Dogs Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History

Mauricio Antn is a paleontological artist based at the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid. His collaborations include Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids(with Jordi Agust) and, with Alan Turner, The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relativesand Evolving Eden.Human beings' unique friendship with dogs has been a subject of symbolic and poetic interest for centuries, from Homer's portrayal of the faithful Argos in the Odysseyto John Steinbeck's Travels with Charleyand the recent New York Times best seller Marley Me. Now readers can enjoy a scientific portrait of the long and complex history of this interesting group of carnivores and how they became our best friends through a long line of descent. Dogs: Their Fossil Ancestors and Evolutionary Historyis a comprehensive, vivid account of the origin and evolution of canids-including wolves, foxes, coyotes, and wild dogs-from their common ancestors more than 40 million years ago. Xiaoming Wang, who has spent the past twenty years studying the evolutionary history of the family Canidae, and Richard H. Tedford, who laid down the modern framework of the evolutionary relationship of canids, pore over a wealth of fossil and molecular evidence to rebuild a fascinating history of adaptation, succession, and domestication. The authors capture the excitement of these recent discoveries and show how they explain canids' complex social behaviors, diverse adaptations to various environments, and predatory specializations over time. Mauricio Antn's exceptional reconstructions of both extinct and extant species are unparalleled in their anatomical detail and turn the science of paleontology into an exciting visual experience. Accessibly written while scientifically rich, this book is an unprecedented reference for anyone who has a deep fascination with man's best friend." Dogs: Their Fossil Ancestors and Evolutionary Historyprovides an excellent and much-needed overview of the history of the Canidae. There is no other book that covers the subject in as much detail." -- Blaire Van Valkenburgh, University of California, Los Angeles"This is an extremely valuable and interesting book with text and illustrations by the best in the business. It will certainly be an original contribution to the field, as well as bringing together all known information about canid evolution into one readily accessible text." -- Lars Werdelin, Swedish Museum of Natural HistoryXiaoming Wang has spent the past 20 years studying the evolutionary history of the family Canidae, and Richard H. Tedford is well known for having established the modern framework for the evolutionary relationship of canids. Combining their research with Mauricio Antn's impeccable reconstructions of both extinct and extant species, Wang and Tedford present a remarkably detailed and nuanced portrait of the origin and evolution of canids over the past 40 million years. The authors cull their history from the most recent scientific research conducted in the vast collections of the American Museum of Natural History and other leading institutions. Perhaps because canids inhabited wide-open terrains, where terrestrial sediments are best preserved, their fossil records, particularly those from North America, are the strongest of their kind among known groups of carnivorans. Such a wonderfully detailed evolutionary history therefore provides access to a natural history that is not possible with many other groups of carnivorans. With their rich fossil records, diverse adaptations to various environments, and different predatory specializations, canids are an ideal model organism for the mapping of predator behaviors and morphological specializations. They also offer an excellent contrast to felids, which remain entrenched in extreme predatory specializations. The innovative illustrated approach in this book is the perfect accompaniment to an extremely important branch of animal and fossil study. It transforms the science of paleontology into a thrilling visual experience and provides an unprecedented reference for anyone fascinated by dogs."A beautifully illustrated guide to the wonderful world of canids, past and present. Man's best friend finally gets his full history told." -- Blaire Van Valkenburgh, University of California, Los Angeles" Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary Historyis an extremely valuable and interesting book with text and illustrations by the best in the business. The volume is an original contribution to the field, bringing together all known information about canid evolution into one readily accessible text." -- Lars Werdelin, Swedish Museum of Natural HistoryXiaoming Wang and Richard H. Tedford have spent the past 20 years studying the evolutionary history of the family Canidae. Both are well known for having established the modern framework for the evolutionary relationship of canids. Combining their research with Mauricio Antn's impeccable reconstructions of both extinct and extant species, Wang and Tedford present a remarkably detailed and nuanced portrait of the origin and evolution of canids over the past 40 million years. The authors cull their history from the most recent scientific research conducted on the vast collections of the American Museum of Natural History and other leading institutions. The fossil record of the Canidae, particularly those from their birth place in North America, are the strongest of their kind among known groups of carnivorans. Such a wonderfully detailed evolutionary history provides access to a natural history that is not possible with many other groups of carnivorans. With their rich fossil record, diverse adaptations to various environments, and different predatory specializations, canids are an ideal model organism for the mapping of predator behavior and morphological specializations. They also offer an excellent contrast to felids, which remain entrenched in extreme predatory specializations. The innovative illustrated approach in this book is the perfect accompaniment to an extremely important branch of animal and fossil study. It transforms the science of paleontology into a thrilling visual experience and provides an unprecedented reference for anyone fascinated by dogs.Xiaoming Wang is curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and has been studying the evolutionary history of the family Canidae for the past 20 years Richard H. Tedford is curator emeritus in the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History, New York Mauricio Anton is a paleontological artist based at the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid