After Man: A Zoology of the Future

First published in 1981, After Man is paleontologist Dougal Dixon's vision of an "alternative evolution": one without mankind. In the foreword for this edition, he notes, "the book was about the natural forces of evolution, and man … had too much of an influence …. With the removal of this interference I was able to let nature get back to work". While some of the creatures seem fantastical, others don't seem so very far-fetched. Dixon: "There are now the walking bats of New Zealand … (and) then there are the snakes in Mexico that live in caves and snatch flying bats out of the air, just like "The Anchorwhip".