The Lost World of the Moa

The Lost World of the Moa PDF Author: T. H. Worthy
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253340344
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 1200

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Book Description
An investigation of the rich and unusual fauna of prehistoric New Zealand, telling of one of the most dramatic extinctions of modern times. The moa, a giant flightless bird, was among the animals lost, the authors summarize what is known about the bird, reconstructing its life and ecology.

The Lost World of the Moa

The Lost World of the Moa PDF Author: T. H. Worthy
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253340344
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 1200

Get Book Here

Book Description
An investigation of the rich and unusual fauna of prehistoric New Zealand, telling of one of the most dramatic extinctions of modern times. The moa, a giant flightless bird, was among the animals lost, the authors summarize what is known about the bird, reconstructing its life and ecology.

Quest Aotearoa -- Volume One

Quest Aotearoa -- Volume One PDF Author: John Tasker
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 130007079X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Do small bush moa still inhabit the wildeness areas of the South Island? Does an otter-like creature frequent the waterways of the lower South Island? Do large black cats the size of an Alsation dog roam around the back country of Canterbury and Otago? What was the crocodile-like creature seen by so many in the Waikato River in the 1880s? Do Plesiosaurs live in the sea along the east coast of the North Island? Do hairy ape-like creatures roam around isolated areas of New Zealand bush? And who can explain the various unidentified life forms reported by the pioneers in the nineteenth century? There are many unanswered questions. This book presents all the material and leaves it to the reader to reach their own conclusions.

A Place Like No Other

A Place Like No Other PDF Author: Anthony R. E. Sinclair
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691222339
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
"With its biodiversity, astounding megafauna, and great animal migrations, the Serengeti is like no other ecosystem in Africa or indeed the world. It is also one of the most well studied places and perhaps no scientist has contributed more to our understanding of the Serengeti than Tony Sinclair, who has been researching this region since 1965. In this book, Sinclair recounts his quest to understand how the Serengeti works and what this unique place can tell us about how other ecosystems work and how they might even be repaired"--

Culture and Conservation

Culture and Conservation PDF Author: Eleanor Shoreman-Ouimet
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317937287
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Today, there is growing interest in conservation and anthropologists have an important role to play in helping conservation succeed for the sake of humanity and for the sake of other species. Equally important, however, is the fact that we, as the species that causes extinctions, have a moral responsibility to those whose evolutionary unfolding and very future we threaten. This volume is an examination of the relationship between conservation and the social sciences, particularly anthropology. It calls for increased collaboration between anthropologists, conservationists and environmental scientists, and advocates for a shift towards an environmentally focused perspective that embraces not only cultural values and human rights, but also the intrinsic value and rights to life of nonhuman species. This book demonstrates that cultural and biological diversity are intimately interlinked, and equally threatened by the industrialism that endangers the planet's life-giving processes. The consideration of ecological data, as well as an expansion of ethics that embraces more than one species, is essential to a well-rounded understanding of the connections between human behavior and environmental wellbeing. This book gives students and researchers in anthropology, conservation, environmental ethics and across the social sciences an invaluable insight into how innovative and intensive new interdisciplinary approaches, questions, ethics and subject pools can close the gap between culture and conservation.

Prehistoric Australasia

Prehistoric Australasia PDF Author: Michael Archer
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
ISBN: 0643108068
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
For most of the past 300 million years, the world’s continents were interlinked as the supercontinents Pangaea and then Gondwana. Around 50 million years ago, Australia tore itself free from Antarctica to become the huge, splendidly isolated island it is today. Over time, its creatures began to evolve in ways not seen anywhere else on Earth, with tree-climbing crocodiles, gigantic venomous lizards, walking omnivorous bats and flesh-eating kangaroos roaming the continent. Prehistoric Australasia: Visions of Evolution and Extinction presents some of the most extraordinary creatures the world has ever seen – all unique to Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand and their surrounding islands. Over 100 meticulously painted panoramas by palaeoartist Peter Schouten are accompanied by descriptions of the unique environments and features of these animals, written by four of Australia’s foremost palaeontologists. This book explores the nature and timing of extinction events in the Southern Hemisphere, considers whether some of these losses might be able to be reversed, and how we can use the fossil record to help save today’s critically endangered species. Through stunning artwork and fascinating text, Prehistoric Australasia brings this globally unique transformation over time to glorious, colourful life.

Slipping Into Paradise

Slipping Into Paradise PDF Author: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.
ISBN: 0345466349
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
A tribute to the author's adopted home in New Zealand describes his decision to relocate to a lush bay area near Auckland, where his family and he thrived amid its natural flora and fauna, dolphin-filled waters, and wildlife.

Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds

Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds PDF Author: Les Christidis
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
ISBN: 0643099646
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds presents an up-to-date classification of Australian birds. Building on the authors’ 1994 book, The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories, it incorporates the extensive volume of relevant systematic work since then. The findings of these studies are summarised and evaluated in the explanations for the taxonomic treatments adopted, and with the extensive citations, the book serves as a comprehensive introduction to the recent systematic literature of Australian birds. All species of birds that have been recorded from the Australian mainland, Tasmania, island territories and surrounding waters are treated and listed. Along with extant native species, all accepted vagrants, recently extinct (since 1800) native species and established introduced species are included.

The Birds at My Table

The Birds at My Table PDF Author: Darryl Jones
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501710796
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
"Discusses the history and scale of feeding wild birds. Outlines debates about the practice, highlighting key research findings and pointing out the issues that require further examination. Written in nontechnical language, thus making it accessible to the general public, birders, and academics"--

The Holocene

The Holocene PDF Author: Neil Roberts
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1405155213
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 391

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Book Description
The Holocene provides students, researchers and lay-readers with the remarkable story of how the natural world has been transformed since the end of the last Ice Age around 15,000 years ago. This period has witnessed a shift from environmental changes determined by natural forces to those dominated by human actions, including those of climate and greenhouse gases. Understanding the environmental changes - both natural and anthropogenic - that have occurred during the Holocene is of crucial importance if we are to achieve a sustainable environmental future. Revised and updated to take full account of the most recent advances, the third edition of this classic text includes substantial material on the scientific methods that are used to reconstruct and date past environments, as well as new concepts such as the Anthropocene. The book is fully-illustrated, global in coverage, and contains case studies, a glossary and more than 500 new references.

Phyllostomid Bats

Phyllostomid Bats PDF Author: Theodore H. Fleming
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022669612X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 489

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Book Description
With more than two hundred species distributed from California through Texas and across most of mainland Mexico, Central and South America, and islands in the Caribbean Sea, the Phyllostomidae bat family (American leaf-nosed bats) is one of the world’s most diverse mammalian families. From an insectivorous ancestor, species living today, over about 30 million years, have evolved a hyper-diverse range of diets, from blood or small vertebrates, to consuming nectar, pollen, and fruit. Phyllostomid plant-visiting species are responsible for pollinating more than five hundred species of neotropical shrubs, trees, vines, and epiphytes—many of which are economically and ecologically important—and they also disperse the seeds of at least another five hundred plant species. Fruit-eating and seed-dispersing members of this family thus play a crucial role in the regeneration of neotropical forests, and the fruit eaters are among the most abundant mammals in these habitats. Coauthored by leading experts in the field and synthesizing the latest advances in molecular biology and ecological methods, Phyllostomid Bats is the first overview in more than forty years of the evolution of the many morphological, behavioral, physiological, and ecological adaptations in this family. Featuring abundant illustrations as well as details on the current conservation status of phyllostomid species, it is both a comprehensive reference for these ecologically vital creatures and a fascinating exploration of the evolutionary process of adaptive radiation.