The Auk, the Dodo and the Oryx: Vanished and Vanishing Creatures

This was actually a nostalgic exercise for me; I had this book when I was young, and the copy had long since gone somewhere else. I had remembered it as having some fascinating vignettes regarding creatures that were extinct, or in danger (as of 1974) of going extinct. Re-reading it told me I had remembered it well. It's a Puffin book, so it's set at a low, jargon-less level, and tells the story well. There's extensive plugs for the World Wildlife Fund at the end, which was a little less shrill in those days. Alas, some of the animals in the book (especially the rhinos) have suffered, though others have done better, like the whooping crane and the Arabian oryx. One interesting bit is a discussion on climate change -- in 18th century show more Madagascar! show less

This book from the late sixties is about animals that had recently (in the last few hundred years- within human memory) gone extinct, or were presently in danger of extinction. It is a brief examination of what pushed these animals to the brink- usually a low reproduction rate, lack of defenses against introduced predators and unrestrained hunting by mankind. Extinct species discussed include numerous birds: the dodo, moa, passenger pigeon, heath hen, great auk and a few others. Mammals noted are the steller's sea cow, quagga, aurochs and giant ground sloth. There are also lots of animals in the book that were at the time at serious risk. Happy to say, at present time most of these are in still with us: giant panda, california condor, show more whooping crane, trumpeter swan, java rhino, cahow (a kind of petrel), przewalski's horse, nene (Hawaiian goose), pére david's deer, oryx. Sadly, attention to protection and conservation measures were not soon enough for others- at the time of his writing, java tigers were still around, so was the ivory-billed woodpecker. Now assumed extinct.

There were lots of details in here I never knew before about the fate of passenger pigeons. Descriptions of unfamiliar animals (takahe and moho birds of Hawaii) sent me to the internet numerous times to learn more about them. Mostly I was baffled by the reactions of people in the 1800's when they realized an animal was on the verge of extinction- not a rush to try and save it, but to obtain a specimen for their museum, or just to have the honor of shooting one.

from the Dogear Diary show less

A well-written and interesting look at the stories of several animal species caused by man to go extinct, followed by a look at some species on their way out. There are also a few success stories, but for the most part, this is a somber book full of forewarning about man's deadly influence upon the Earth's species.

One of the best books on the subject from the '60's.

Animals that have recently (within the last few centuries) become extinct or are endangered.