This work is about the first manatee ever conceived and born in captivity. The pregnancy was long (about 13 months), the mother was huge (over 900 pounds), and baby Lorelei was regarded by Zeiller and his coworkers at the Miami Seaquarium as a truly blessed event. Even one addition to the dwindling number of this endangered species was reason to rejoice. Zeiller's knowledge of the history and plight of this docile sea mammal is based on his work at the Seaquarium, where he helped develop the only extant breeding herd of manatees (including Lorelei's parents, Romeo and Juliet), the only gene pool of the animal in captivity at that time. With more than 100 photographs that help to document his personal experiences, Zeiller describes ""mercy"" missions with the Mermaid Rescue Squad to liberate animals caught in drainage ditches or to care for animals injured by boat propellers. He relates his efforts and adventures with Captain Jacques Cousteau to return ""Sewer Sam"" to the freedom of Crystal River. In uncomplicated language he presents scientific information on the habitat, distribution, physiology, and feeding and breeding habits of the manatee and its relatives. Manatees are nearing extinction not because of public insensitivity, he believes, but because of a lack of knowledge. His intention throughout the book is to increase public awareness of the crises. ""Destroying or saving 60,000,000 years of evolution is in our hands"", he writes. And, from the Epilogue: ""We have named Lorelei's son (Juliet's grandson) Hugh.

The marsupials are an important order of mammals that have evolved along lines parallel to eutherians. This book brings together what is known about one very important sense needed for survival - hearing. It documents various studies of the hearing capacities of marsupials and relates this information to their vocal behavior. To what sounds do marsupials respond? What are the spectra of their vocalizations? The organization of the brain auditory pathways of marsupials is compared with those of eutherian mammals and related to the structure of the auditory periphery. The fact that much of the early development of marsupial young occurs outside the mother's body enables the possibility of discoveries about the early development of brain and hearing relevant to all mammals.

This volume comprises the proceedings of a symposium on marine mammal survey assessment methods, which took place in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Written by an award-winning writer and the leader of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, this definitive book recounts the years since the wolves' return to Yellowstone.

Some of the world's most beautiful, intelligent and highly adapted mammals inhabit our seas and oceans, and have stirred the human imagination for many centuries. As our knowledge of marine mammals grows, the need exists for a reliable and complete reference to the ecology and biology of these fascinating creatures. The Handbook of Marine Mammals series was founded with this in mind and now reaches its conclusion with this sixth and final volume. Within the pages of this classic series, scientists, conservationists and informed layperson alike can find the definitive review of all the world's whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, and related species as well as sea otters and sea cows.
Volume 6 covers the remaining dolphins and porpoises in a series of 17 chapters, each written by a specialist author with extensive personal research experience of the species. Each chapter provides a description of the species, and includes sections on the aspects of distribution and abundance, anatomy, physiology, behavior, reproduction, parasites and diseases and the impact of human activity on the animal's population and well-being. Numerous maps, photos and drawings illustrate the text.
Key Features
* Concludes this major definitive series
* A standard reference work on all of the world's marine mammals, their anatomy, distribution, ecology, and behavior
* The most up-to-date research in a concise reference form
* Numerous photos of live and specimen animals, skulls, and anatomical details, plus distribution maps
* Text specifically deals with conservation and management issues

"Planet Without Apes" demands that we consider whether we can live with the consequences of wiping our closest relatives off the face of the Earth. Leading primatologist Craig Stanford warns that extinction of the great apes chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans threatens to become a reality within just a few human generations. We are on the verge of losing the last links to our evolutionary past, and to all the biological knowledge about ourselves that would die along with them. The crisis we face is tantamount to standing aside while our last extended family members vanish from the planet.

Stanford sees great apes as not only intelligent but also possessed of a culture: both toolmakers and social beings capable of passing cultural knowledge down through generations. Compelled by his field research to take up the cause of conservation, he is unequivocal about where responsibility for extinction of these species lies. Our extermination campaign against the great apes has been as brutal as the genocide we have long practiced on one another. Stanford shows how complicity is shared by people far removed from apes shrinking habitats. We learn about extinction s complex links with cell phones, European meat eaters, and ecotourism, along with the effects of Ebola virus, poverty, and political instability.

