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The Last Tortoise
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Download or read book Lonesome George written by Henry Nicholls and published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book was released on 2006-04-04 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Book Synopsis The Last Tortoise by : Craig Stanford
Download or read book The Last Tortoise written by Craig Stanford and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-15 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Book Synopsis On the Backs of Tortoises by : Elizabeth Hennessy
Download or read book On the Backs of Tortoises written by Elizabeth Hennessy and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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
Download or read book A Sheltered Life written by Paul Chambers and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2006 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Sheltered Life offers a fascinating look at one of the world's strangest and most wondrous animals--whose significance in modern science and culture cannot be underestimated. In an engaging blend of cultural and natural history, the book ranges from the earliest mention of the tortoises many millennia ago, to the wholesale plunder of their populations starting in the sixteenth century, to modern attempts to protect the tortoise and track down members of what were once believed to be extinct populations.
Book Synopsis The Sonoran Desert Tortoise by : Thomas R. Van Devender
Download or read book The Sonoran Desert Tortoise written by Thomas R. Van Devender and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2019-04-15 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most recognizable animals of the Southwest, the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) makes its home in both the Sonoran and Mohave Deserts, as well as in tropical areas to the south in Mexico. Called by Tohono O'odham people "komik'c-ed," or "shell with living thing inside," it is one of the few desert creatures kept as a domestic pet—as well as one of the most studied reptiles in the world. Most of our knowledge of desert tortoises comes from studies of Mohave Desert populations in California and Nevada. However, the ecology, physiology, and behavior of these northern populations are quite different from those of their southern, Sonoran Desert, and tropical cousins, which have been studied much less. Differences in climate and habitat have shaped the evolution of three races of desert tortoises as they have adapted to changes in heat, rainfall, and sources of food and shelter as the deserts developed in the last ten million years. This book presents the first comprehensive summary of the natural history, biology, and conservation of the Sonoran and Sinaloan desert tortoises, reviewing the current state of knowledge of these creatures with appropriate comparisons to Mohave tortoises. It condenses a vast amount of information on population ecology, activity, and behavior based on decades of studying tortoise populations in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, and also includes important material on the care and protection of tortoises. Thirty-two contributors address such topics as tortoise fossil records, DNA analysis, and the mystery of secretive hatchlings and juveniles. Tortoise health is discussed in chapters on the care of captives, and original data are presented on the diets of wild and captive tortoises, the nutrient content of plant foods, and blood parameters of healthy tortoises. Coverage of conservation issues includes husbandry methods for captive tortoises, an overview of protective measures, and an evaluation of threats to tortoises from introduced grass and wildfires. A final chapter on cultural knowledge presents stories and songs from indigenous peoples and explores their understanding of tortoises. As the only comprehensive book on the desert tortoise, this volume gathers a vast amount of information for scientists, veterinarians, and resource managers while also remaining useful to general readers who keep desert tortoises as backyard pets. It will stand as an enduring reference on this endearing creature for years to come.
Book Synopsis Darwin's Tortoise by : Robin Stewart
Download or read book Darwin's Tortoise written by Robin Stewart and published by Black Incorporated. This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the remarkable true story of Charles Darwin's tortoise - Harriet - reputed to be the world's oldest living creature. Now living at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo in Queensland, 175-year old Harriet was shipped by Darwin from the Galapagos Islands to England. From wintry London to the warm humidity of Brisbane, Harriet travelled oceans and highways before finally finding a permanent home at Australia Zoo. Market range- children 11+, non-fiction. Story recently reported in The Herald Sun(Aus), The Courier Mail(Aus), The Times(UK), The Daily Record(Glasgow), Web Indiaand The Falkland Islands Network.
