Overview

Research in whale origins is in an explosive phase at the end of the 20th century, with a cascade of discoveries adding to our understanding of the evolutionary pattern and a suite of new techniques being applied to address new questions. The objective of this volume is to provide a snapshot of this explosion. The volume paints the scene with a broad brush. Taken together the chapters indicate that cetacean origins is a field that is dynamic, multidisciplinary, and that the end of the explosive phase is not in sight.

Full Product Details

Author:   J.G.M. Thewissen
Publisher:   Springer Science+Business Media
Imprint:   Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers
Edition:   1998 ed.
Volume:   1
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   1.900kg
ISBN:  

9780306458538

ISBN 10:   0306458535
Pages:   477
Publication Date:   31 October 1998
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

1 • Synopsis of the Earliest Cetaceans: Pakicetidae, Ambulocetidae, Remingtonocetidae, and Protocetidae.- 2 · Middle to Late Eocene Basilosaurines and Dorudontines.- 3 · Molecular Evidence for the Phylogenetic Affinities of Cetacea.- 4 · Cetaceans Are Highly Derived Artiodactyls.- 5 · Phylogenetic and Morphometric Reassessment of the Dental Evidence for a Mesonychian and Cetacean Clade.- 6 · Relationships of Cetacea to Terrestrial Ungulates and the Evolution of Cranial Vasculature in Cete.- 7 · Middle Eocene Cetaceans from the Harudi and Subathu Formations of India.- 8 · Postcranial Osteology of the North American Middle Eocene Protocetid Georgiacetus.- 9 · Homology and Transformation of Cetacean Ectotympanic Structures.- 10 · Biomechanical Perspective on the Origin of Cetacean Flukes.- 11 · Implications of Vertebral Morphology for Locomotor Evolution in Early Cetacea.- 12 · Structural Adaptations of Early Archaeocete Long Bones.- 13 · Evolution of Thermoregulatory Function in Cetacean Reproductive Systems.- 14 · Isotopic Approaches to Understanding the Terrestrial-to-Marine Transition of the Earliest Cetaceans.- 15 · Paleobiological Perspectives on Mesonychia, Archaeoceti, and the Origin of Whales.- 16 · Cetacean Origins: Evolutionary Turmoil during the Invasion of the Oceans.

Reviews

....it offers important anatomical vignettes such as those relating to hearing and swimming. All told, the contributors have created an extremely data-rich volume from which scholars will glean knowledge for years to come.' Science, 283 (1999) Up to now, a state of the art' summary ... had not been available. This book admirably fills that void and should be added to the library of any serious mammalogist and paleomammalogist.' Journal of Mammalogy, 80: 4 (1999) The Emergence of Whales ends with excellent summaries about our knowledge to date of early whale evolution. The book is a very ggod source of informatiom on the early whales and is necessary reading for anyome involved in whale paleobiology and evolution.' American Scientist, 87 (1999)

`....it offers important anatomical vignettes such as those relating to hearing and swimming. All told, the contributors have created an extremely data-rich volume from which scholars will glean knowledge for years to come.' Science, 283 (1999) `Up to now, a `state of the art' summary ... had not been available. This book admirably fills that void and should be added to the library of any serious mammalogist and paleomammalogist.' Journal of Mammalogy, 80:4 (1999) `The Emergence of Whales ends with excellent summaries about our knowledge to date of early whale evolution. The book is a very ggod source of informatiom on the early whales and is necessary reading for anyome involved in whale paleobiology and evolution.' American Scientist, 87 (1999)

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