Lonesome George

Lonesome George PDF Author: Henry Nicholls
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 0230552250
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Get Book Here

Book Description
Lonesome George is a 5ft long, 200lb tortoise aged between 60 and 200. In 1971 he was discovered on the remote Galapagos island of Pinta, from which tortoises had supposedly been exterminated by greedy whalers and seal hunters. He has been at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island ever since, on the off-chance that scientific ingenuity will conjure up a way of reproducing him and resurrecting his species. Meanwhile a million tourists and dozens of baffled scientists have looked on as the celebrity reptile shows not a jot of interest in the female company provided. Today, Lonesome George has come to embody the mystery, complexity and fragility of the unique Galapagos archipelago. His story echoes the challenges of conservation worldwide; it is a story of Darwin, sexual dysfunction, adventure on the high seas, cloning, DNA fingerprinting and eco-tourism.

Lonesome George

Lonesome George PDF Author: Henry Nicholls
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 0230552250
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Get Book Here

Book Description
Lonesome George is a 5ft long, 200lb tortoise aged between 60 and 200. In 1971 he was discovered on the remote Galapagos island of Pinta, from which tortoises had supposedly been exterminated by greedy whalers and seal hunters. He has been at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island ever since, on the off-chance that scientific ingenuity will conjure up a way of reproducing him and resurrecting his species. Meanwhile a million tourists and dozens of baffled scientists have looked on as the celebrity reptile shows not a jot of interest in the female company provided. Today, Lonesome George has come to embody the mystery, complexity and fragility of the unique Galapagos archipelago. His story echoes the challenges of conservation worldwide; it is a story of Darwin, sexual dysfunction, adventure on the high seas, cloning, DNA fingerprinting and eco-tourism.

Lonesome George Finds His Friends

Lonesome George Finds His Friends PDF Author: Victoria Kosara
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 0545261295
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 34

Get Book Here

Book Description
Lonesome George is thought to be the last of his kind. Follow Lonesome George as he meets other animals that live on the Galapagos Islands and help Lonesome George find his friends!

Lonesome George

Lonesome George PDF Author: Jorge Sotirios
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1921941499
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 282

Get Book Here

Book Description
Lonesome George is a comic odyssey that combines travel adventure and comedy in a journey of epic proportions. Author Jorge Sotirios illuminates the beauty of the South American landscape, interweaving its history, culture and people, in his mock heroic quest. Beginning with the writer lured to South American by an Argentine beauty, his journey commences across the equator, through the Amazon jungle and climaxes in the austere Galapagos Islands. Incorporating angels in Argentina to sham Peruvian shaman. From Amazombies appearing on midnight boats, to visiting the lost city of Fordlandia. Accompanying ecowarriors to far -flung villages where jaguars roam, the writer ultimately finds the site of the legendary Amazon warrior women, gliding over the Mirror of the Moon Lake where everything is doubled. The alluring pink dolphin in the Amazon River, said to charm whoever encounters it, is a constant presence. Missionaries and Tarzans coexist with the cult of Che Guevara, with serious topics such as oil exploitation, deforestation and drought. Lonesome George is South America as seen from street and river level and a life- affirming portrayal of people and human emotion as Sotirios' confronts his doppelganger, "Lonesome George", the last surviving tortoise of his species.

On the Backs of Tortoises

On the Backs of Tortoises PDF Author: Elizabeth Hennessy
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300249152
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Get Book Here

Book Description
An insightful exploration of the iconic Galápagos tortoises, and how their fate is inextricably linked to our own in a rapidly changing world. Finalist for the 2020 E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, sponsored by PEN America Literary Awards The Galápagos archipelago is often viewed as a last foothold of pristine nature. For sixty years, conservationists have worked to restore this evolutionary Eden after centuries of exploitation at the hands of pirates, whalers, and island settlers. This book tells the story of the islands’ namesakes—the giant tortoises—as coveted food sources, objects of natural history, and famous icons of conservation and tourism. By doing so, it brings into stark relief the paradoxical, and impossible, goal of conserving species by trying to restore a past state of prehistoric evolution. The tortoises, Elizabeth Hennessy demonstrates, are not prehistoric, but rather microcosms whose stories show how deeply human and nonhuman life are entangled. In a world where evolution is thoroughly shaped by global history, Hennessy puts forward a vision for conservation based on reckoning with the past, rather than trying to erase it. “Fresh, insightful . . . Hennessy’s melding of human and natural history makes for thought-provoking reading.” —Booklist (starred review) “Gripping . . . well-researched and thought-provoking . . . whether you’re well-versed in the intricacies of conservation or have only just begun to long for a look at the tortoises yourself. On the Backs of Tortoises is a natural history that asks important questions, and challenges us to think about how best to answer them.” —Genevieve Valentine, NPR “Wonderfully interesting, informative, and engaging, as well as scholarly.” —Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place

The Last Tortoise

The Last Tortoise PDF Author: Craig Stanford
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674049925
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Get Book Here