Even the most environmentally concerned observers are unaware of many specific threats faced by great apes. Stanford fills us in, and then tells us how we can redirect the course of an otherwise bleak future."

Comparative Cardiovascular Dynamics of Mammals offers never-before-published data on the structure and function of the circulatory systems of the different mammalian species. This text explores classic allometry, dimensional analysis, and modern hemodynamics to establish similarity principles that provide a necessary and important step in understanding the natural common design and functional features of the cardiovascular systems of different mammals. Fluid and blood vessel mechanics, pulse transmission characteristics, cardiac energetics and mechanics, as well as heart-arterial system interaction are included in this essential reference. The sensitivity of parameters and similarity of principles in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases are also addressed. This book also describes the natural processes involved in the functional development of the mammalian cardiovascular system. By using modern methods to present recent findings on the similarities and differences of the mammalian cardiovascular system, the author provides an easily understood approach to this dynamic field of study.

Following the success of earlier ‘Quick Guide’ books, this slim little volume tackles one of the few groups of mammals that can fly. Divided into large fruit bats and smaller insecteating bats, this ultimate quick identification guide covers Africa’s 12 bat families. An informative introduction touches on evolution, flight, echolocation and reproduction, demystifying an animal that is all too often misunderstood. The text describes the facial characteristics and wing shapes common to each family and points out features that can help to distinguish between them. But it is the photographs and annotated line drawings that are most useful for identification. They include bats in flight and roosting sites, and close-ups of facial structures and wings that highlight key diagnostic attributes. An added extra is a photographic section showing the skulls of a variety bats.

This is a valuable guide for anyone with an interest in wildlife and its less common members.

This book is focused on the principals and methods of using growth layers formed in teeth and bones of mammals and to make a judgement on essential traits of the animal's life history. Nearly in all mammalian species including man, the age of individuals can be determined from the number of growth layers and, at least in some of them, it is possible to estimate the season of an animal's birth and death, the age of sexual maturation, periodicity of reproduction, certain feeding habits and other aspects of the individual's biology. It is also possible, from tooth enamel analysis, to assess dose of radiation accumulated by animals and human beings during their lifetime. The book is intended mainly for zoologists, wild-game biologists, and zoo-archaeologists, but some of the sections can also be of interest for anthropologists, radio-ecologists and conservation biologists.

Over 1000 people a year in the UK report seeing 'big cats', possibly pumas or panthers. Have these animals escaped from zoos? Are they the descendants of pets released into wild? Or is there another solution to the mystery? In this extraordinary book, big cat tracker Merrily Harpur interviews farmers, gamekeepers, ornithologists, policemen and even parents who have seen curious cats on the school run. In the process she discovers our mystery felines may have been with us for longer than we imagine, and draws some startling conclusions from what is now the commonest encounter with the unknown in Britain.

The definitive volume on opossums, a group of ecologically and scientifically important mammals, covering natural history, evolution, behavior, and biogeography. Opossums are the most diverse and ecologically important group of New World marsupials, although only the Virginia opossum is familiar to North American residents. In fact, many species of opossums are found in Neotropical rainforests, savannas, and other habitats, where they are key participants in food webs and other ecological relationships. One species, the short-tail opossum (Monodelphis domestica), has recently become a model organism for biomedical researchers. Eclipsed in the public imagination by their Australian relatives, opossums remained for many years a somewhat obscure group, of interest primarily to taxonomists and students of mammalian reproduction. While thousands of scientific articles have appeared in recent years on opossum systematics, morphology, behavior, physiology, genetics, and ecology, this important but widely scattered literature has never been effectively summarized-until now. In Opossums, the first book-length treatment of these fascinating organisms, recognized authorities Robert S. Voss and Sharon A. Jansa synthesize a wide range of available information about the diversity, comparative biology, and natural history of the opossum. Peering into every biological facet of the lives of these long-neglected mammals, the volume includes * introductory chapters explaining the paleontological and biogeographic context for opossum evolution * an overview of the extant fauna, which includes over 100 species in 18 genera * a section devoted to opossum phenotypes: morphology, physiology, and behavior * detailed information on opossum natural history, including habitats, diets, predators, and parasites * in-depth and novel interpretations of opossums' adaptive radiation in a phylogenetic context Intended for undergraduate biology majors, graduate students, and research professionals, this coherent and original portrait of opossums will be of particular interest to mammalogists, evolutionary biologists, and Neotropical field biologists as well as biomedical researchers working with Monodelphis domestica as a model organism.

