Mammals

A Very Short Introduction

T. S. Kemp (Emeritus Research Fellow, St John's College, Oxford)

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English

Oxford University Press
28 September 2017

Zoology: Mammals; Wildlife: mammals

Series: Very Short Introductions

"From a modest beginning in the form of a little shrew-like, nocturnal, insect eating ancestor that lived 200 million years ago, mammals evolved into the huge variety of different kinds of animals we see today. Many species are still small, and follow the lifestyle of the ancestor, but others have adapted to become large grazers and browsers, like the antelopes, cattle, rhinos, and elephants, or the lions, hyaenas, and wolves that prey upon them. Yet others evolved to be specialist termite eaters able to dig into the hardest mounds, or tunnel creating burrowers, and a few took to the skies as gliders and the bats. Many live partly in the water, such as otters, beavers, and hippos, while whales and dugongs remain permanently in the seas, incapable of ever emerging onto land.

In this Very Short Introduction T. S. Kemp explains how it is a tenfold increase in metabolic rate - endothermy or ""warm-bloodedness"" - that lies behind the high levels of activity, and the relatively huge brain associated with complex, adaptable behaviour that epitomizes mammals. He describes the remarkable fossil record, revealing how and when the mammals gained their characteristics, and the tortuous course of their subsequent evolution, during which many bizarre forms such as sabre-toothed cats, and 30-tonne, 6-m high browsers arose and disappeared. Describing the wonderful adaptations that mammals evolved to suit their varied modes of life, he also looks at those of the mainly arboreal primates that culminated ultimately in Homo sapiens.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable."

By: T. S. Kemp (Emeritus Research Fellow St John's College Oxford)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 175mm, Width: 115mm, Spine: 9mm
Weight: 130g
ISBN: 9780198766940
ISBN 10: 0198766947
Series: Very Short Introductions
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 28 September 2017
Audience: Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Undergraduate , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1: What is a mammal? 2: The origin of mammals 3: The radiation of mammals 4: Carnivorous mammals 5: Herbivorous mammals 6: Diggers and burrowers 7: Aquatic mammals 8: Flying mammals 9: Primates 10: Humans and mammals: the past and the future References Further Reading Index

Dr T. S. Kemp is Emeritus Research Fellow at St John's College, Oxford, and a widely respected expert on the evolution of mammals. He is the author of several books widely used by students, including The Origin and Evolution of Mammals (OUP, 2005), and The Origin of Higher Taxa (OUP, 2015).

Reviews for Mammals: A Very Short Introduction

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 *