Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution By John Long, Michael Archer, Timothy Flannery and Suzanne Hand

From kangaroos and koalas to the giant Diprotodon and bizarre "thingodontans," prehistoric mammals evolved within the changing and sometimes harsh environments of Australia. As part of Gondwana, Australia was the first landmass to be isolated from the supercontinent Pangaea.

In Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea, four leading Australian paleontologists present a history of the development of modern mammals from the unique evolutionary environment of Australia and New Guinea. The authors describe both what is currently known about prehistoric Australian mammals and what can be reconstructed from the fossil evidence about their appearance and behavior. Illustrated with more than 200 color images, this compendium describes the age, diet and habitat of these extinct mammals, how each of them evolved and how they are now classified. (240 pages, $79.95, March)