Galapagos Giant Tortoises
Galapagos Giant Tortoises

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2020-11-25

Total Pages: 536

ISBN-13: 0128175540

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Galapagos Giant Tortoises brings together researchers and conservationists to share the most up-to-date knowledge of Galapagos giant tortoises. Despite being icons of the world-famous Galapagos Archipelago and the target of more than 50 years of conservation research and management, Galapagos giant tortoise evolution and much of their ecology remained unknown until recently. This book documents the history, the pressing conservation issues, and success stories recovering several of the 15 different species of Galapagos tortoises from near extinction. The book begins with an overview of the history of the relationship between humans and Galapagos giant tortoises, starting from initial heavy exploitation of tortoises by pirates and whalers, and extending to the start of the modern conservation era in the 1960s. The book then shifts to biology, describing Galapagos tortoise evolution, taxonomy, ecology, habitats, reproduction, and behavior. Next the decades of conservation efforts and their results are reviewed, including issues of captive breeding, invasive species, introduced diseases, and de-extinction, as well as the current status and distribution of every species. The final portion of the book turns to four case studies of restoration, and then looks ahead to the future of all tortoise populations.The latest volume in the Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscape series, Galapagos Giant Tortoises is a valuable resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as students of biology, wildlife conservation, and herpetology. Provides a comprehensive overview of the Galapagos giant tortoise species as written and edited by the world's leading experts Presents examples of restoration of tortoise populations following the near extinction of many of them Describes conservation strategies to ensure the full recovery of all extant species Explores recent efforts using replacement tortoises for extinct species to restore island ecosystems

Tracking Tortoises
Tracking Tortoises

Author: Kate Messner

Publisher: Millbrook Press ™

Published: 2021-09-07

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13: 1728436303

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Galápagos giant tortoises are fascinating—and endangered. They live only on the Galápagos Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador. These tortoises face threats from the humans who live on—and visit—the islands, as well as from Earth's warming climate. Join author Kate Messner on an a journey to the Galápagos Islands to see these incredible creatures up close and discover how cutting-edge technology is helping scientists to study and protect them.

A Sheltered Life
A Sheltered Life

Author: Paul Chambers

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 9780195223965

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A Sheltered Life offers a fascinating look at one of the world's strangest and most wondrous animals--whose significance in modern science and culture cannot be underestimated. In an engaging blend of cultural and natural history, the book ranges from the earliest mention of the tortoises many millennia ago, to the wholesale plunder of their populations starting in the sixteenth century, to modern attempts to protect the tortoise and track down members of what were once believed to be extinct populations.

Giant Tortoise
Giant Tortoise

Author: August Hoeft

Publisher: Xist Publishing

Published: 2020-09-15

Total Pages: 16

ISBN-13: 153241420X

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I see a giant tortoise. The giant tortoise eats leaves. Beginning readers can learn all about the giant tortoise in this short book in the I See Animals Series. With less than 20 unique words, kids can learn about interesting animals while building their reading fluency. Each I See Animals book uses simple sentences, sight words, and vibrant photos to help even the earliest readers delve into a nonfiction text. The books all contain a note to parents and caregivers with tips for helping kids learn to read. A Word list and post-reading activities are also included in every I See Animals book. These books are all Guided Reading Level C.

On the Backs of Tortoises
On the Backs of Tortoises

Author: Elizabeth Hennessy

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2019-10-29

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 0300249152

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An insightful exploration of the iconic Galápagos tortoises, and how their fate is inextricably linked to our own in a rapidly changing world. Finalist for the 2020 E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, sponsored by PEN America Literary Awards The Galápagos archipelago is often viewed as a last foothold of pristine nature. For sixty years, conservationists have worked to restore this evolutionary Eden after centuries of exploitation at the hands of pirates, whalers, and island settlers. This book tells the story of the islands’ namesakes—the giant tortoises—as coveted food sources, objects of natural history, and famous icons of conservation and tourism. By doing so, it brings into stark relief the paradoxical, and impossible, goal of conserving species by trying to restore a past state of prehistoric evolution. The tortoises, Elizabeth Hennessy demonstrates, are not prehistoric, but rather microcosms whose stories show how deeply human and nonhuman life are entangled. In a world where evolution is thoroughly shaped by global history, Hennessy puts forward a vision for conservation based on reckoning with the past, rather than trying to erase it. “Fresh, insightful . . . Hennessy’s melding of human and natural history makes for thought-provoking reading.” —Booklist (starred review) “Gripping . . . well-researched and thought-provoking . . . whether you’re well-versed in the intricacies of conservation or have only just begun to long for a look at the tortoises yourself. On the Backs of Tortoises is a natural history that asks important questions, and challenges us to think about how best to answer them.” —Genevieve Valentine, NPR “Wonderfully interesting, informative, and engaging, as well as scholarly.” —Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place

Take Your Time
Take Your Time

Author: Eva Furrow

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)

Published: 2017-04-11

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 1250160766

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Harriet the tortoise likes to do things slowly. She explores her home on the Galápagos Islands—slowly. She eats—slowly. And when the sun goes down, she slumbers deeply all night long. When Harriet’s friends tell her to pick up the pace, Harriet decides to journey to a neighboring island to see what there is to see. She parades with penguins and rides with dolphins, encountering adventure at every turn. But is life in the fast lane right for a tortoise who loves to take her time?

Galapagos Giant Tortoises
Galapagos Giant Tortoises

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2020-11-07

Total Pages: 538

ISBN-13: 0128175559

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Galapagos Giant Tortoises brings together researchers and conservationists to share the most up-to-date knowledge of Galapagos giant tortoises. Despite being icons of the world-famous Galapagos Archipelago and the target of more than 50 years of conservation research and management, Galapagos giant tortoise evolution and much of their ecology remained unknown until recently. This book documents the history, the pressing conservation issues, and success stories recovering several of the 15 different species of Galapagos tortoises from near extinction.The book begins with an overview of the history of the relationship between humans and Galapagos giant tortoises, starting from initial heavy exploitation of tortoises by pirates and whalers, and extending to the start of the modern conservation era in the 1960s. The book then shifts to biology, describing Galapagos tortoise evolution, taxonomy, ecology, habitats, reproduction, and behavior. Next the decades of conservation efforts and their results are reviewed, including issues of captive breeding, invasive species, introduced diseases, and de-extinction, as well as the current status and distribution of every species. The final portion of the book turns to four case studies of restoration, and then looks ahead to the future of all tortoise populations.The latest volume in the Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscape series, Galapagos Giant Tortoises is a valuable resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as students of biology, wildlife conservation, and herpetology. - Provides a comprehensive overview of the Galapagos giant tortoise species as written and edited by the world's leading experts - Presents examples of restoration of tortoise populations following the near extinction of many of them - Describes conservation strategies to ensure the full recovery of all extant species - Explores recent efforts using replacement tortoises for extinct species to restore island ecosystems

Wildlife of the Galapagos
Wildlife of the Galapagos

Author: Julian Fitter

Publisher: Traveller's Guide

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780008156732

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The islands of the Galápagos, situated off the coast of Ecuador in South America, are home to some of the world's most fascinating wildlife and are visited by thousands of tourists each year.

Extinct Madagascar
Extinct Madagascar

Author: Steven M. Goodman

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2014-09-04

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 022615694X

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The landscapes of Madagascar have long delighted zoologists, who have discovered, in and among the island’s baobab trees and thickets, a dizzying array of animals, including something approaching one hundred species of lemur. Madagascar’s mammal fauna, for example, is far more diverse, and more endemic, than early explorers and naturalists ever dreamed of. But in the past 2,500 or so years—a period associated with natural climatic shifts and ecological change, as well as partially coinciding with the arrival of the island’s first human settlers—a considerable proportion of Madagascar’s forests have disappeared; and in the wake of this loss, a number of species unique to Madagascar have vanished forever into extinction. In Extinct Madagascar, noted scientists Steven M. Goodman and William L. Jungers explore the recent past of these land animal extinctions. Beginning with an introduction to the geologic and ecological history of Madagascar that provides context for the evolution, diversification, and, in some cases, rapid decline of the Malagasy fauna, Goodman and Jungers then seek to recapture these extinct mammals in their environs. Aided in their quest by artist Velizar Simeonovski’s beautiful and haunting digital paintings—images of both individual species and ecosystem assemblages reproduced here in full color—Goodman and Jungers reconstruct the lives of these lost animals and trace their relationships to those still living. Published in conjunction with an exhibition of Simeonovski’s artwork set to open at the Field Museum, Chicago, in the fall of 2014, Goodman and Jungers’s awe-inspiring book will serve not only as a sobering reminder of the very real threat of extinction, but also as a stunning tribute to Madagascar’s biodiversity and a catalyst for further research and conservation.