Platypus: The Extraordinary Story Of How A Curious Creature Baffled The World - Brossura

Moyal, Ann

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0801880521 ISBN 13: 9780801880520

Casa editrice: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr, 2004

Riassunto

When the first platypus specimen reached England from Australia in 1799, the scientific community claimed that it was a hoax. On closer investigation, dubious European naturalists eventually declared it to be real, though in an age obsessed with classification, the category-defying platypus sparked heated debates across Europe for a century. In Platypus, Ann Moyal provides a unique biography of one of the world's most famously strange creatures and tells the incredible story of how it became the focus of the great scientific debates of the nineteenth century. Eloquent and concise, Platypus uncovers the earliest theories and latest discoveries about this delightfully odd member of the animal kingdom.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

A great account of how a small furry animal managed to challenge biology's beliefs.

(New Scientist)

If any animal has mystery and charisma, it is the platypus. This book tell its story, and it's a winner... It has something for everyone—the excitement of a detective story, the history of biological ideas... Everybody will enjoy this book, and the story continues to unfold... Read it and enjoy.

(David Penny Nature)

Engaging... In recounting the story of how the platypus was studied and eventually classified, Moyal explains that it became entangled in broader debates over taxonomy and evolution among the wise men of European science.

(Christian Science Monitor)

A spirited and eminently readable account of this odd Australian mammal that follows the story of its discovery, the scientific infighting over its place in taxonomy, and modern efforts to understand its biology and keep and breed it in captivity.

(Booklist)

Moyal affectionately examines the scientific history of one of nature's most fascinating oddities.

(Quarterly Review of Biology)

Moyal's sublime Platypus traces the wild and raucous history of the antipodean creature's introduction to the world. Part history, part mystery, Platypus details how the European scientific community was able to understand this Australian oddity... As remarkable and delightful as its bizarre subject.

(New York Resident)

A fascinating 'biography' of the bizarre and unusual creature known to taxonomists as Ornithorhynchus.

(Science Books and Films)

This book about one of the world's most unique animals is written at an academic level, but is clear enough for a serious young person to read.

(Kliatt)

It is a good read.

(Wildlife Activist)

L'autore:

Ann Moyal is a historian of science. She has held research and teaching positions at a number of universities and is the founder and past president of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia. She lives in Canberra.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0801880521
• ISBN 13: 9780801880520
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 226