Wings carry tiny insects, fluttering butterflies, and backyard birds, and they even once propelled some dinosaurs up and through the skies. Find out how, when, and why birds and beasts have taken to the air, and discover how wings work in this informative and brilliantly illustrated book about flight.
"On the Wing is the first book to take a comprehensive look at the evolution of flight in all four groups of powered flyers: insects, pterosaurs, birds, and bats."--Book jacket.
It's a book of world records... of bones! Guess whose bones are the longest, shortest, heaviest, spikiest, and more. With touchable skeletons! An International Literacy Association Teachers' Choice Title (2018) A Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List Title (2019) Ten record-breaking animal bones are introduced through a series of superlatives set up as a guessing game with clues. Readers examine animals' skeletons and guess to whom they belong; the answers are revealed in vibrant, full-color scenic habitats, with easily understood — and humorous — explanations. This entertaining introduction to the connection between animal bones (anatomy) and behavior is playful, relatable, and includes touch-and-feel finishes that bring the bones to life!
'Nature's Flyers' is a detailed account of the current scientific understanding of the primary aspects of flight in nature. The author explains the physical basis of flight, drawing upon bats, birds, insects, pterosaurs and even winged seeds.
A leading figure in the emerging field of extinction studies, Thom van Dooren puts philosophy into conversation with the natural sciences and his ethnographic encounters to vivify the cultural and ethical significance of modern-day extinctions. Unlike other meditations on the subject, Flight Ways incorporates the particularities of real animals and their worlds, drawing philosophers, natural scientists, and general readers into the experience of living among and losing biodiversity. Each chapter of Flight Ways focuses on a different species or group of birds: North Pacific albatrosses, Indian vultures, an endangered colony of penguins in Australia, Hawaiian crows, and the iconic whooping cranes of North America. Written in eloquent and moving prose, the book takes stock of what is lost when a life form disappears from the world—the wide-ranging ramifications that ripple out to implicate a number of human and more-than-human others. Van Dooren intimately explores what life is like for those who must live on the edge of extinction, balanced between life and oblivion, taking care of their young and grieving their dead. He bolsters his studies with real-life accounts from scientists and local communities at the forefront of these developments. No longer abstract entities with Latin names, these species become fully realized characters enmeshed in complex and precarious ways of life, sparking our sense of curiosity, concern, and accountability toward others in a rapidly changing world.
A persevering penguin is determined to fly in this adorably inspiring Classic Board Book from the creator of Red Hat and Red Sled. Although little Penguin has the soul of an eagle, his body wasn’t built to soar. But Penguin has an irrepressible spirit, and he adamantly follows his dreams to flip, flap, fly! Even if he needs a little help with the technical parts, this penguin is ready to live on the wind.
The Symposium on Swimming and Flying in Nature which was held at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California from July 8-12, 1974 was conceived with the objective of providing an interdisciplinary forum for the discussion of funda mental biological and fluid mechanical aspects of these forms of natura110comotion. It was the earnest hope of all concerned in the organization of the Symposium that the exchange of knowledge and interaction of ideas from the disciplines involved would stimu late new research in this developing field. If the liveliness of the discussion generated among the 250 or so participants is any measure, then this objective was fulfilled to a significant degree. These two companion volumes contain the manuscripts of the papers presented during the Symposium. It is hoped that this permanent record will serve to perpetuate the enthusiasm and active thought generated during those days in Pasadena. The first volume contains the proceedings of the first two days of the confer ence (Sessions I to IV) which concentrated on the locomotion of micro-organisms. The second volume (Sessions V to VIII) deals with the propulsion of larger fish, insects and birds. Professor Sir James Lighthill's Special Invited Lecture which opened the Symposium is contained in the second volume, rather than the first, since it deals with natural flight.
Did you know that many species are able to glide through the air using loose flaps of skin or other adaptations? This is called passive flight because the animal does not need to use its own energy to stay in the air. Discover these and other intriguing facts in Flight.
It has been great fun to write this book, even though it has taken longer than planned, and occasionally been exasperating. The most difficult problem was deciding what to exclude among so many interesting things, because the available material usually exceeded the space. Because a book like this covers so many aspects, each component must be limited. This book is intended for graduate and undergraduate students as well as professional scientists who want to work with animal flight or to gain some insight into flight mechanics, aerodynamics, energetics, physiology, morpho logy, ecology and evolution. My aim has not been to give the whole mathe matical explanation of flight, but to provide an outline and summary of the main theories for the understanding of how aerofoils respond to an airflow. I also hope to give the reader some insight into how flight morphology and the various wing shapes have evolved and are adapted to different ecological niches and habitats.