Front Cover

AMCS Bulletin 27

Crypt of the Megafauna

Luis Espinasa and Jordi Espinasa


Dr. Luis Espinasa, in collaboration with his son Jordi, has crafted a remarkable book that bridges the gap between scientific rigor and accessible storytelling. ''Crypt of the Megafaun'' born from Dr. Espinasa's extensive biospeleological work in caves around the world, offers a captivating glimpse into the animals that once roamed the region of North America.


Table of Contents

Ch. 1 - Preface - Losing Teddy pg.6
Ch. 2 - From humble beginnings pg.10
--Why do cavefish lose their eyes? pg.14
Ch. 3 - Failure to recognize its significance pg.18
--Identification of fossil mammals based on their molars pg.27
Ch. 4 - An explosive discovery pg.30
--A first in evolutionary genetics of cavefish pg.41
Ch. 5 - Sofi’s discovery pg.44
--The amazing teeth of mammoths pg.47
Ch. 6 - A bonanza of fossils pg.50
--How to identify a giant sloth with just a vertebra? pg.55
Ch. 7 - We have felines! pg.57
--The Red Queen’s hypothesis and the evolutionary warfare of limbs pg.66
Ch. 8 - Meet Robo-Teddy pg.69
--Who is Robo-Teddy? pg.73
Ch. 9 - Things go wrong pg.75
--Cavefish have handedness pg.84
Ch. 10 - Calamity Strikes pg.86
--Horse evolution pg.96
Ch. 11 - Teddy returns from the death pg.101
--Extinct Camelids of North America pg.109
Ch. 12 - Return to Arrastre Lodoso and beyond pg.111
--The ground sloths pg.121
Ch. 13 - Epilogue pg.123
Ch. 13 - Appendix pg.131
Acknowledegements pg.140
Figure Credits pg.141
Sponsors pg.142
Bibliography pg.143

 


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