|
|
Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Vertebrates > Mammals
From "one of the world's greatest experts on primate behavior"
(Desmond Morris) comes a look at the most provocative aspects of
human nature-power, sex, violence, kindness, and morality-through
our closest cousins. For nearly twenty years, Frans De Waal has
studied both the famously aggressive chimpanzee and the
egalitarian, matriarchal bonobo, two species whose DNA is nearly
identical to ours. The result is an engrossing narrative that
reveals what their behavior can teach us about ourselves.
'Moose' features the biology and natural history of the northwood's
largest land mammal. Illustrated with the exquisite photographs of
famed wilderness photographer Mark Raycroft, this book celebrates
this magnificent and elusive forest giant. Weighing up to 800
kilos, the moose is the largest living member of the deer family.
It ranges across northern Canada and Alaska and inhabits
Scandinavia and Russia. Of the seven subspecies of moose, four of
them live in North America. It's been estimated that 1 million
moose live on that continent. They inhabit the northern deciduous
and mixed coniferous forests in the east, the aspen parklands of
the midwest, the vast boreal forests that span the continent, the
northern taiga and up into the southern fringes of the tundra,
where dwarf willow shrubs are abundant. Moose have been
re-introduced to Montana, Minnesota and New England as well as
Newfoundland. The name 'moose' is derived from the Algonquin native
word 'mooswa', which means, 'animal that strips bark from trees',
or 'twig-eater' and first appeared in the English language in the
1600s. Moose can run up to 35 miles an hour, swim effortlessly for
long periods of time, dive as deep as 6 metres and stay submerged
for as long as a minute. Their considerable weight and awesome
antlers also make them a spectacle to behold. But despite their
physical grandeur, moose face challenges from encroaching human
activity and a warming climate: more southerly species are moving
ever northward where the animals seek out the cooler climes that
they need to thrive. Chapters include: * Moose Ecology; * Moose
Species Coast To Coast; * The Antler Cycle; * The Rut; * Moose
Conservation and the Future; * Photographing Moose.
|
|