uncoat Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Today i picked up a interesting book Dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and i was surprised to see a small section on marine mammals. This even included artists interpretation of pinnipeds such as Desmatophoca. This got me to wandering if there are any other good books specifically about the fossil marine mammal record? I have read through dozens of Contributions to science and scientific papers but im always looking for good reference materiel. Fossil pinnipeds and cetacean's are of particular interest to me. Anyone have any good suggestions? - Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 (edited) The best available overall summary of marine mammals is the following, in three successive editions: Berta, Annalisa and James L. Sumich, 1999, Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology. Academic Press 494 pages. First Edition Berta, Annalisa and James L. Sumich, 2005, Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology. Academic Press. Second Edition. Berta, Analisa, James L. Sumich (with illustrations by Carl Buell), 2012, Return to the Sea: The life and times of marine Mammals. University of California Press, I have not yet had time to go through the 2012 edition, so cannot comment about it. Rich Edited May 28, 2013 by RichW9090 1 The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Nick, I agree with Rich. I have the 2nd edition of Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology and it is a great reference. I have been meaning to get a copy of "Return to the Sea." Check these out too (not books but volumes, each containing several marine mammal articles): A. Berta and T.A. Demere (eds.). 1994. Contributions in Marine Mammal Paleontology Honoring Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. Proceedings of the.San Diego Society of. Natural History 29. Ray, C.E., D.J. Bohaska, I.A. Koretsky, L.W. Ward, and L.G. Barnes. (eds.) 2008.Geology and Paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, IV. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 14. Virginia Museum of Natural History Publications. - great reference for Middle Miocene and Early Pliocene marine mammals of the east coast uncredited editor(s). 1994. Evolution and Biogeography of Fossil Marine Vertebrates in the Pacific Realm. The Island Arc 3. Issue 4. Blackwell Science. Jess Today i picked up a interesting book Dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and i was surprised to see a small section on marine mammals. This even included artists interpretation of pinnipeds such as Desmatophoca. This got me to wandering if there are any other good books specifically about the fossil marine mammal record? I have read through dozens of Contributions to science and scientific papers but im always looking for good reference materiel. Fossil pinnipeds and cetacean's are of particular interest to me. Anyone have any good suggestions?- Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 The third reference in my post above is not a new edition of the first two. It is, rather, a popular summary of our knowedge about the biology of sea mammals. It is at a far more general level than even the beginers here, and doesn't describe particular fossil critters much at all. I'd go with the second edition - Berta and Sumich (2005). The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Nick, There's a book, "Neptune's Ark: from Ichthyosaurs to Orcas" (2007, University of California Press) by David Rains Wallace you might want to check out, It's a mainstream review of the evolution of marine life on the west coast of North America. Wallace mixes in some of the history of the study of marine mammals as well (pages on George Wilhelm Steller, Douglas Emlong, etc.). He briefly discusses Desmatophoca, Allodesmus, desmostylians, various extinct whales, etc.across the chapters. It might be too general for you as it doesn't show bones or discuss any group to great depth but I liked it. Jess Today i picked up a interesting book Dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and i was surprised to see a small section on marine mammals. This even included artists interpretation of pinnipeds such as Desmatophoca. This got me to wandering if there are any other good books specifically about the fossil marine mammal record? I have read through dozens of Contributions to science and scientific papers but im always looking for good reference materiel. Fossil pinnipeds and cetacean's are of particular interest to me. Anyone have any good suggestions?- Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncoat Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Thanks Rich and Jess for the great suggestions. I will have to keep an eye out for a used copy of Marine Mammals and Return To The Sea as well as Neptune's Ark. Are they worth the prices i see them going for? Are they more information or do they have pictures and other bits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 From my point of view, if I could only buy one book, I'd get the Berta and Sumich 2005. The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Nick, I agree with him on that. Berta and Sumich (2005) is a textbook that anyone interested in marine mammals should have. "Neptune's Ark" is a popular science book told more as a story with information about west coast animals along the way. It does have nice illustrations too. If you see it cheap, check it out. You might find it on a used book site or in a local used bookstore. In fact, you should check out Powell's bookstore which is either in Portland or just outside of it. I haven't been there in years but it had a decent paleo section then. Jess From my point of view, if I could only buy one book, I'd get the Berta and Sumich 2005. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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