The invaders : how humans and their dogs drove Neanderthals to extinction

Shipman, Pat 1949- (Author).

Summary: "The Invaders musters compelling evidence to show that the major factor in the Neanderthals' demise was direct competition with newly arriving humans. Drawing on insights from the field of invasion biology, which predicts that the species ecologically closest to the invasive predator will face the greatest competition, Pat Shipman traces the devastating impact of a growing human population: reduction of Neanderthals' geographic range, isolation into small groups, and loss of genetic diversity. But modern humans were not the only invaders who competed with Neanderthals for big game. Shipman reveals fascinating confirmation of humans' partnership with the first domesticated wolf-dogs soon after Neanderthals first began to disappear. This alliance between two predator species, she hypothesizes, made possible an unprecedented degree of success in hunting large Ice Age mammals--a distinct and ultimately decisive advantage for humans over Neanderthals at a time when climate change made both groups vulnerable."--Publisher's Web site.

Item details

ISBN: 9780674736764
ISBN: 0674736761
ISBN: 9780674425408
ISBN: 9780674425385
ISBN: 9780674425392
Physical Description: print
xiii, 266 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Publisher: Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, [2015]

Contents / Notes

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	And he is us -- Here we come, ready or not -- Time is of the essence -- Who wins in an invasion? -- How do you know that? -- What's for dinner? -- What does an invasion look like? -- Going, going, gone -- Guess who else is coming for dinner? -- Bearing up under competition pressure -- The Jagger principle -- Dogged -- Why dogs? -- When is a wolf not a wolf? -- What happened and why.