Neuroscience Perspectives provides multidisciplinary reviews of topics in one of the most diverse and rapidly advancing fields in the life sciences. Whether you are a new recruit to neuroscience, or an established expert, look to this series for 'one-stop' sources of the historical, physiological, pharmacological, biochemical, molecular biological and therapeutic aspects of chosen research areas. The sigma receptor was originally thought to be a subset of the opioid receptor family, and it is less than 10 years since it was recognized that this receptor represents unique binding sites in mammalian brain and peripheral organs, distinct from any other known neurotransmitter receptor. Since the sigma receptors exhibit high affinity for members of diverse classes of psychotropic drugs, and have been postulated to be involved in various central nervous disorders, neuroscientists have demonstrated a great deal of interest in the elucidation of these receptor sites and their biological relevance. Relatively little is known about the precise role of sigma receptors in normal brain function and in CNS disorders, despite an overwhelming research effort. This research has resulted in many controversies, some of which have been reconciled while others have not. This volume aims to update the reader on the current situation, and deals with the potential functional significance of these receptors in the brain and peripheral organs and, where appropriate, makes reference to the clinical potential of these sites.

We have long attributed man's violent, aggressive, competitive nature to his animal ancestry. But what if we are just as given to cooperation, empathy and morality by virtue of our genes? From a scientist and writer whom E. O. Wilson has called 'the world authority on primate social behavior' comes a lively look at the most provocative aspects of human nature - power, sex, violence, kindness, and morality - through our two closest cousins in the ape family. For nearly twenty years, Frans de Waal has worked with both the famously aggressive chimpanzee and the lesser-known egalitarian, erotic, matriarchal bonobo, two species whose DNA is nearly identical to that of humans. He brings these apes to life on every page, revealing their personalities, relationships and power struggles, creating an engrossing narrative that explores what their behaviour can teach us about ourselves and each other.

Serves as a comprehensive review to the substantial impact of gene amplification in molecular biology, genetic engineering and medical science. The book covers the mechanism of gene amplification, organization and structure of amplified genes.

Originally published in 1976, this volume reports research that will help us to understand the causes of psychogenic diseases. It deals both experimentally and theoretically with the question of symptom specificity in psychosomatic research - why some individuals respond to psychological stress with gastric disorders, others with sexual impotence, and still others with high blood pressure. As the author notes in summarizing his conclusions, "The repeated pairing of activation of a given organic system with intense nervous stress directs the pathological influence of the stressor primarily upon the system activated; subsequently the natural stimuli which would ordinarily activate the system in a normal manner sustain the pathological stressor's effect as a conditioned stimulus for the stressor effect." The translation of this work from the original Russian brings to the attention of Western investigators new and useful models of stress-induced disorders, and sheds new light on the pervasive problem of psychosomatic disease.

Primate Evolution and Human Origins compiles, for the first time, the major ideas and publications that have shaped our current view of the evolutionary biology of the primates and the origin of the human line. Designed for freshmen-to-graduate students in anthropology, paleontology, and biology, the book is a unique collection of classic papers, culled from the past 20 years of research. It is also an important reference for academicians and researchers, as it covers the entire scope of primate and human evolution (with an emphasis on the fossil record). A comprehensive bibliography cites over 2000 significant articles not found in the main text.

Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, Finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, and the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, Shortlisted for the Stella Prize, Highly Commended in the Wainwright Prize for writing on global conservation, and a Sunday Independent Book of the Year. How do whales experience environmental change? Has our connection to these animals been transformed by technology? What future awaits us, and them? Fathoms blends natural history, philosophy, and science to explore these questions. Giggs introduces us to whales so rare they have never been named and tells us of whale 'pop' songs that sweep across hemispheres. She takes us into the deeps to discover that one whale's death can spark a great flourishing of creatures. We travel to Japan to board whaling ships, examine the uncanny charisma of these magnificent mammals, and confront the plastic pollution now pervading their underwater environment.

