The Rise of Horses

55 Million Years of Evolution
Erscheinungsjahr 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8018-9373-5
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 224 Seiten, Format (B × H): 210 mm x 261 mm, Gewicht: 901 g

One of the world's leading experts on horse evolution traces the origins, evolution, and diversification of the equines.

Long domesticated, related to rhinoceroses, and descended from a creature the size of a hare, horses are a fascinating study in evolution. Jens Franzen's account explores the early evolution and eventual diversification of horse anatomy to explain how and why these once widespread and varied mammals became the common horses, zebras, and asses we know today. Beginning with their evolutionary rise roughly 55 million years ago, Franzen traces a history etched in fossils. He explains how improving body construction and energy balance allowed some horses to enter and thrive in new environments while others failed and became extinct. In presenting this story, Franzen hews closely to the Frankfurt theory of evolution and explains how it applies to the wide variations in the evolution of horse species.

Accessibly written and featuring full-color photographs and illustrations throughout, The Rise of Horses is the complete chronicle of the evolution of the equids.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Franzen, Jens Lorenz

Weitere Mitwirkende

Brown, Kirsten M

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Tierkunde / Zoologie Wirbeltiere (Vertebrata) Säugetiere (Mammalia)
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Evolutionsbiologie
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften, Biologie: Sachbuch, Naturführer
• Geowissenschaften Geologie Paläontologie, Taphonomie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface to the English Edition
1. Prologue
2. Introduction
3. The Depths of Time
4. Europe in the Eocene
5. The Dawn Horses of the Morning Cloud
6. Constructions and Functions
7. Discovering Horse Evolution
8. Evolution and Expansion of the Horses
9. Pseudo Horses and Relatives of Horses
10. The Ice Age and the Roots of Modern Horses
11. Conclusion
Exhibits on the Evolution of Horses
Further Reading
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Franzen, Jens Lorenz
Jens Lorenz Franzen is the former head of the Department of Paleoanthropology and Quartenary Paleontology at Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany. He has published hundreds of articles on fossils and evolution and is widely recognized as a leading expert on horse evolution.