Reviews for Wilderness and plenty

The average rating for Wilderness and plenty based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-09-25 00:00:00 Linda Easter Why DO elephants have big ears? Why are large land-dwelling animals mostly mammals? Why are most birds small? Why do many reptiles live in/near bodies of water? One book to answer and explain. ...it is time to recognize crocodilians for what they truly are: perhaps the closest approximation to an unsurpasssable ecological design in the entire history of tetrapod life. There is much science in here, but whenever I found the reading to get a little difficult for my simple mind, Chris Lavers has another dynamic point to make, featuring another set of animals. Dinosaurs make an appearance as do the various reptiles of history. And there is a fascinating explanation of what survived the Great Dying and the Great Asteroid, such as brown food chains making it because of water while green food chains shriveled up and died. That leads to the amazing development of birds and how evolution helped them to prosper. Desert ravens, for example, have black feathers that soak up heat so effectively that the feather tips on a hot day may reach 80°C (176°F). Along with the big lead-up to the elephants themselves, we also get a warning about what we are doing to the planet. This book was published in 2002, so you can imagine how much damage we've already added to nature. For the planet already has some deadly surprises in store, much as it did in the past when the earth exploded with super volcanoes. The author reminds us to hope that the dangerous volcanoes continue to behave themselves and that all the carbon locked up in the earth doesn't end up in the atmosphere when green areas start turning to desert. Book Season = Spring (thermal adaptability)

Review # 2 was written on 2015-11-28 00:00:00 Francesco Paolino This was an engaging book on a topic that I honestly hadn't really considered before, although once I realized the question of the book I was all in. It was an interesting exploration of the theories surrounding warm-bloodedness vs. cold-bloodedness, starting with a question with a "well, duh" answer (Q: Why do elephants have big ears? A: thermoregulation) and using that question and answer as a doorway into the rabbit hole of comparative morphology, survival strategies, dinosaurs, birds, competition, and invasive species all involving thermoregulation as a central theme. While my eyes did glaze over through some sections, that's unfortunately a risk in any book after a certain level of scientific involvement. This book would be readable for people without a background in biology, but they may need to look up a few things as they are mentioned in the book for a better understanding of some topics. Overall it was an interesting book exploring a topic that I (and I'm sure many others) take for granted, and I'm glad I took the time to read it.