Return to the Sea : The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals

Name: Return to the Sea : The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals
Author: Annalisa Berta
ISBN: 9780520270572

by Annalisa Berta

Hardcover

Return to the Sea : The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals

by Annalisa Berta

Hardcover

Condition

Overview

Return to the Sea portrays the life and evolutionary times of marine mammals--from giant whales and sea cows that originated 55 million years ago to the deep diving elephant seals and clam-eating walruses of modern times. This fascinating account of the origin of various marine mammal lineages, some extinct, others extant but threatened, is for the non-specialist. Set against a backdrop of geologic time, changing climates, and changing geography, evolution is the unifying principle that helps us to understand the present day diversity of marine mammals and their responses to environmental challenges. Annalisa Berta explains current controversies and explores patterns of change taking place today, such as shifting food webs and predator-prey relationships, habitat degradation, global warming, and the effects of humans on marine mammal communities.

FormatHardcover

LanguageEnglish

PublisherUniversity of California Press

Publication DateApr. 25th, 2012

ISBN-139780520270572

Dimensions6.46 x 9.02 x 0.66 inches

ISBN-100520270576

Shipping Weight1.21 lbs

All Available Copies Find out more about shipping times from these sellers.

Condition	Price
Used Good (1 available) Former Library Book	$22.93 USD	Add To Cart	Ships directly from Better World Books
New (62 available) Ships Separately	$43.61 USD	Add To Cart	Ships separately from Better World Books suppliers
eBook Obtain a digital book from our friends at eBooks.com. eBooks.com	{{ebooksDotComPrice}} {{ebooksDotComCurrency}}	eBooks.com	Digital edition from eBooks.com
Audio Book Obtain a digital book from our friends at AudiobooksNow.com. AudiobooksNow.com	{{audioBooksNowPrice}} {{audioBooksNowCurrency}}	AudiobooksNow.com	Digital edition from AudiobooksNow.com

Professional Reviews

"A good introduction to marine mammal evolution."

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Marine Mammals	p. 1
Major Groups of Marine Mammals	p. 2
Discovering, Naming, and Classifying Marine Mammals	p. 4
Reconstructing the Hierarchy of Marine Mammals	p. 5
Adaptations and Exaptations	p. 11
What Is a Species and How Do New Species Form?	p. 12
Where Do They Live and Why Are They Where They Are?	p. 19
Past Diversity in Time and Space, Paleoclimates, and Paleoecology	p. 29
Fossils and Taphonomy	p. 29
The Discovery of the First Fossil Marine Mammal (a Whale)	p. 30
The Importance of Fossils	p. 32
How Do We Know the Age of a Fossil?	p. 33
How Do We Know Where Marine Mammals Were?	p. 33
Marine Mammal Diversity and Communities Through Time	p. 36
What Led Marine Mammals Back to the Sea?	p. 50
Pinniped Diversity, Evolution, and Adaptations	p. 51
The Earliest Pinnipeds: Webbed Feet or Flippers?	p. 53
Crown Pinnipeds	p. 54
Desmatophocids: Extinct Phocid Relatives	p. 59
Evolutionary Trends	p. 60
Structural and Functional Innovations and Adaptations	p. 61
Mating and Social Systems, Reproduction, and Life History	p. 72
Cetartiodactylan Diversity, Evolution, and Adaptations	p. 79
Early Whales Had Legs!	p. 80
Crown Cetacea (Neoceti)	p. 84
Evolutionary Trends	p. 102
Structural and Functional Innovations and Adaptations	p. 106
Mating and Social Systems, Reproduction, and Life History	p. 121
Diversity, Evolution, and Adaptations of Sirenians and Other Marine Mammals	p. 127
Walking Sea Cows!	p. 128
Crown Sirenia	p. 130
Evolutionary Trends	p. 132
Structural and Functional Innovations and Adaptations	p. 132
Mating and Social Systems, Reproduction and Life History	p. 140
Desmostylians	p. 141
Aquatic Sloths	p. 142
Marine Otters	p. 143
Polar Bears	p. 147
Ecology and Conservation	p. 151
What Marine Mammals Eat and What Eats Them	p. 151
Interactions Between Human and Marine Mammals: Lessons Learned	p. 159
Extinction: The Rule, Not the Exception	p. 167
Glossary	p. 175
Further Reading and Online Sources	p. 185
Illustration Credits	p. 191
Index	p. 195
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Find at your local library from our friends at WorldCat	Find Libraries

