An elementary exploration of mammoths, focusing on fossil evidence that helps explain how their big tusks and shaggy fur helped these plant-eating beasts adapt to the last Ice Age.

"An elementary exploration of mammoths, focusing on fossil evidence that helps explain how their big tusks and shaggy fur helped these plant-eating beasts adapt to the last Ice Age"--

This amazing, informative book displays all the huge, wild creatures that existed during the last Ice Age! The Ice Age started around two and a half million years ago, when our planet was covered in ice sheets. Oceans froze, forcing some animals to extinction, but some fearsome Ice Age giants survived and roamed the Earth. Giant sloths fought off saber-toothed cats, and huge birds owned the skies. Mammoths walked across ice bridges over parts of the ocean frozen by the cold climate. The beasts of that time were truly enormous, weird, and wonderful, and kids will love learning about them in this book, complete with beautiful illustrations and gatefolds!

"Paul S. Martin's innovative ideas on late quaternary extinctions and wildlife restoration have fueled one of science's most stimulating recent debates. He expounds them vividly here, and defends them eloquently. A must-read."—David Rains Wallace, author of Beasts of Eden "This is a marvelous read, by a giant in American prehistory, about one of the greatest mysteries in the earth sciences."—Tim Flannery, author of The Eternal Frontier "Whether or not you agree with Paul Martin, he has shaped how we think about our Pleistocene ancestors and their role in transforming this planet."—Ross D. E. MacPhee, Curator of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History

Tusks over 10 feet long made woolly mammoths intimidating ice age animals. Awesome illustrations accompany carefully leveled text about food, habitat, behavior, and extinction, bringing woolly mammoths to life like never before.

Describes where and how wooly mammoths lived and died and speculates on the possiblity of reviving the species through cloning or in vitro fertilization.

Kids will have fun coloring while learning about the saber-toothed cat, woolly mammoth, and giant ground sloth as well as flightless birds and giant lizards. Includes 44 images with descriptive captions.