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The Galapagos - Exploring Darwin's Tapestry (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R1,673
Discovery Miles 16 730
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The Galapagos - Exploring Darwin's Tapestry (Hardcover)
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Charles Darwin arrived at the Galapagos Islands some three
centuries after their discovery. Thousands of seafarers had been
there before him, but in these islands Darwin found something more
enduring than fresh water and tortoise meat. He found nourishment
for an idea--an idea so powerful that its implications revised the
place of humans in the universe and enriched every facet of
science. Darwin tested and refined his idea for decades before he
was persuaded to go public in 1859 by publishing "The Origin of
Species." Today this remote archipelago is the destination of vast
numbers of visitors who hope to see what Darwin saw and to
experience the aura of this extraordinary place. The Galapagos
ecosystem, a tapestry of living things, is probably the best
preserved of any in the world. Like all ecosystems, it is made of
many components that are interwoven and interdependent; Darwin's
idea explains how such tapestries are organized as well as how they
are created. Now, in spectacular pictures and insightful prose,
"The Galapagos: Exploring Darwin's Tapestry" opens the Galapagos
experience to general readers. With an extensive background in
ornithology and evolutionary ecology, a lifetime of experience as a
naturalist and a photographer, and a deep respect for his subjects,
John Hess has produced a celebration of these "Enchanted Islands."
After describing the islands' origins and the complex of physical
forces that make the Galapagos so remarkable, Hess turns his
attention to the most prominent habitats on the islands and to the
plants and animals found there. He then focuses on the animals most
encountered by visitors, animals that Hess presents as Galapagos
royalty: the flightless cormorant, the marine iguana, the Galapagos
tortoise, and others. A photo essay for each of these species
provides the reader with an intimate look at their physical and
behavioral adaptations, and the accompanying text offers insight
into their lives, showing that each of them is a unique and
priceless evolutionary achievement. The photographs are amazingly
intimate, offering close-up views that bring readers into virtual
contact with the animals and illustrating their behavior and
apparent quirks: an albatross that takes its egg for a stroll, a
seabird that can't swim or land in the water, and a gull that has
learned to fish for squid in the dark. For Hess, the Galapagos are
more than a tourist attraction, more than a shrine to science--they
are a place of breathless awe. His book invites readers to share
his affection for the islands and his appreciation of the exquisite
beauty of Darwin's tapestry.
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