In quest of Great Lakes Ice Age vertebrates

Preface

Preface For me, collecting fossils, holding these ancient bones in my hands, studying to find out what they are, how the creatures they represent lived, has enabled me to reach back in time, to touch the past. -Amateur paleontologist Joan Wiffen, New Zealand The last Ice Age (Pleistocene epoch) ended only about 140 human generations ago. It was characterized by gigantic , moving ice sheets that changed the face of the earth and a massive, worldwide extinction of large mammals. This book details the Pleistocene vertebrates : fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals of Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin (fig. 1). The spectacular extinct mammals as well as more familiar vertebrates that survived into modern time are featured, and unanswered questions about the sudden extinction of the many large mammalian species at the end of the epoch are addressed. The intended audience includes the general public, students and teachers, and professionals with biological or geological interests. The book begins with a definition of concepts and terms for the general audience and a discussion of the Pleistocene and how it affected the physical and biological FIGURE 1. States and provinces covered in this book. world. A general account of the Pleistocene in the Great Lakes region is given. Next, the methods employed and tools used in collecting vertebrate fossils are explained, and the ethics and protocol involved in maintaining a proper collection of vertebrate fossils are discussed. This is followed by a species-by-species account of the Pleistocene vertebrates of the region. Here the structure , habits, and habitats of these animals are discussed. Some important fossils and species represented by the fossils are illustrated. A site-by-site description of the major Pleistocene vertebrate faunas of the Great Lakes region is presented next, which includes a list of all of the vertebrate species found in each site, as well as ecological and climatic interpretations for each locality. The final portion of the book examines the compelling problems of the Pleistocene relative to faunal interpretations in the region. Major topics will be vertebrate range adjustments that occurred in the region , how the great Pleistocene extinction affected the animals of the region, and the aftermath of the Ice Age. I have attempted to write this book in a way that reflects the main objective of the book, which is to introduce the reader to the fascinating vertebrate life of the Ice Age of the Great Lakes region. vii ...