{"product_id":"vanished-giants-by-anthony-j-stuart-9780226824031","title":"Vanished Giants","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeaturing numerous illustrations, this book explores the many lessons to be learned from Pleistocene megafauna, including the role of humans in their extinction, their disappearance as the start of the Sixth Extinction, and what they might teach us about contemporary conservation crises.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLong after the extinction of dinosaurs, when humans were still in the Stone Age, woolly rhinos, mammoths, mastodons, sabertooth cats, giant ground sloths, and many other spectacular large animals that are no longer with us roamed the Earth. These animals are regarded as \"Pleistocene megafauna,\" named for the geological era in which they lived—also known as the Ice Age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eVanished Giants: The Lost World of the Ice Age\u003c\/em\u003e, palaeontologist Anthony J Stuart explores the lives and environments of these animals, moving between six continents and several key islands. Stuart examines the animals themselves via what we’ve learned from fossil remains, and he describes the landscapes, climates, vegetation, ecological interactions, and other aspects of the animals’ existence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIllustrated throughout, \u003cem\u003eVanished Giants\u003c\/em\u003e also offers a picture of the world as it was tens of thousands of years ago when these giants still existed. Unlike the case of the dinosaurs, there was no asteroid strike to blame for the end of their world. Instead, it appears that the giants of the Ice Age were driven to extinction by climate change, human activities—especially hunting—or both. Drawing on the latest evidence provided by radiocarbon dating, Stuart discusses these possibilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe extinction of Ice Age megafauna can be seen as the beginning of the so-called Sixth Extinction, which is happening right now. This has important implications for understanding the likely fate of present-day animals in the face of contemporary climate change and vastly increasing human populations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855417299180,"sku":"9780226824031","price":66.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780226824031.jpg?v=1759267763","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/vanished-giants-by-anthony-j-stuart-9780226824031","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}