Extinct

Rating:
Summary: A very good book on Holocene extinctions
Review: This book explains the nature and causes of post-Ice Age (Holocene) extinctions by focusing on six now-vanished creatures.
Based on a British television series, the authors examine the cases of the Columbian Mammoth, the saber-toothed cat, the Irish Elk, (all earlier than 500 B.C.) ,the dodo, (1700s), the Great Auk (1844) and the thylacine, (Tasmanian Tiger (1936). It is readily apparent that the hand of man and his actions is strongly implicated in the last three extinctions, and probably the firsr three, as well. However, the roles of changing climate, impact of exotic creatures, changing habitat, food supply, and other factors are also addressed. The book is delightfully impartial, presenting facts, and letting the reader draw his or her own conclusions from them.

The text is well-written and easily understood. The photographs and re-creations of tha animals' appearances are truly remarkable and form a high point of the book. Interesting inserts explain the computer animation and research behind such efforts.

The role of the extinction process has always been of interest to me, and I feel this one of the better books on the topic. I would recommend it highly to all readers. Even children will be fascinated by the stories and pictures.