Jellyfish

Häftad, Engelska, 2020

Del 94 i serien Animal

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Beskrivning

Jellyfish are, like the mythical Medusa, both beautiful and potentially dangerous. Found from pole to tropic, these mesmeric creatures form an important part of the sea’s plankton and vary in size from the gigantic to the minute. Perceived as alien creatures and seen as best avoided, jellyfish nevertheless have the power to fascinate: with the sheer beauty of their translucent bells and long, trailing tentacles; with a mouth that doubles as an anus; and without a head or brain.Drawing upon myth and historical sources as well as modern scientific advances, this book examines our ambiguous relationship with these ancient and yet ill-understood animals, describing their surprisingly complex anatomy, weaponry and habits, and their vital contribution to the ocean’s ecosystem.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2020-04-13
Mått:135 x 190 x 13 mm
Vikt:322 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Animal
Antal sidor:184
Förlag:Reaktion Books
ISBN:9781789142150

Utforska kategorier

Vattendjur inom Djur och Natur
Marinbiologi inom Naturvetenskap och teknik

Mer om författaren

Peter Williams, who lives in Oxford, has a life-long interest in natural history and the contribution animals make to our culture. He is author of Snail (2009) in the Animal series.

Recensioner i media

"Combing through history, art, and science, Peter Williams tells stories proving that these graceful watery creatures deserve our appreciation even while they elude our understanding." - Mary P. Winsor, Professor Emeritus of the IHPST, University of Toronto"Neither fish nor jelly and rather more like slime, jellyfish puzzled Aristotle. Were they animals or plants? Even the father of taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, was stumped. In fact, Peter Williams writes in his engaging and handsomely illustrated book, they are animals of surprising sophistication, with an ingenious portfolio of stratagems . . . his book is an ambivalent experience itself. The reader is by turns wary, repulsed and fascinated by these creatures . . . Mr Williams argues persuasively, if they are ineligible for affection, they at least deserve humanity's respect." - The Economist

Innehållsförteckning

Introduction1 A Lineage of Uncertainty2 Toxic but Fascinating3 Floats, Eyes and Combs4 The Illustrator's Nightmare5 Jellyfish Culture6 Light, Death and Immortality7 World DominationTimelineAppendix 1: A Brief Description of Individual Species of Jellyfish Mentioned in the TextAppendix 2: Where to see Jellyfish in CaptivityReferencesSelect BibliographyAssociations, Websites and AppsAcknowledgementsPhoto AcknowledgementsIndex