North American Survivors explores seven species of mammals that existed in the North American continent, lived through the last Ice Age, and endured to the present. It reveals the ancestral origins of
North American Survivors explores seven species of mammals that existed in the North American continent, lived through the last Ice Age, and endured to the present. It reveals the ancestral origins of the animals, the opinions that humans held towards them, and the way they affected the biodiversity in the environment in which they live. North American Survivors considers the way these animals survived so that humans may learn and integrate the animals' resilience in their own lives to continue through the ongoing climate change crisis.
North American Survivors also gives an overview of what the year of the particular animal looks like: when mating and birthing season begins, and when a particular animal grows independent.
The animals discussed include:
White—tailed deer
Pronghorn
Cougars
Collared javelina or peccary
Black bears
and others.
Complete with a glossary and a list for further reading, North American Survivors is the book to introduce readers to the adaptability of animals and what helps them survive today.
Dave Taylor is the author/photographer of more than 50 books on wildlife and natural history. He is a retired teacher who has had a passion for black bears since the 1960s and wrote about it in the book, Black Bears: A Natural History.
View Biographical note
Contents
Introduction:
Chapter 1: Megafauna Extinctions
Extinct Ice Age Megafauna
Inset 1:1 A Word about Dates Used in this Book
Inset 1:2 Ice Age Facts at a Glance
Chapter 2: White—tailed Deer: The Generalist
Inset: The Northern White—tailed Deer Year
Inset: Mule Deer
Inset: Extinct Pronghorn Relatives
Inset: The Pronghorn's Year
Chapter 4: Mountain Goat: Life in Isolation
Inset: The Mountain Goat's Year
Inset: Mountain Sheep
Chapter 5: Collared Javelina/Peccary: Moving North
Inset: Wild Boars and Javelinas
Inset: The Peccary/Javelina's Year
Chapter 6: Black Bear: The Tolerant and the Tolerated
Inset: Hibernation
Inset: The Black Bear's Year
Chapter 7: Cougar: Resurgence
Inset: Jaguar: The America's Only Big Cat
Inset: The Cougar's Year
Chapter 8: Coyote: The Wolf Among Us
Inset: The Coyote's Year
Inset: Why do coyotes attack dogs?
Chapter 9: New Arrivals and Old Acquaintances
New Species
Bison
New Arrivals
Elk
Moose
Grizzly bear
Long—time Survivors in Europe and North America
Caribou
Muskoxen
Evolving Species
Polar bear
Grey Wolf
Returning Species
Horse
Rewilding
Chapter 10:
Conclusions
Dictionary
Bibliography
Chapter 1: Megafauna Extinction
Chapter 2: White—tailed Deer
Chapter 3: Pronghorn
Chapter 4: Mountain Goat
Chapter 5: Collared Peccary/Javelina
Chapter 6: Black Bear
Chapter 7: Cougar
Chapter 8: Coyote
Chapter 9: New Arrivals
General
View Table of contents