Book Synopsis Voyage of the Turtle by : Carl Safina
Download or read book Voyage of the Turtle written by Carl Safina and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of an ancient sea turtle and what its survival says about our future, from the award-winning writer and naturalist Though nature is indifferent to the struggles of her creatures, the human effect on them is often premeditated. The distressing decline of sea turtles in Pacific waters and their surprising recovery in the Atlantic illuminate what can go both wrong and right from our interventions, and teach us the lessons that can be applied to restore health to the world's oceans and its creatures. As Voyage of the Turtle, Carl Safina's compelling natural history adventure makes clear, the fate of the astonishing leatherback turtle, whose ancestry can be traced back 125 million years, is in our hands. Writing with verve and color, Safina describes how he and his colleagues track giant pelagic turtles across the world's oceans and onto remote beaches of every continent. As scientists apply lessons learned in the Atlantic and Caribbean to other endangered seas, Safina follows leatherback migrations, including a thrilling journey from Monterey, California, to nesting grounds on the most remote beaches of Papua, New Guinea. The only surviving species of its genus, family, and suborder, the leatherback is an evolutionary marvel: a "reptile" that behaves like a warm-blooded dinosaur, an ocean animal able to withstand colder water than most fishes and dive deeper than any whale. In his peerless prose, Safina captures the delicate interaction between these gentle giants and the humans who are finally playing a significant role in their survival. "Magnificent . . . A joyful, hopeful book. Safina gives us ample reasons to be enthralled by this astonishing ancient animal—and ample reasons to care." -- The Los Angeles Times
Book Synopsis What's the Difference Between a Turtle and a Tortoise? by : Trisha Speed Shaskan
Download or read book What's the Difference Between a Turtle and a Tortoise? written by Trisha Speed Shaskan and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2010 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "One animal has a lightweight shell. The other animal's shell is heavy. Do you know the differences between a turtle and a tortoise?"--P. [4] of cover.
Book Synopsis Esio Trot (Colour Edition) by : Roald Dahl
Download or read book Esio Trot (Colour Edition) written by Roald Dahl and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2016-09-13 with total page 83 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roald Dahl's Esio Trot in glorious full colour! High up in a tall building lives Mr Hoppy all alone. Downstairs lives Mrs Silver. Mr Hoppy loves her. And Mrs Silver loves her tortoise, Alfie. Oh, if only Mr Hoppy could perform some great feat that would make him a hero in her eyes! Then one day his mind goes click and an amazing idea rushes into his head. With the help of a magical spell, some cabbage leaves and one hundred and forty tortoises, can shy Mr Hoppy win Mrs Silver's heart? And now you can listen to ESIO TROT ( with THE GIRAFFE AND THE PELLY AND ME) and other Roald Dahl audiobooks read by some very famous voices, including Kate Winslet, David Walliams and Steven Fry - plus there are added squelchy soundeffects from Pinewood Studios! And look out for new Roald Dahl apps in the App store and Google Play- including the disgusting TWIT OR MISS! and HOUSE OF TWITS inspired by the revolting Twits.
Book Synopsis Come, Thou Tortoise by : Jessica Grant
Download or read book Come, Thou Tortoise written by Jessica Grant and published by Vintage Canada. This book was released on 2010-03-09 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A delightfully offbeat story that features an opinionated tortoise and her owner who find themselves in the middle of a life-changing mystery. Audrey (a.k.a. Oddly) Flowers is living quietly in Oregon with Winnifred, her tortoise, when she finds out her dear father has been knocked into a coma back in Newfoundland. Despite her fear of flying, she goes to him, but not before she reluctantly dumps Winnifred with her unreliable friends. Poor Winnifred. When Audrey disarms an Air Marshal en route to St. John’s we begin to realize there’s something, well, odd about her. And we soon know that Audrey’s quest to discover who her father really was – and reunite with Winnifred – will be an adventure like no other. Excerpt: Winnifred is old. She might be three hundred. She came with the apartment. The previous tenant, a rock climber named Cliff, was embarking on a rock-climbing adventure that would not have been much fun for Winnifred. Back then her name was Iris. Cliff had inherited Iris from the previous tenant. Nobody knew how old Iris was or where she had come from originally. Now Cliff was moving out. He said, Would you like a tortoise. I would not say no to a tortoise, I said. I was alone in Portland and the trees were giant. I picked her up and she blinked at me with her upside-down eyelids. I felt instantly calm. Her eyes were soft brown. Her skin felt like an old elbow. I will build you a castle, I whispered. With a pool. And I was true to my word.
