|
Loading... Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survivalby Bernd Heinrich
LibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendationsLoading...
won't like
will probably not like
will probably like
will like
will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. I really wanted to like this book. I picked it up from the remainder table on the strength of an eye catching cover and intriguing back text, but it was a disappointment. The author is a biologist who has a fascination with how animals survive the freezing cold of northern winters. The text has typos, and downright errors (one glaring one referring to how close to the pole one species has been found), plus his framing species, the kinglet, seems more of an obsession than a unifying theme. The chapter breaks seem random, and sentences and paragraphs repeat, so the book reads as if he'd written a series of essays and slapped them together without reading them through. He includes his own sketches of some of the animals that he talks about, those are quite pretty and detailed. But no one species (besides the kinglet) gets much depth. And despite the slew of references, the knowledge presented feels like it skims over the surface rather than digging deeply into physiology or natural adaptations. (  )1   silentq | Jun 23, 2009 |  Lovely writing on a fascinating subject. Occasionally a little dry but quite frequently humorous. I look forward to reading more by this author. (  ) plenilune | Jun 3, 2009 | The first book by Bernd Heinrich I read, it was also one that I devoured and enjoyed immensely. One thing that comes across strongly in the book is how serious Heinrich is about his research - among other "crazy" things, he collects and microwaves dead birds to see how quickly they lose body heat. That takes devotion. But coupled with this seriousness about science is the ability to convey what's he's found out in a way that is accessible and interesting to the average reader, and that's what makes him such a great author. (  ) EmilyBarber | Oct 1, 2008 | Lovely, meditative reading on how animals survive the north woods' winters. Includes information on dormancy, torpor, hibernation, "antifreeze" in blood, etc. Animals discussed include weasels/ermine, kinglets, chipmunks, moths, bees, and many others. My favorite section involved the goings-on of mice living in the sub-nivean (under-snow) zone. This is an Intriguing, well-written book that brings a much-needed chill to any sweltering summer day. ( ) lindseynichols | Jul 15, 2008 | Beautifully written tome, largely takes place in ME and VT. How animals and plants survive the winter. A wonderful read in Maine. (  ) olimacfan | Jun 23, 2007 |  no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book description |
|
From flying hot-blooded squirrels and diminutive kinglets to sleeping black bears and torpid turtles to frozen insects and frogs, the animal kingdom relies on staggering evolutionary innovations to survive winter. Unlike their human counterparts, who alter the environment to accommodate physicallimitations, most animals are adapted to an amazing range of conditions. In Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival, biologist, illustrator, and award-winning author Bernd Heinrich explores his local woods, where he delights in the seemingly infinite feats of animal inventiveness he discovers there.
Because winter drastically affects the mostelemental component of all life -- water -- radical changes in a creature's physiology and behavior must take place to match the demands of the environment. Some creatures survive by developing antifreeze; others must remain in constant motion to maintain their high body temperatures. Even if animals can avoid freezing to death, they must still manage to find food in a time of scarcity, or store it from a time of plenty.
Beautifully illustrated throughout with the author's delicate drawings and infused by his inexhaustible enchantment with nature, Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival awakens thewonders and mysteries by which nature sustains herself through winter's harsh, cruel exigencies.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:51 -0400)
The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details.
Quick Links |
Wikipedia in English
