From dinosaurs to lizards, snakes, and turtles, Tom Kemp considers the range of reptiles which have walked our Earth. Exploring how evolutionary adaptions have fitted them to their individual niches, he discusses their biology, such as cold bloodedness and feeding habits, and analyses why reptiles have been so successful throughout history.
The book explores the evolution of mammals over the past 35 million years, highlighting their dominance in various environments following the extinction of dinosaurs. It presents a comprehensive account of fossil records alongside groundbreaking DNA sequence evidence, offering new insights that challenge existing theories about mammal relationships and their historical development. This unique combination of fossil and genetic data provides a fresh perspective on the evolutionary history of mammals.
From frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders, to the lesser-known caecilians, there are over 8,000 species of amphibians alive today. T. S. Kemp explores their evolution, adaptations, and biology, as well as the threat humans represent to their survival.
Tom Kemp is the world's senior authority on the origin and evolution of mammals, and an excellent writer to boot. I very much recommend this concise book as an apt introduction to the palaeobiology of our own peculiar branch on the Tree of Life Dr Robert Asher, Curator of Vertebrates, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge