Endangered

by McGavin, George C.

• ISBN13: 9781554071838
• ISBN10: 1554071836
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-10-01
• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd

Summary

A beautifully illustrated book on endangered species and the opportunities to save them.Earth has seen at least five great extinction periods, each wiping out up to 95 percent of all living species. They involved massive volcanic eruptions, disastrous meteor strikes and rapid climatic changes. The main point of Endangered is that the sixth great extinction will be the result of humankind's abuse of the environment.Featuring more than 400 photographs, this book details the plant and animal species that are either endangered or so severely threatened that they soon will be. The authors offer a thoughtful celebration of nature's diversity not scaremongering -- and a plea to rein in current behaviors that negatively affect the planet. Their proposals form a reasoned and hopeful guide to a future world that will be safe for all species. Creatures profiled include marsupials, monkeys, sea turtles, birds of prey, and butterflies and moths.The extraordinary imagery and the compelling and objectively presented information make Endangered essential reading for anyone interested in natural history.

Author Biography

George McGavin is an assistant curator of entomological collections at Oxford University who lectures on biological and human sciences. He is the author of Essential Entomology: An Order-by-Order Introduction. David Burnie is a biologist and zoologist whose professional books have won educational awards and science prizes.

George McGavin is an assistant curator of entomological collections at Oxford University who lectures on biological and human sciences. He is the author of Essential Entomology: An Order-by-Order Introduction.

David Burnie is a biologist and zoologist whose professional books have won educational awards and science prizes.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 6
The Nature of Extinction	p. 10
The Quick and the Dead	p. 12
Written in Stone	p. 14
Routes to Oblivion	p. 16
Mass-extinction Events	p. 18
The Big Five	p. 20
Boom and Bust	p. 24
Population Explosion	p. 26
The Sixth Event	p. 28
The Rise of Humankind	p. 30
Humanity's Dominion	p. 32
The Hunter-Gatherers	p. 34
The First Farmers	p. 36
The Age of Discovery	p. 38
The Agricultural Revolution	p. 40
The Industrial Revolution	p. 42
Harvesting Nature	p. 44
Unfair Trade	p. 46
Unnatural Selection	p. 48
The Lost and the Last	p. 50
Monotremes & Marsupials	p. 52
Insectivores	p. 54
Bats	p. 56
Prosimians	p. 58
Monkeys	p. 60
Gibbons	p. 62
Great Apes	p. 64
Anteaters & Relatives	p. 66
Rabbits & Hares	p. 68
Mouse-like Rodents	p. 70
Squirrel-like Rodents	p. 72
Baleen Whales	p. 74
Toothed Whales	p. 76
Dogs	p. 78
Bears	p. 80
Mustelids & Relatives	p. 82
Cats	p. 84
Seals & Sea Lions	p. 86
Dugongs & Manatees	p. 88
Elephants	p. 90
Horses	p. 92
Rhinos & Tapirs	p. 94
Pigs & Hippos	p. 96
Camels	p. 98
Deer & Giraffes	p. 100
Cattle & Relatives	p. 102
Ostrich & Relatives	p. 104
Albatrosses & Petrels	p. 106
Penguins	p. 108
Pelicans & Herons	p. 110
Waterfowl	p. 112
Vultures	p. 114
Eagles, Hawks & Falcons	p. 116
Gamebirds	p. 118
Cranes & Relatives	p. 120
Waders, Gulls & Auks	p. 122
Doves & Pigeons	p. 124
Parrots	p. 126
Owls & Nightjars	p. 128
Hummingbirds & Swifts	p. 130
Hornbills & Woodpeckers	p. 132
Songbirds	p. 134
Tortoises	p. 136
Freshwater Turtles	p. 138
Sea Turtles	p. 140
Nonvenomous Snakes	p. 142
Venomous Snakes	p. 144
Lizards	p. 146
Crocodiles & Alligators	p. 148
Amphibians	p. 150
Sharks	p. 154
Skates & Rays	p. 156
Spiny-rayed Fish	p. 158
Salmon & Relatives	p. 160
Cod, Herring & Anglerfish	p. 162
Freshwater Fish	p. 164
Molluscs	p. 166
Corals	p. 168
Arthropods	p. 170
Stemming the Tide	p. 176
Preserving Nature in situ	p. 178
Preserving Nature ex situ	p. 180
International Rescue	p. 182
Learning the Lessons	p. 184
What Future	p. 186
Index	p. 188
Acknowledgments & Picture Credits	p. 192
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.