Overview

Product Details

FormatHardcover

LanguageEnglish

PublisherUniversity of California Press

Publication DateApr. 25th, 2012

ISBN-139780520270572

Dimensions6.46 x 9.02 x 0.66 inches

ISBN-100520270576

Shipping Weight1.21 lbs

Professional Reviews

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Marine Mammals	p. 1
Major Groups of Marine Mammals	p. 2
Discovering, Naming, and Classifying Marine Mammals	p. 4
Reconstructing the Hierarchy of Marine Mammals	p. 5
Adaptations and Exaptations	p. 11
What Is a Species and How Do New Species Form?	p. 12
Where Do They Live and Why Are They Where They Are?	p. 19
Past Diversity in Time and Space, Paleoclimates, and Paleoecology	p. 29
Fossils and Taphonomy	p. 29
The Discovery of the First Fossil Marine Mammal (a Whale)	p. 30
The Importance of Fossils	p. 32
How Do We Know the Age of a Fossil?	p. 33
How Do We Know Where Marine Mammals Were?	p. 33
Marine Mammal Diversity and Communities Through Time	p. 36
What Led Marine Mammals Back to the Sea?	p. 50
Pinniped Diversity, Evolution, and Adaptations	p. 51
The Earliest Pinnipeds: Webbed Feet or Flippers?	p. 53
Crown Pinnipeds	p. 54
Desmatophocids: Extinct Phocid Relatives	p. 59
Evolutionary Trends	p. 60
Structural and Functional Innovations and Adaptations	p. 61
Mating and Social Systems, Reproduction, and Life History	p. 72
Cetartiodactylan Diversity, Evolution, and Adaptations	p. 79
Early Whales Had Legs!	p. 80
Crown Cetacea (Neoceti)	p. 84
Evolutionary Trends	p. 102
Structural and Functional Innovations and Adaptations	p. 106
Mating and Social Systems, Reproduction, and Life History	p. 121
Diversity, Evolution, and Adaptations of Sirenians and Other Marine Mammals	p. 127
Walking Sea Cows!	p. 128
Crown Sirenia	p. 130
Evolutionary Trends	p. 132
Structural and Functional Innovations and Adaptations	p. 132
Mating and Social Systems, Reproduction and Life History	p. 140
Desmostylians	p. 141
Aquatic Sloths	p. 142
Marine Otters	p. 143
Polar Bears	p. 147
Ecology and Conservation	p. 151
What Marine Mammals Eat and What Eats Them	p. 151
Interactions Between Human and Marine Mammals: Lessons Learned	p. 159
Extinction: The Rule, Not the Exception	p. 167
Glossary	p. 175
Further Reading and Online Sources	p. 185
Illustration Credits	p. 191
Index	p. 195
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Borrow

All Available Copies

Condition	Source	Price
Used Good (1 available) Former Library Book Former Library Book Ships from	Ships directly from Better World Books	$22.93 USD	Add To Cart
New (62 available) Ships Separately	Ships separately from Better World Books suppliers	$43.61 USD	Add To Cart
eBook Obtain a digital book from our friends at eBooks.com. eBooks.com	Digital edition from eBooks.com	{{ebooksDotComPrice}} {{ebooksDotComCurrency}}	eBooks.com
Audio Book Obtain a digital book from our friends at AudiobooksNow.com. AudiobooksNow	Digital edition from AudiobooksNow.com	{{audioBooksNowPrice}} {{audioBooksNowCurrency}}	Audiobook

Return to the Sea : The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals

Hardcover

See All Available Copies

Return to the Sea : The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals

Hardcover

See All Available Copies

Overview

Categories

All Available Copies Find out more about shipping times from these sellers.

Professional Reviews

Table Of Contents

Overview

Product Details

Professional Reviews

Table Of Contents

Borrow

All Available Copies

Book Condition Guide