Leaping Ahead: Advances in Prosimian Biology presents a summary of the state of prosimian biology as we move into the second decade of the 21st century. The book covers a wide range of topics, from assessments of diversity and evolutionary scenarios, through ecophysiology, cognition, behavioral and sensory ecology, to the conservation and survival prospects of this extraordinary and diverse group of mammals. The collection was inspired by an international conference in Ithala, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2007, where prosimian biologists gathered from Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The meeting reverberated with the passion prosimian researchers feel for their study subjects and with their deep concern for the future of prosimians in the face of ongoing habitat destruction and the burgeoning threat of bushmeat hunting. Chapters for this volume were contributed by researchers from across the globe; they attest to the diversity, vibrancy and rapid growth of prosimian biology, and to the intellectual advances that have revolutionized this field in recent years. Since its earliest beginnings, prosimian research and its resultant literature have had a strong francophone component, and researchers in many prosimian habitat countries are more comfortable reading and writing in French rather than English. French summaries of all chapters have been included. The volume is targeted at researchers, both those entering the field and established scientists, who have an interest in the biology of primates and small mammals. It is also aimed at conservation biologists seeking a deeper understanding of the faunas and conservation developments in Africa, Madagascar and Southeast Asia, and anyone who has an interest in discovering the true diversity of our order, the Primates.

The contributors to this volume present research concerning the cognitive structures and development of nonhuman primates from a cognitive psychological perspective. The authors and researchers come to this project from the study of humans and apply their knowledge to research on nonhumans. For professional, researchers, and students in cognitive, developmental, and experimental psychology.

Modeling of Oxygen Transport to Skeletal Muscle: Blood Flow Distribution, Shunt, and Diffusion.- The Haldane Effect of Rabbit Blood Under Different Acid-Base Conditions.- Interaction of Blood Flow, Diffusive Transport and Cell Metabolism in Isovolemic Anemia.- The Role of Wall Shear Stress in Microvascular Network Adaptation.- Changes in Tissue Histology Associated with Adaptation and Acclimation to Hypoxia.- Transcutaneous Measurements of Skin O2 Supply and Blood Gases.- Relating Measuring Signals from PO2 Electrodes to Tissue PO2: A Theoretical Study.- A New Catheter for Quasi-Continuous Measurement of Arterial Partial Oxygen Pressure.- Continuous Intra-Arterial PO2 Monitoring During Thoracic Surgery.- Construction, Calibration and Evaluation of PO2 Electrodes for Chronical Implantation in the Rabbit Brain Cortex.- Photothrombosis in Rabbit Brain Cortex: Follow Up by Continuous pO2 Measurement.- Intravitreal and Intraretinal Oxygen Tension in the Rat Eye.- Brain Oxygenation State: Preparation of Isolated Perfused Rat Brain and Near-Infrared Spectrophotometry.- The Simultaneous Measurement of the Redox State of Cytochrome Oxidase in Heart and Brain of Rat In Vivo by NIR.- Picosecond Time of Flight Measurement of Living Tissue: Time Resolved Beer-Lambert Law.- Cerebral Oxygenation State in Chemically-Induced Seizures in the Rat: Study by Near Infrared Spectrophotometry.- Experimentally Measured Optical Pathlengths for the Adult Head, Calf and Forearm and the Head of the Newborn Infant as a Function of Inter Optode Spacing.- Near-Infrared Imaging in vivo (I): Image Restoration Technique Applicable to the NIR Projection Images.- Muscle Oxygenation by Fast Near Infrared Spectrophotometry (NIRS) in Ischemic Forearm.- Near-Infrared Imaging in vivo (II): 2-Dimensional Visualization of Tissue Oxygenation State.- Monitoring of the Oxygen Pressure in the Blood of Live Animals Using the Oxygen Dependent Quenching of Phosphorescence.- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and the Study of Tissue Oxygen Metabolism: A Review.- On-Line Oxygen Uptake Measurement (VO2): A Computer Feed-Back Controlled Rebreathing Circuit for Long Term Oxygen Uptake Registration.- Oxygen Delivery (DEL O2) Dependent and Independent Oxygen Consumption (VO2).- Microtopographic Analysis of Oxidative Stress in Organ Microcirculatory Units.- Cytochrome P-450 Under Conditions of Oxidative Stress: Role of Antioxidant Recycling in the Protection Mechanisms.- Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury and Free Radical Involvement in Gastric Mucosal Disorders.- Influence of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Free Radical Scavengers on Intestinal Ischemia Induced Oxidative Tissue Damage.- Influence of Free Radical Scavengers on Myeloperoxidase Activity and Lipid Peroxidation in Acute Skin Grafts.- Morphometric Methods for the Evaluation of Capillary Grouping Patterns in Rat Heart.- Estimation of the Oxygen Gradient Across Phospholipid Bilayers of Mitochondria from Reperfused Rabbit Hearts after Ischemia.- The Oxygen Dependence of Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation and Its Role in Regulation of Coronary Blood Flow.- Oxygen Penetration in and Release from Lung Surfactant.- Improvement of Pulmonary Gas Exchange After Surfactant Replacement in Rats With Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia.- Attenuation of Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction in Acute Oleic Acid Lung Injury: Significance of Vasodilator Prostanoids.- 99mTc-DTPA Clearance: A Sensitive Method for Early Detection of An Impending Disturbance in Gas Exchange.- Acute Respiratory Failure During Pneumonia Induced by Sendai Virus.- Estimation of Respiratory Mechanics in Dogs with Acute Lung Injury.- Effect of Hyperventilation on Oxygenation of the Brain Cortex of Neonates.- Hypoxia and the "Reaction Theory" of Central Respiratory Chemosensitivity.- Oxygenation of Mammary Tumors: From Isotransplanted Rodent Tumors to Primary Malignancies in Patients.- Measurements of Tumor Blood Flow Using Intraperitoneal Deuterium and 2H-NMR Spectroscopy....

