What We Are Reading Today: ‘Elephants and Their Fossil Relatives’

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Updated 10 December 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Elephants and Their Fossil Relatives’

Authors: Asier Larramendi and Marco P. Ferretti

Today, only three species of elephants survive—the African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana), the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus).

However, these modern giants represent just a fraction of the vast and diverse order Proboscidea, which includes not only living elephants but also their many extinct relatives.

Over the past 60 million years, proboscideans have evolved and adapted across five continents, giving rise to an astonishing variety of forms.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Moths of Western North America’ by Seabrooke Leckie

Updated 04 March 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Moths of Western North America’ by Seabrooke Leckie

Western North America is home to a surprising array of moth species that come in a variety of colors and sizes.

This richly illustrated field guide covers 1,900 of the most commonly occurring species in the region, from the United States–Mexico border north to Edmonton, Alberta, and central British Columbia.

Images on the full-color plates are marked with arrows to help users quickly know the most important features to look for, while facing-page species accounts highlight these features and, when applicable, how they differ from those of similar species.