Inquiry: Prehistoric Mammals

I was reading an alternative history/fantasy novel series “Thirteenth Child” by Patricia C. Wrede and in this alternate universe where magic lived and the American continents were populated by prehistoric as well as magic animals there was a reference to a wooly rhinoceros. I didn’t think much of it, other than it was a clever thing to make up. If there were wooly mammoths why not wooly rhinoceroses. Eventually my curiosity overcame me and I discovered that there really were wooly rhinos. Most of the fossil record comes from Russia, but just because we don’t have a fossil record for an animal in the USA doesn’t mean it wasn't here, just that we haven’t found any evidence, yet.

On one of my forays to visit family in Texas, Shanna and I stopped in Kemmerer WY. They have some fabulous rock shops there. And it was here at a rock shop they were featuring the fossil of a wooly rhino. It was smaller than I imagined, Shanna included for scale:

A few years later I was reading a new book Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years Book 2) in one of my favorite series and the wooly rhino shows up again. Another twist is that there are also ice age animal weres.

Suddenly, I was obsessed with prehistoric mammals. The best part of my job is that I have the ability to research anything that strikes my fancy. As a reference librarian I sit at a big desk and say to the world “bring it on, ask me anything” and it’s my job to help them find information and answers. Since curiosity is one of my defining characteristics it really is the perfect job. I never know when one of these inquiry topics will help me answer future questions.

I started by looking for books in the library. I found:

• “Atlas of a lost world : travels in Ice Age America” by Craig Childs, 2018

In Atlas of a Lost World, Craig Childs blends science and personal narrative to upend our notions of where these people came from and who they were. How they got here, persevered, and ultimately thrived is a story that resonates from the Pleistocene to our modern era, and reveals how much has changed since the time of mammoth hunters, and how little. Through it, readers will see the Ice Age, and their own age, in a whole new light.” - Amazon

Though this was an interesting book, it wasn’t what I was looking for. I was hoping to find a reference style book that included maps, drawing and details about the various extinct species.

• “Megafauna : giant beasts of Pleistocene South America” by Richard A. Fariña et al., 2013

“More than 10,000 years ago spectacularly large mammals roamed the pampas and jungles of South America. This book tells the story of these great beasts during and just after the Pleistocene, the geological epoch marked by the great ice ages. Megafauna describes the history and way of life of these animals, their comings and goings, and what befell them at the beginning of the modern era and the arrival of humans. It places these giants within the context of the other mammals then alive, describing their paleobiology―how they walked; how much they weighed; their diets, behavior, biomechanics; and the interactions among them and with their environment. It also tells the stories of the scientists who contributed to our discovery and knowledge of these transcendent creatures and the environment they inhabited. The episode known as the Great American Biotic Interchange, perhaps the most important of all natural history "experiments," is also an important theme of the book, tracing the biotic events of both North and South America that led to the fauna and the ecosystems discussed in this book.” - Amazon

Whoa, this was what I was looking for, but was so technically extensive that I gave up and started looking for a beginners or even a children’s book. I will eventually come back to this book, but it wasn’t a good place for me to start my inquiry.

• “The Rise and Reign of the Mammals” by Steve Brusatte, 2023

”We humans are the inheritors of a dynasty that has reigned over the planet for nearly 66 million years, through fiery cataclysm and ice ages: the mammals. Our lineage includes saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths, armadillos the size of a car, cave bears three times the weight of a grizzly, clever scurriers that outlasted Tyrannosaurus rex, and even other types of humans, like Neanderthals. Indeed humankind and many of the beloved fellow mammals we share the planet with today—lions, whales, dogs—represent only the few survivors of a sprawling and astonishing family tree that has been pruned by time and mass extinctions.” - Amazon

Another great book that was too much for my brain. Time for Amazon to come to my rescue

I purchased the following books:

• “Stone Age Beasts” by Ben Lerwill, 2023

Finally, a children’s book with facts, pictures and simple information to get me started. I highly recommend this one. Amazon

• “The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals” by Donald R. Prothero, 2016

I recommend this one which is aimed at adults and includes a lot more information than the basic kids book. I was able to wrap my brain around this one. Amazon

• ”Ice Age Mammals of North America: A Guide to the Big, the Hairy, and the Bizarre” Ian M. Lange, 2017

And another one I’d recommend, written as a “nontechnical introduction” Amazon