Scientifically informed and funny, a firsthand account of Australia's wonderfully unique mammals - and how our perceptions impact their future. Think of a platypus- They lay eggs (that hatch into so-called platypups), produce milk without nipples and venom without fangs, and can detect electricity. Or a wombat- Their teeth never stop growing, they poop cubes, and they defend themselves with reinforced rears. And what about antechinuses - tiny marsupial carnivores whose males don't see their first birthday, as their frenzied sex lives take so much energy that their immune systems fail? Platypuses, possums, wombats, echidnas, devils, kangaroos, quolls, dibblers, dunnarts, kowaris- Australia has some truly astonishing mammals, with incredible, unfamiliar features. But how does the world regard these creatures? And what does that mean for their conservation? In Platypus Matters, naturalist Jack Ashby shares his love for these often-misunderstood animals. Informed by his own experiences meeting living marsupials and egg-laying mammals during fieldwork in Tasmania and mainland Australia, as well as his work with thousands of zoological specimens collected for museums over the last two-hundred-plus years, Ashby's tale not only explains historical mysteries and debunks myths (especially about the platypus), but also reveals the toll these myths can take.
Author - Jack Ashby
Publisher - University of Chicago Press
Publication Date - 08-04-2022
Page Count - 400
Hardcover
Age Range - Adult
Nature and Wildlife
Product Dimensions - 6.1 W x 9.1 H x 1.3 D
ISBN-13 - 9780226789255
