Animasaurus: Incredible animals that roamed the Earth by Tracey Turner

Ill. by Harriet Russell. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408884850
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Animasaurus is a prehistoric compendium filled with fascinating facts about the plant-eaters, sea creatures, predators and creepy crawlies that once inhabited the Earth. Discover amazing information, their statistics, habitats, diet, size and weight and compare these with photos of modern day relatives.
Unusual dinosaurs not commonly known such as the Therizinosaurus lived on the Mongolian Plains 75 million years ago scared predators away with its metre long claws. The fossils of Gigantopithecus or giant ape were discovered in India and Southeast Asia. They grew to three metres in height, had big teeth just right for their vegetarian diet. Deep under the sea Cameroceras, nine-metre long shellfish with metre long tentacles and sharp beaks used a jet-propulsion swimming style to stalk their prey. Animals that are more familiar are included as well -Giant Kangaroos, Woolly Mammoths and Megaladons great white sharks.
Each double-page spread includes an introduction, exploration of the animal's features, a map, timeline and size comparison to a human. Centred on bold backgrounds of earth, sea and sky tones are Harriet Russell's simplistic creature drawings.
As part of the Earth and Space Science strand of the Australian Science curriculum, Animasaurus links to geological processes and history, the fossil record and past environmental conditions and changes over time. This non-fiction volume provides information suited to student research projects and enquiry-based learning. Fans of scientific encyclopaedias and budding palaeontologists will also enjoy this book.
Rhyllis Bignell