The Rise and Reign of the Mammals

A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us

By: Steve Brusatte

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

New from the author of the acclaimed bestseller The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (“A masterpiece of science writing.” —Washington Post) and “one of the stars of modern paleontology” (National Geographic), a sweeping and revelatory history of mammals, illuminating the lost story of the extraordinary family tree that led to us.

We humans are the inheritors of a dynasty that has reigned over the planet for nearly 66 million years, through fiery cataclysm and ice ages: the mammals. Our lineage includes saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths, armadillos the size of a car, cave bears three times the weight of a grizzly, clever scurriers that outlasted Tyrannosaurus rex, and even other types of humans, like Neanderthals. Indeed humankind and many of the beloved fellow mammals we share the planet with today—lions, whales, dogs—represent only the few survivors of a sprawling and astonishing family tree that has been pruned by time and mass extinctions. How did we get here?

In his acclaimed bestseller The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs—hailed as “the ultimate dinosaur biography” by Scientific American—American paleontologist Steve Brusatte enchanted readers with his definitive history of the dinosaurs. Now, picking up the narrative in the ashes of the extinction event that doomed T-rex and its kind, Brusatte explores the remarkable story of the family of animals that inherited the Earth—mammals— and brilliantly reveals that their story is every bit as fascinating and complex as that of the dinosaurs.

Beginning with the earliest days of our lineage some 325 million years ago, Brusatte charts how mammals survived the asteroid that claimed the dinosaurs and made the world their own, becoming the astonishingly diverse range of animals that dominate today’s Earth. Brusatte also brings alive the lost worlds mammals inhabited through time, from ice ages to volcanic catastrophes. Entwined in this story is the detective work he and other scientists have done to piece together our understanding using fossil clues and cutting-edge technology.

A sterling example of scientific storytelling by one of our finest young researchers, The Rise and Reign of the Mammals illustrates how this incredible history laid the foundation for today’s world, for us, and our future.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Steve Brusatte (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

informative, interesting

book is well written. It is chronologically organized so it makes it easier to follow events. Moreover, when necessary for the understanding of one event he reminds of previous chapters which is nice because he doesn't leave you pondering what's he talking about. Enjoyed the book very much, and learned many things!

Interesting book

I found the book interesting and informative. The author really knows his subject. Glad I listened to it.

Very good narrative

Very well done. Two missing items:

1) There was no discussion of atmospheric content, notably oxygen levels. It’s hugely significant.

2) There was no discussion of motor neuron left-right crossover and no discussion of handedness, both also hugely significant.

Simply awesome

The history and background combined with the reader friendly terminology makes this i great and fun read.

Excellent overview of mammalian history

Very informative and well written. publisher should consider a professional reader for future books. The evolutionary history of the how we got here as humans is way more interesting than most people seem to believe.

Amazing Story of Mammals throughout Geologic Time

I love this book! Fascinating information and story about the changes overtime. I have re-listened to this book (and the author’s previous book about dinosaurs) many times and still really enjoy it.

Excited about our mammal ancestors?

I love dinosaurs, and really enjoyed The Rise and Fall off the Dinosaurs. When I saw that Dr Brusatte had written about mammals, I knew I'd love this one too. Easy to understand science, without dumbing things down makes this book a great "commute listen". The accompaniment pdf helps fill in the blanks. A must!

Changed the way I view the world

Brusatte has a skillful way of making millions of years of evolution digestible to those who are drawn to learn more about the history of life on Earth, specifically focusing on mammals in this particular book. I was captivated by the various lineages of mammals and how far back our split from reptiles, birds, and dinosaurs really was.

Excellent follow up to the first book

I love to hear this story of history, I will re listen to this offten

Give me more Ice Age

Interesting material… thought there would be more on the Ice Age, the various mega-fauna of North America, and Man.