Book Description
Tortoises may be the first family of higher animals to become extinct in the coming decades. They are losing the survival race because of what distinguishes them, in particular their slow, steady pace of life and reproduction. The Last Tortoise offers an introduction to these remarkable animals and the extraordinary adaptations that have allowed them to successfully populate a diverse range of habitats—from deserts to islands to tropical forests. The shields that protect their shoulders and ribs have helped them evade predators. They are also safeguarded by their extreme longevity and long period of fertility. Craig Stanford details how human predation has overcome these evolutionary advantages, extinguishing several species and threatening the remaining forty-five. At the center of this beautifully written work is Stanford’s own research in the Mascarene and Galapagos Islands, where the plight of giant tortoise populations illustrates the threat faced by all tortoises. He addresses unique survival problems, from genetic issues to the costs and benefits of different reproductive strategies. Though the picture Stanford draws is bleak, he offers reason for hope in the face of seemingly inevitable tragedy. Like many intractable environmental problems, extinction is not manifest destiny. Focusing on tortoise nurseries and breeding facilities, the substitution of proxy species for extinct tortoises, and the introduction of species to new environments, Stanford’s work makes a persuasive case for the future of the tortoise in all its rich diversity.

All Too Human

All Too Human PDF Author: George Stephanopoulos
Publisher: Back Bay Books
ISBN: 0316041920
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Get Book Here

Book Description
All Too Human is a new-generation political memoir, written from the refreshing perspective of one who got his hands on the levers of awesome power at an early age. At thirty, the author was at Bill Clinton's side during the presidential campaign of 1992, & for the next five years he was rarely more than a step away from the president & his other advisers at every important moment of the first term. What Liar's Poker did to Wall Street, this book will do to politics. It is an irreverent & intimate portrait of how the nation's weighty business is conducted by people whose egos & idiosyncrasies are no sturdier than anyone else's. Including sharp portraits of the Clintons, Al Gore, Dick Morris, Colin Powell, & scores of others, as well as candid & revelatory accounts of the famous debacles & triumphs of an administration that constantly went over the top, All Too Human is, like its author, a brilliant combination of pragmatic insight & idealism. It is destined to be the most important & enduring book to come out of the Clinton administration.

The Galapagos

The Galapagos PDF Author: Henry Nicholls
Publisher: Profile Books
ISBN: 1847658962
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Get Book Here

Book Description
Formed of dramatic volcanic scenery and home to marvellous beasts, it is little wonder that the first name for the Galápagos archipelago was Las Encantadas: the enchanted islands. In this captivating natural history, Henry Nicholls builds up the ecology of these famous islands, from their explosive origins to the arrival of the archipelago's celebrated reptiles and ultimately humans. It's a story of change, as the islands are transformed from lava-strewn wilderness into a vital scientific resource and a sought-after destination for eco-enthusiasts. Charles Darwin's five-week visit to the Galápagos in 1835 played a pivotal role in this transformation. At the time, he was more interested in rocks than finches, took the opportunity to ride on the backs of tortoises and fling iguanas into the sea. Yet the Galápagos experience can be an inspiration and it certainly was for Darwin, pointing him towards one of the most important and influential ideas in the history of humankind: evolution by natural selection. And with the Darwin connection, the Galápagos found itself propelled onto a global stage. But worldwide fame has brought with it nearly 200,000 tourists a year and a human population now estimated at around 30,000. If Darwin learned from the Galápagos, so we must too. For what happens here in years to come foreshadows the fate of threatened ecosystems everywhere on earth.

Galapagos George

Galapagos George PDF Author: Jean Craighead George
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780060287931
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is the story of the famous Lonesome George, a giant tortoise who was the last of his species, lived to be one hundred years old, and became known as the rarest creature in the world. His story gives us a glimpse of the amazing creatures inhabiting the ever-fascinating Galápagos Islands. Renowned naturalist and bestselling author of the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the critically acclaimed Everglades Jean Craighead George once again introduces children to the wonders of the natural world in this incredible evolution story set in the Galápagos Islands. The back matter features key terms, a timeline, and further resources for research. Supports the Common Core State Standards.

Lost Wonders

Lost Wonders PDF Author: Tom Lathan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1529047935
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 377

Get Book Here

Book Description
In Lost Wonders Tom Lathan tells ten powerful stories of species that have lived, died out and been declared extinct since the turn of the twenty-first century. 'Timely, elegiac' Daily Mail 'Superb storytelling . . . an exhilarating and vital book' - Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild Many scientists believe that we are currently living through the Earth’s sixth mass extinction, with species disappearing at a rate not seen for tens of millions of years – a trend that will only accelerate as climate change and other pressures intensify. What does it mean to live in such a time? And what exactly do we lose when a species goes extinct? In a series of fascinating encounters with subjects that are now nowhere to be found on Earth – from giant tortoises to minuscule snails the size of sesame seeds, from ocean-hopping trees to fish that wag their tails like puppies – Tom Lathan brings these lost wonders briefly back to life and gives us a tantalising glimpse of what we have lost within our own lifetime. Drawing on the personal recollections of the people who studied these species, as well as those who tried but ultimately failed to save them, and with beautiful illustrations, Lost Wonders is an intimate portrait of the species that have only recently vanished from our world and an urgent warning to hold on all the more tightly to those now slipping from our grasp. Illustrated by Claire Kohda

Tree Castle Island

Tree Castle Island PDF Author: Jean Craighead George
Publisher: Perfection Learning
ISBN: 9780756914561
Category : Brothers
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
After building his own canoe, 14-year-old Jack Hawkins goes to try it out in his beloved Okefenokee Swamp, where an accident tests his survival skills and leads him to a shocking discovery.