Magnificent Mihirungs
DOWNLOAD
Download Magnificent Mihirungs PDF/ePub or read online books in Mobi eBooks. Click Download or Read Online button to get Magnificent Mihirungs book now. This website allows unlimited access to, at the time of writing, more than 1.5 million titles, including hundreds of thousands of titles in various foreign languages. If the content not found or just blank you must refresh this page
Magnificent Mihirungs
DOWNLOAD
Author : Peter F. Murray
language : en
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Release Date : 2004-03-04
Magnificent Mihirungs written by Peter F. Murray and has been published by Indiana University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2004-03-04 with Nature categories.
Over millions of years, Australia's unique biodiversity has produced a large cabinet of curiosities. Among the weirder members of this group were the Mihirungs, members of the now extinct family Dromornithidae. Made up of several genera of flightless birds—among them one of the very largest birds that ever lived—the dromornithids ranged from 60-kilogram beasts, 1.5 meters tall, to giants twice that size, weighing nearly half a metric ton. They were, by orders of magnitude, the largest "geese" that ever lived. One species was comparable in size to the Ele-phantbird of Madagascar and the Giant Moa of New Zealand. This book is the first major study of this unique and highly diverse group. It aims to present as complete a synthesis as possible of current information about this fascinating family of birds.
Corridors To Extinction And The Australian Megafauna
DOWNLOAD
Author : Steve Webb
language : en
Publisher: Newnes
Release Date : 2013-02-27
Corridors To Extinction And The Australian Megafauna written by Steve Webb and has been published by Newnes this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-02-27 with Nature categories.
Extinctions have always occurred and always will, so what is so surprising about the megafauna extinctions? They were caused by humans and were the first of many extinctions that eventually led to the extinction of the Moa, Steller's Sea Cow, the Dodo, Great Auk and countless other species great and small, all attributed to human agency. Therefore, the megafauna were humans’ first great impact on the planet. There is now an increasing realization that the 'blitzkrieg' view of these extinctions may have been wrong. A growing body of evidence and long-term field work is beginning to show that at least Australia's megafauna did not succumb to human agency, not because humans probably did not hunt the odd animal but because the an infinitely more logical reason lies in the climatic conditions of the Quaternary Ice Ages and the affect they had on continental geography, environment, climate and, most importantly, the biogeography of the megafauna. This book presents the evidence of this theory, demonstrating the biogeographic approach to Australia’s megafauna extinction. Written clearly to benefit a diverse level of readers, from those with a passing interest to professionals in the field. Examines future climate change and its effects on the planet by looking at examples buried in the past Presents new evidence from extensive field research
Where Song Began
DOWNLOAD
Author : Tim Low
language : en
Publisher: Yale University Press
Release Date : 2016-09-27
Where Song Began written by Tim Low and has been published by Yale University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-09-27 with Science categories.
An authoritative and entertaining exploration of Australia’s distinctive birds and their unheralded role in global evolution Renowned for its gallery of unusual mammals, Australia is also a land of extraordinary birds. But unlike the mammals, the birds of Australia flew beyond the continent’s boundaries and around the globe many millions of years ago. This eye-opening book tells the dynamic but little-known story of how Australia provided the world with songbirds and parrots, among other bird groups, why Australian birds wield surprising ecological power, how Australia became a major evolutionary center, and why scientific biases have hindered recognition of these discoveries. From violent, swooping magpies to tool-making cockatoos, Australia’s birds are strikingly different from birds of other lands—often more intelligent and aggressive, often larger and longer-lived. Tim Low, a renowned biologist with a rare storytelling gift, here presents the amazing evolutionary history of Australia’s birds. The story of the birds, it turns out, is inseparable from the story of the continent itself and also the people who inhabit it.
Bird Minds
DOWNLOAD
Author : Gisela Kaplan
language : en
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Release Date : 2015-08-03
Bird Minds written by Gisela Kaplan and has been published by CSIRO PUBLISHING this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2015-08-03 with Science categories.
In her comprehensive and carefully crafted book, Gisela Kaplan demonstrates how intelligent and emotional Australian birds can be. She describes complex behaviours such as grieving, deception, problem solving and the use of tools. Many Australian birds cooperate and defend each other, and exceptional ones go fishing by throwing breadcrumbs in the water, extract poisonous parts from prey and use tools to crack open eggshells and mussels. The author brings together evidence of many such cognitive abilities, suggesting plausible reasons for their appearance in Australian birds. Bird Minds is the first attempt to shine a critical and scientific light on the cognitive behaviour of Australian land birds. In this fascinating volume, the author also presents recent changes in our understanding of the avian brain and links these to life histories and longevity. Following on from Gisela’s well-received books on the Australian Magpie and the Tawny Frogmouth, as well as two earlier titles on birds, Bird Minds contends that the unique and often difficult conditions of Australia's environment have been crucial for the evolution of unusual complexities in avian cognition and behaviour.
Rebels Scholars Explorers
DOWNLOAD
Author : Annalisa Berta
language : en
Publisher: JHU Press
Release Date : 2020-10-27
Rebels Scholars Explorers written by Annalisa Berta and has been published by JHU Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2020-10-27 with Science categories.
