Table of Contents

Preface; Acknowledgements; Part I. Proboscidean Flesh and Bones: 1. Taxonomy: classification of fossil and living forms; 2. Physical appearance: mammoths, mastodonts, and modern elephants; 3. A referential model for understanding mammoths and mastodonts: social structure and habit use by modern elephants; Part II. Actualistic Studies of Proboscidean Mortality: 4. Actualistic studies of mass deaths; 5. Actualistic studies of mass kills; Part III. The Fossil Record: 6. Finding meaning in proboscidean sites: the world fossil record; 7. Extinction in North America at the end of the Pleistocene; Appendix; References; Index.

Promotional Information

This study uses the ecology and behaviour of modern elephants to create models for reconstructing the life and death of extinct mammoths and mastodons.

About the Author

Gary Haynes is Foundation Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno. For eight years (2003–2011) he was President of the Commission on Palaeoecology and Human Evolution in INQUA (the International Union for Quaternary Research). He has done fieldwork research on free-roaming elephants in southern Africa for over 30 years, and has also specialized in the study of earliest American Paleoindian cultures. Current research is focused on Zimbabwean prehistory and paleoenvironments.

Reviews

'The book is well written, with illusions and tables provided to support important conclusions.' Science 'Of greatest value for paleontologists and archaeologists, but advanced undergraduates interested in the techniques of historical sciences could read it profitably.' Choice ' ... an enthralling book which anyone interested in elephants or mammoths will enjoy.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'The scholarly title obscures the real topic. In fact, this volume is a brilliant murder mystery.' Scientific American