Ancient Life of the Great Lakes Basin: Precambrian to Pleistocene

by J. Alan Holman

Today, Michigan is home to many different animals and plants. Yet nearly 12,000 years ago it was home to very different kinds of animals and flora. Huge mastodons and mammoths roamed through southern Michigan. Whales, walruses, and giant rodents swam in the lakes, and shaggy musk oxen grazed in the woodlands. Now, 2000 years later, all but their fossils are gone.

Ancient Life of the Great Lakes Basin provides a one-of-a- kind look at ancient life in the Great Lakes. Written for the layperson and for the professional with biological or geological interest in the Great Lakes region, the book describes most of the common fossils found in this region. Detailed illustrations help identify many of the fossilized organisms that can be found today. Among the most interesting illustrations presented in the book are Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen's conceptions of what the fossilized creatures may have looked like when they were alive. In addition, color illustrations by van Frankenhuyzen depict spectacular scenes of ancient life in the Great Lakes area.

The book begins with a brief review of biological and geological principles and then offers a framework for the study of the fossil record. Methods of collection, preservation and maintenance of fossils are also presented. Throughout the book, common fossils found today embedded in rocks and other solid matter are emphasized.



J. Alan Holman is Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology in the Michigan State University Museum, and Professor of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University.

295 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 1995

About the author

Dr. J. Alan Holman was an American paleontologist, herpetologist, and Curator Emeritus of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Michigan State University Museum and Emeritus Professor of Geology and Zoology at Michigan State University.

Holman authored twelve books, including two monographs (Pleistocene Amphibians; Reptiles in North America; Pleistocene Amphibians; Reptiles in Britain and Europe) and field guides, such as: Michigan Snakes, Michigan Turtles, Lizards, Michigan Frogs, Toads and Salamanders. The book, The Michigan Roadside Naturalist, was co-authored with, Dr. Margaret B. "Peg" Holman, his wife. His accomplishment include, Honorary Lifetime membership in the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Alan...

Reviews

[Jeffrey]

Good general overview of the types of fossils found in the Great Lakes Basin. I wish it was more in-depth about the specific fossils found rather than overview/background but still interesting to know what sorts of creatures lived around the Great Lakes in the far past.