Neptune's Ark
eBook - PDF

Neptune's Ark

From Ichthyosaurs to Orcas

  1. 313 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Neptune's Ark

From Ichthyosaurs to Orcas

About this book

Neptune's Ark illuminates the dramatic saga of evolution spanning 500 million years of marine life along the magnificent Pacific coast of western North America. In an engaging narrative that artfully blends elements of science, history, folklore, and personal observation, renowned naturalist David Rains Wallace reveals a marvelous diversity of creatures, not only modern ones, but those from the far prehistoric past. Mysterious forms have abounded—from giant sea cows, oyster bears, and flightless toothed birds to the orcas, elephant seals, and sea otters of modern times. Wallace tells a story about evolution as well as a tale of the storms, scurvy, and shipwrecks that plagued the coast's explorers, naturalists, and scientists, many of whom led turbulent or tragic lives, with themes reflected in the wonder and danger of the coast itself. Neptune's Ark is full of vivid characters—from explorers like Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook, to pioneer naturalists including Georg Steller and Charles Scammon, to early paleontologists Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope, and to recent scientists and ecological visionaries.

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Yes, you can access Neptune's Ark by David Rains Wallace in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Evolution. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. List of Illustrations
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Prologue
  5. 1. Reefs in the Desert
  6. 2. Amphibious Ambiguities
  7. 3. Bird Teeth and Reptile Necks
  8. 4. Tail Tales
  9. 5. Cope's Elusive Ophidians
  10. 6. Hooves into Flippers
  11. 7. Marsh's Deceptive Demostylians
  12. 8. Emlong's Whales
  13. 9. Paws into Flippers
  14. 10. Sea Cows and Oyster Bears
  15. 11. The Long,Warm Summer
  16. 12. Emptying Bays
  17. 13. Punctuated Pinnipeds and Darwinian Sirenians
  18. 14. Advent of Autumn
  19. 15. Ice Age Invasion
  20. 16. Hands into Paddles
  21. 17. Pileated Woodpecker's Boat
  22. 18. The End of the Earth
  23. 19. An Industrial Interlude
  24. 20. Intimations of Communication
  25. Epilogue
  26. Notes
  27. Bibliography
  28. Index