Unearthing the amazing hidden stories of women who changed paleontology forever. For centuries, women have played key roles in defining and developing the field of vertebrate paleontology. Yet very little is known about these important paleontologists, and the true impacts of their contributions have remained obscure. In Rebels, Scholars, Explorers, Annalisa Berta and Susan Turner celebrate the history of women "bone hunters," delving into their fascinating lives and work. At the same time, they explore how the discipline has shaped our understanding of the history of life on Earth. Berta and Turner begin by presenting readers with a review of the emergence of vertebrate paleontology as a science, emphasizing the contributions of women to research topics and employment. This is followed by brief biographical sketches and explanations of early discoveries by women around the world over the past 200 years, including those who who held roles as researchers, educators, curators, artists, and preparators. Forging new territory, Berta and Turner highlight the barriers and challenges faced by women paleontologists, describing how some managed to overcome those obstacles in order to build careers in the field. Finally, drawing on interviews with a diverse group of contemporary paleontologists, who share their experiences and offer recommendations to aspiring fossil hunters, they provide perspectives on what work still needs to be done in order to ensure that women's contributions to the field are encouraged and celebrated. Uncovering and relating lost stories about the pivotal contributions of women in vertebrate paleontology doesn't just make for enthralling storytelling, but also helps ensure a richer and more diverse future for this vibrant field. Illuminating the discoveries, collections, and studies of fossil vertebrates conducted by women in vertebrate paleontology, Rebels, Scholars, Explorers will be on every paleontologist's most-wanted list and should find a broader audience in the burgeoning sector of readers from all backgrounds eager to learn about women in the sciences.
The Argonautika
DOWNLOAD
Author : Apollonios Rhodios
language : en
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Release Date : 2007-12-05
The Argonautika written by Apollonios Rhodios and has been published by Univ of California Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2007-12-05 with Fiction categories.
"Green turns his formidable classical learning and his finely nuanced sense of English verse to bear on the challenge of restoring Apollonios to his true place—on a par with the best modern poetic versions of Homer and Virgil."—Robert Fagles
Paleogene Fossil Birds
DOWNLOAD
Author : Gerald Mayr
language : en
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2009-04-21
Paleogene Fossil Birds written by Gerald Mayr and has been published by Springer Science & Business Media this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2009-04-21 with Science categories.
In the present book the Paleogene fossil record of birds is detailed for the first time on a worldwide scale. I have developed the idea for such a project for several years, and think that it is an appropriate moment to present a summary of our c- rent knowledge of the early evolution of modern birds. Meanwhile not only is there a confusing diversity of fossil taxa, but also significant progress has been made concerning an understanding of the higher-level phylogeny of extant birds. Hypotheses which were not considered even a decade ago are now well supported by independent analyses of different data. In several cases these group together morphologically very different avian groups and allow a better understanding of the mosaic character distribution found in Paleogene fossil birds. The book aims at bringing some of this information together, and many of the following data are based on first-hand examination of fossil specimens.
Avian Evolution
DOWNLOAD
Author : Gerald Mayr
language : en
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Release Date : 2016-10-31
Avian Evolution written by Gerald Mayr and has been published by John Wiley & Sons this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-10-31 with Science categories.
Knowledge of the evolutionary history of birds has much improved in recent decades. Fossils from critical time periods are being described at unprecedented rates and modern phylogenetic analyses have provided a framework for the interrelationships of the extant groups. This book gives an overview of the avian fossil record and its paleobiological significance, and it is the only up-to-date textbook that covers both Mesozoic and more modern-type Cenozoic birds in some detail. The reader is introduced to key features of basal avians and the morphological transformations that have occurred in the evolution towards modern birds. An account of the Cenozoic fossil record sheds light on the biogeographic history of the extant avian groups and discusses fossils in the context of current phylogenetic hypotheses. This review of the evolutionary history of birds not only addresses students and established researchers, but it may also be a useful source of information for anyone else with an interest in the evolution of birds and a moderate background in biology and geology.
Aboriginal Peoples And Birds In Australia
DOWNLOAD
Author : Philip A. Clarke
language : en
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Release Date : 2023-04-03
Aboriginal Peoples And Birds In Australia written by Philip A. Clarke and has been published by CSIRO PUBLISHING this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2023-04-03 with Nature categories.
Australia is home to many distinctive species of birds, and Aboriginal peoples have developed close alliances with them over the millennia of their custodianship of this country. Aboriginal Peoples and Birds in Australia: Historical and Cultural Relationships provides a review of the broad physical, historical and cultural relationships that Aboriginal people have had with the Australian avifauna. This book aims to raise awareness of the alternative bodies of ornithological knowledge that reside outside of Western science. It describes the role of birds as totemic ancestors and spirit beings, and explores Aboriginal bird nomenclature, foraging techniques and the use of avian materials to make food, medicine and artefacts. Through a historical perspective, this book examines the gaps between knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples and Western science, to encourage greater collaboration and acknowledgment in the future. Cultural sensitivity Readers are warned that there may be words, descriptions and terms used in this book that are culturally sensitive, and which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. While this information may not reflect current understanding, it is provided by the author in a historical context. This publication may also contain quotations, terms and annotations that reflect the historical attitude of the original author or that of the period in which the item was written, and may be considered inappropriate today. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this publication may contain the names and images of people who have passed away.
Forensics Fossils And Fruitbats
DOWNLOAD
Author : Stephen Luntz
language : en
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Release Date : 2011
Forensics Fossils And Fruitbats written by Stephen Luntz and has been published by CSIRO PUBLISHING this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2011 with Biography & Autobiography categories.
Forensics, Fossils and Fruitbatsis a fascinating collection of more than 70 profiles of Australian scientists from 15 fields of physical, biological and medical science. These scientists have been selected because their research is inspiring, intriguing or simply quirky, or because they have taken an unusual or interesting path to the work they do. Profiles include: * A forensic archaeologist whose work has taken her from Antarctica to Pompeii * A palaeontologist who revolutionized understanding of Australia's dinosaurs * A computer scientist teaching computers to understand jokes * The engineer behind technologies that could bring clear sight to a billion people and clean energy to billions more. For anyone considering a career in science, Forensics, Fossils and Fruitbatsprovides insight into the challenges and triumphs of being a scientist. For everyone else, it is a rare peek into the reality of how science is done.
