« The family Equidae have an extensive fossil record spanning the last 58 million
years, and the evolution of the horse has frequently been used as a classic example
of long-term evolution. In recent years, however, there have been many important discoveries
of fossil horses, and these, in conjunction with such new methods as cladistics, and
techniques like precise geochronology, have allowed us to achieve a much greater understanding
of the evolution and biology of this important group. This book synthesizes the large
body of data and research relevant to an understanding of fossil horses from several
disciplines including biology, geology and palaeontology. Using horses as the central
theme, the author weaves together in the text such topics as modern geochronology,
palaeobiogeography, climate change, evolution and extinction, functional morphology,
and population biology during the Cenozoic period. » Présentation de l’éditeur (1994)