The Anatomy of Dolphins: Insights into Body Structure and Function is a precise, detailed, fully illustrated, descriptive, and functionally oriented text on the anatomy and morphology of dolphins. It focuses on a number of delphinid species, with keynotes on important dolphin-like genera, such as the harbor porpoise. It also serves as a useful complement for expanding trends and emphases in molecular biology and genetics. The authors share their life-long expertise on marine mammals in various disciplines. Written as a team rather than being prepared as a collection of separate contributions, the result is a uniform and comprehensive style, giving each of the different topics appropriate space. Many color figures, which use the authors' access to wide collections of unique dolphin and whale material, round out this exceptional offering to the field.

This laboratory guidebook provides step-by-step procedures that will aid in the dissection and collection of major organs and tissues of the most common species of small animals used in biomedical research. Through extensive use of photographs and illustrations, the dissector is guided through a complete necropsy of each species for the purpose of collecting the organs and tissues routinely examined by pathologists. The techniques described will enable the technician to perform necropsies on almost any mammal in a precise and logical sequence, and to properly collect tissue in order to avoid diagnostic errors. Morphological differences among the various species are discussed.

Primate Evolution and Human Origins compiles, for the first time, the major ideas and publications that have shaped our current view of the evolutionary biology of the primates and the origin of the human line. Designed for freshmen-to-graduate students in anthropology, paleontology, and biology, the book is a unique collection of classic papers, culled from the past 20 years of research. It is also an important reference for academicians and researchers, as it covers the entire scope of primate and human evolution (with an emphasis on the fossil record). A comprehensive bibliography cites over 2000 significant articles not found in the main text.

The book provides up-to-date summaries on the main systems of blood group antigens and MHC molecules. The human systems are used to explain the necessary background knowledge and the systems in nonhuman primates are then described and compared. The emphasis is on the molecular nature of the gene products, the evolutionary relationships among the various systems, and the presumed mechanims by which the systems have evolved. All articles are written in such a way that they can serve as an introduction to the field for nonexperts and at the same time as a handbook for experts. Numerous tables, diagrams, and figures provide overviews of structure, distribution in different species, lists of known forms, and evolutionary relationships. Extensive reference lists guide the reader through the literature on each topic.