Book Synopsis Rodney Was a Tortoise by : Nan Forler
Download or read book Rodney Was a Tortoise written by Nan Forler and published by Tundra Books. This book was released on 2022-02-15 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comforting and gently humorous picture book about bereavement and the strength of friendship shows how a child overcomes the sadness of her beloved pet's death. Bernadette and Rodney are the best of friends. Rodney's not so good at playing cards, but he's great at staring contests. His favorite food is lettuce, though he eats it VERRRRRRY SLOOOOOWLY. And he's such a joker! When Bernadette goes to sleep at night, Rodney is always there, watching over her from his tank. As the seasons pass, Rodney moves slower and slower, until one day he stops moving at all. Without Rodney, Bernadette feels all alone. She can't stop thinking about him, but none of her friends seem to notice. Except for Amar. Rodney Was a Tortoise is a moving story about friendship and loss. It shows the importance of expressing kindness and empathy, especially in life's most difficult moments.
Book Synopsis Pinta Island Tortoise by : Joyce L. Markovics
Download or read book Pinta Island Tortoise written by Joyce L. Markovics and published by . This book was released on 2022-08 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "When animals die out, the last survivor is called an endling. Discover the moving story of the last Pinta Island tortoise, how it came to extinction, and the scientists who cared for and studied it. Finally, learn what can be done to protect our incredible wildlife. This book includes a table of contents, glossary of keywords, index, author biography, sidebars, and info about other animals on the brink of extinction"--
Author :IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group Publisher :IUCN ISBN 13 :2880329868 Total Pages :210 pages Book Rating :4.8/5 (83 download)
Book Synopsis The Conservation Biology of Tortoises by : IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Download or read book The Conservation Biology of Tortoises written by IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and published by IUCN. This book was released on 1989 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis How Old Is Mr. Tortoise? by : Dev Petty
Download or read book How Old Is Mr. Tortoise? written by Dev Petty and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2022-06-21 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of I Don’t Want to Be a Frog comes a hilarious new picture book that asks readers to solve one very important mystery It’s Mr. Tortoise’s birthday, and he can’t wait to eat cake with his friends. But there’s a hitch! Mr. Tortoise can’t remember how old he is, so his friends don’t know how many candles to put on the cake. And they won’t stop (or slice) until they figure out the mystery. Could Mr. Tortoise be as many years old as there are sections on his shell? He’s twice as big as the smaller tortoise . . . so is he twice as old? After the partygoers work through a variety of possibilities, they find their way to the answer with a simple bit of addition. With text from I Don’t Want to Be a Frog author Dev Petty and hilarious graphic novel–style illustrations from Ruth Chan, How Old Is Mr. Tortoise? will have readers guessing the answer from beginning to end.
Download or read book The Galapagos written by Henry Nicholls and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2014-03-13 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Sea Turtles written by James R. Spotila and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2004-11-12 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marine biologist James R. Spotila has spent much of his life unraveling the mysteries of these graceful creatures and working to ensure their survival. In "Sea Turtles," he offers a comprehensive and compelling account of their history and life cycle based on the most recent scientific data and suggests what we can be done to save them. Illustrated with stunning, full-color photographs. 0-808-8007-6$24.95 / Johns Hopkins University Press
Book Synopsis Moon Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands by : Ben Westwood
Download or read book Moon Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands written by Ben Westwood and published by Moon Travel. This book was released on 2015-03-03 with total page 849 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This full-color guide to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands includes vibrant photos and easy-to-use maps to help with trip planning. Seasoned traveler and journalist Ben Westwood leads adventurers to off-the-beaten-path experiences in Ecuador, from riding a train up the steep switchbacks of the famous Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose) to diving off of the Galápagos Islands, where the waters are abundant with ocean life. Complete with information on exploring the colonial architecture of Quito's Old Town, enjoying the lively waterfront of the Malecón 2000 in Guayaquil, and climbing volcanoes in Sangay National Park, Moon Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience. Moon Handbooks give you the tools to make your own choices. Can't-miss sights, activities, restaurants, and accommodations, marked with M Suggestions on how to plan a trip that's perfect for you, including: "The Best of Ecuador" "Galápagos Expedition" "Adrenaline Rush" "Wildlife Wonders" "Sun and Surf: Ecuador's Best Beaches" "Indigenous Past and Present" 37 detailed and easy-to-use maps The firsthand experience and unique perspective of author Ben Westwood
