After Man: A Zoology Of — The Future

With the extinction of large cats and dogs, rats have evolved into massive apex predators, including the wolf-like "Falanx" and the polar-bear-like "Bardelot" .

It certainly is! Written by Scottish paleontologist and geologist Dougal Dixon and published in 1981, is considered the foundational work of the "speculative zoology" genre. After Man: A Zoology of the Future

Dixon imagines a world where the Mediterranean has closed up, Australia has collided with Asia, and South America has split from North America. With the extinction of large cats and dogs,