Once and Future Giants

What Ice Age Extinctions Tell Us About the Fate of Earth's Largest Animals

Sharon Levy

Offers an accessible discussion of the latest evidence on the Pleistocene die-off of mammoths, mastodons, and other charismatic large mammals worldwide during the planet's most recent mass extinction event
Looks critically at the concept of Pleistocene re-wilding, using real-world examples of unplanned re-wilding (some disastrous and others surprisingly beneficial)
Introduces the idea that Ice Age megafauna extinctions hold important lessons for modern conservation

Once and Future Giants

What Ice Age Extinctions Tell Us About the Fate of Earth's Largest Animals

Sharon Levy

Description

Until about 13,000 years ago, North America was home to a menagerie of massive mammals. Mammoths, camels, and lions walked the ground that has become Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles and foraged on the marsh land now buried beneath Chicago's streets. Then, just as the first humans reached the Americas, these Ice Age giants vanished forever.

In Once and Future Giants, science writer Sharon Levy digs through the evidence surrounding Pleistocene large animal ("megafauna") extinction events worldwide, showing that understanding this history--and our part in it--is crucial for protecting the elephants, polar bears, and other great creatures at risk today. These surviving relatives of the Ice Age beasts now face the threat of another great die-off, as our species usurps the planet's last wild places while driving a warming trend more extreme than any in mammalian history. Deftly navigating competing theories and emerging evidence, Once and Future Giants examines the extent of human influence on megafauna extinctions past and present, and explores innovative conservation efforts around the globe. The key to modern-day conservation, Levy suggests, may lie fossilized right under our feet.

Once and Future Giants

What Ice Age Extinctions Tell Us About the Fate of Earth's Largest Animals

Sharon Levy

Once and Future Giants

What Ice Age Extinctions Tell Us About the Fate of Earth's Largest Animals

Sharon Levy

Author Information

Sharon Levy is a freelance science writer who specializes in making natural resource and conservation issues accessible for a broad audience. She is a contributing editor at OnEarth magazine and writes regularly for National Wildlife, BioScience, and New Scientist. Her work has appeared in Nature, Natural History, Audubon, High Country News, and Discovery Channel Online. She lives in Humboldt County, California.

Once and Future Giants

What Ice Age Extinctions Tell Us About the Fate of Earth's Largest Animals

Sharon Levy

Reviews and Awards

"Sharon Levy does a marvellous job of explaining the complex and competing theories behind these mass Pleistocene extinctions, while capturing the fervour and enthusiasm of the scientists who dedicate their lives to solving the mystery." --Kat Austen, New Scientist

"Beautifully connects the world as we know it to one that, on a geological scale, disappeared only yesterday.... Levy's book effectively states the case for those who want to heal ecological wounds thought to have been opened by prehistoric humans." --Brian Switek, Wired

"The book tackles the often conflicting theories and research in such a way that lay readers can understand what scientists think happened in the past and what they see happening now. But the big question is whether we can reverse these trends. Levy outlines possible methods to save some of the living megafauna and rebalance ecosystems.... Highly recommended for all interested readers." --Library Journal

"In a series of fascinating discussions Levy breathes life into these long-extinct animals, introduces readers to important lessons to be learned from extinction events, and considers proposals for resurrecting Ice Age ecosystems.... This well-written, general interest book on basic ecology will interest anyone concerned about the health of the environment and the importance of conserving dwindling wilderness resources." --Choice

"The book provides, in a more convincing way than I have read anywhere else, an integrated account of the past extinction of megafauna, the impact of these losses on the modern world, and the present status and conservation of large mammals globally." --Adrian Lister, PLoS Biology

"I found this educational and extremely interesting. Levy paints a picture of the Pleistocene that easily draws the reader into the prehistoric world of the megafauna." -- Biological Conservation

"Packed full of fascinating work, Once and Future Giants successfully marries modern investigations to ancient evidence, creating an interesting and thought provoking read that raises questions regarding the true 'natural state' of our Earth, our impacts upon it and the importance of megafauna to struggling ecosystems across the globe." --The Biologist