Fires of Life: Endothermy in Birds and Mammals

By Barry Gordon Lovegrove

A groundbreaking argument on how endothermy--arguably the most important innovation in vertebrate evolution--developed in birds and mammals

"Vividly narrated and illustrated. . . . Provocative and fascinating for specialists and lay readers alike."--Southeastern Naturalist

This pioneering work investigates why endothermy, or "warm-bloodedness," evolved in birds and mammals, despite its enormous energetic costs. Arguing that single-cause hypotheses to explain the origins of endothermy have stalled research since the 1970s, Barry Gordon Lovegrove advances a novel conceptual framework that considers multiple potential causes and integrates data from the southern as well as the northern hemisphere. Drawing on paleontological data; research on extant species in places like the Karoo, Namaqualand, Madagascar, and Borneo; and novel physiological models, Lovegrove builds a compelling new explanation for the evolution of endothermy. Vividly narrated and illustrated, this book stages a groundbreaking argument that should prove provocative and fascinating for specialists and lay readers alike.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300227167
• ISBN13: 9780300227161
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.4"