Animals of every size and variety have disappeared from our planet for eons--most recently due to humans--but they can still be seen and known. Each entry includes full color illustration, Latin name, statistics, reasons they died out, and interesting facts about these animals which used to roam the Earth.

Journey into the wilderness to see the world's most magnificent wild animals. The Magnificent Book of Animals takes you across the globe, from the Arctic tundra to the African savanna, to meet 36 fascinating animals. From the tiny Rondo dwarf bush baby to the massive white rhinoceros, this book depicts some of the world’s most incredible animals in stunning and accurate original illustrations. Intriguing facts accompany every illustration, so you can learn how a tiger marks its territory, why a polar bear isn’t really white, and how long a giraffe’s tongue actually is. This is the perfect book for animal lovers everywhere. 36 ANIMALS: Learn about dozens of animals from all over the world, from the snow leopard to the flying fox. BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED: Vibrant, detailed images bring these incredible animals to life. FASCINATING FACTS: Includes hundreds of fascinating facts in an easy-to-read format that will excite animal lovers of all ages. MAP OF THE ANIMAL WORLD: A full-page color map shows where each animal originates. COLLECT THE SERIES: More beautifully illustrated collections for all ages include The Magnificent Book of Cats, The Magnificent Book of Sharks, The Magnificent Book of Horses, The Magnificent Book of Birds, and The Magnificent Book of Extinct Animals.

A short description of the extinct animal along with a color drawing.

Everyone is familiar with the dodo and the wooly mammoth, but how many people have heard of the scimitar cat and the Falkland Island fox? Extinct Animals portrays over 60 remarkable animals that have been lost forever during the relatively recent geological past. Each entry provides a concise discussion of the history of the animal—how and where it lived, and how it became extinct—as well as the scientific discovery and analysis of the creature. In addition, this work examines what led to extinction—from the role of cyclical swings in the Earth's climate to the spread of humans and their activities. Many scientists believe that we are in the middle of a mass extinction right now, caused by the human undermining of the earth's complex systems that support life. Understanding what caused the extinction of animals in the past may help us understand and prevent the extinction of species in the future. Extinct Animals examines the biology and history of some of the most interesting creatures that have ever lived, including: The American Terror Bird, which probably became extinct over 1 million years ago, who were massive predators, some of which were almost 10 feet tall; the Rocky Mountain Locust, last seen in 1902, formed the most immense animal aggregations ever known, with swarms estimated to include over 10 trillion insects; the Giant Ground Sloth, which was as large as an elephant; and the Neandertals, the first Europeans, which co-existed with prehistoric Homo sapiens. Extinct Animals includes illustrations—many created for the work—that help the reader visualize the extinct creature, and each entry concludes with a list of resources for those who wish to do further research.

A fascinating journey around the world of extinct animals, combining cartoons with naturalist drawings, and mythology with science.

Meet fire-breathing dragons, magical fairies, ancient monsters, and shapeshifting spirits as you take a journey through the fantastic realm of legend, myth, and folklore. From the blood-sucking vampire and the three-headed dog Cerberus to the beautiful unicorn and the powerful centaur, a myriad of fantasy creatures from across the globe and many different cultures are brought to life in this large-format volume bursting with detailed full-color images. Fascinating facts accompany each illustration, so you can find out why looking at a basilisk means certain death, where to find a Yeti, and why you should never disturb an ogre. DOZENS OF FANTASY CREATURES: Learn about 36 giants, spirits, demons, and monsters. BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED: Vibrant, detailed images bring these creatures of myth, folklore, and legend to life. FASCINATING FACTS: Includes hundreds of fascinating facts in an easy-to-read format that will enthral mythology lovers of all ages. CLASSROOM TO COFFEE TABLE: This beautiful volume is equally at home on a school bookshelf to support student learning as in a living room to be enjoyed by the whole family. COLLECT THE SERIES: More fascinating compendiums for all ages include The Magnificent Book of Monsters, The Magnificent Book of Dragons, The Magnificent Book of Extinct Animals, and The Magnificent Book of Sharks, and more!

A voyage through time for children to discover curious things about our planet and how it has changed over the years, causing the extinction of many animals. Nature never ceases to amaze us, especially in the animal kingdom! In this book, children will be able to follow the adventures of an intrepid explorer through his research, which has brought him face to face with some of the most bizarre extinct animals in the world. Young readers will discover that our planet was once inhabited by armadillos the size of a car, rhinoceroses without horns as tall as a giraffe, and elephants no bigger than a sheep. A fact box for each animal provides its scientific name, period in which it lived, its diet, size, when it disappeared, and why.

Meet the incredible animals that have disappeared due to competition, mass extinctions, hunting, and human activity. Lost Animals brings back to life some of the most charismatic creatures to inhabit the planet. It captures the imagination with more than 200 incredible photographs, artworks of fossils, and scientific drawings of charming creatures like dodos, paraceratherium (the largest land mammal), spinosaurus (the biggest carnivorous dinosaur), placeoderm fishes (the sharks of their day), and more! Lost Animals is a captivating documentation of evolution and extinction. Each chapter focuses on a specific time in Earth's history, from the Cambrian explosion (the most intense surge of evolution the world has ever experienced) to present times, with profiles of the key species that lived then. From long extinct animals to Lazarus species--animals that were thought to be extinct before being rediscovered--this book takes readers on a journey through Earth's natural history, highlighting the world's biggest animal losses and its moments of conservational hope.

Presents the names, physical characteristics, and places of origin of a variety of extinct animals, arranged chronologically into eras, periods, and epochs, and discusses times of mass extinction.

The rapid growth of the American environmental movement in recent decades obscures the fact that long before the first Earth Day and the passage of the Endangered Species Act, naturalists and concerned citizens recognized—and worried about—the problem of human-caused extinction. As Mark V. Barrow reveals in Nature’s Ghosts, the threat of species loss has haunted Americans since the early days of the republic. From Thomas Jefferson’s day—when the fossil remains of such fantastic lost animals as the mastodon and the woolly mammoth were first reconstructed—through the pioneering conservation efforts of early naturalists like John James Audubon and John Muir, Barrow shows how Americans came to understand that it was not only possible for entire species to die out, but that humans themselves could be responsible for their extinction. With the destruction of the passenger pigeon and the precipitous decline of the bison, professional scientists and wildlife enthusiasts alike began to understand that even very common species were not safe from the juggernaut of modern, industrial society. That realization spawned public education and legislative campaigns that laid the foundation for the modern environmental movement and the preservation of such iconic creatures as the bald eagle, the California condor, and the whooping crane. A sweeping, beautifully illustrated historical narrative that unites the fascinating stories of endangered animals and the dedicated individuals who have studied and struggled to protect them, Nature’s Ghosts offers an unprecedented view of what we’ve lost—and a stark reminder of the hard work of preservation still ahead.