representative titles in the new ""Gone Forever"" series. The brief, readable texts give information on evolution, range, habits, related species, and how man--through hunting and habitat destruction--has been responsible for these animals' extinction, while dealing briefly with efforts to save currently endangered species and giving addresses of organizations to supply more information. Parrots, a colorful overview of the adaptable bird that has been a favorite pet since Roman times, focuses especially on the Carolina parakeet, thought to be the only member of the parrot family native to the US. The last survivor died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918. Sea Cow describes how this gentle relative of the Florida manatee, first sighted in 1741 and named for naturalist Georg Steller, was hunted to extinction in only 27 years. Mammoth presents scientists' hypothesis that this relative of the elephant, extinct since the late Ice Age, died as a result of hunting by early man and failure to adapt to changes in climate; the authors use this species to emphasize the interrelation and vulnerability of all species and the need for conservation. Like the others in this eight-title series, all three are useful and attractive. Each has a brief glossary/index.

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1990

ISBN: 89686-461-8

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Crestwood--dist. by Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1990

Categories: CHILDREN'S