Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands

This book is an important addition to the library of any Quaternary mammalian palaeontologist and will likely be useful to those whose interests extend back deeper into the Cenozoic. The book is well illustrated and very well researched, with an excellent set of references. I suspect that it will become the starting point for many future researchers and research projects. (Geological Journal, 1 March 2013) I laud the authors on undertaking a work of this magnitude, and commend it to anyone interested in the remarkable beasts that once populated the little places on Earth. (J Mammal Evol, 1 February 2011) With many examples and more than 50 pages of up-to-date bibliography, this book is particularly interesting for students and professional researchers in evolution. (Mammalia, 28 June 2012) It is generously illustrated and nicely presented. Island biota will continue to provide a fascinating arena for the study of evolution, and this book highlights the value of taking a broader view than the brief snapshot in time provided by contemporary insular biota alone. (BioScience, 1 April 2012) "Van der Geer et al. Have done a thorough job of providing an up-to-date overview of what is now known about the diversity, adaptations, biogeographical histories, and ultimate extinction of these quite remarkable creatures: elephants the size of large dogs, lemurs that hung from branches like sloths, rodents the size of ponies, and many other examples of adaptation in action." (The Quarterly Review of Biology, 1 June 2011) "Figure quality, including 26 color plates, is excellent. Comprehensive index and reference list included. Highly Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals in paleontology and zoology." (Choice, 1 March 2011) "That aside, there's a lot of material in here that's fascinating to the non-specialist". (Fortean Times, 1 March 2011) "This superb book looks at the evolution, and extinction, of placentals ranging from the Oligocene to the present ... a well published textbook, superbly illustrated with drawings and photographs, that it would be fun to read through a little before sticking it on my shelf as a reference book for the future." (Troglodyte4, 2010)