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Walking Whales
A01=J. G. M. Hans Thewissen
alaska
archaeology
Author_J. G. M. Hans Thewissen
carnivorous
Category=PSVM2
Category=RBX
discussion books
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_science
evolution
evolutionary theory
extinction
fossil collection
fossil collectors
fossil hunters
fossil record
herbivorous mammals
india
japan
lakes and rivers
life sciences
millions of years
modern whales
natural history
nonfiction
pakistan
paleontologists
paleontology
prehistory
scientific researchers
scientists
sea mammal anatomy
south asian culture
tiny deer
whale anatomy
whale evolution
wild dolphins
zoologists
zoology
Product details
- ISBN 9780520305601
- Weight: 408g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 29 Apr 2019
- Publisher: University of California Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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Hans Thewissen, a leading researcher in the field of whale paleontology and anatomy, gives a sweeping first-person account of the discoveries that brought to light the early fossil record of whales. As evidenced in the record, whales evolved from herbivorous forest-dwelling ancestors that resembled tiny deer to carnivorous monsters stalking lakes and rivers and to serpentlike denizens of the coast.
Thewissen reports on his discoveries in the wilds of India and Pakistan, weaving a narrative that reveals the day-to-day adventures of fossil collection, enriching it with local flavors from South Asian culture and society. The reader senses the excitement of the digs as well as the rigors faced by scientific researchers, for whom each new insight gives rise to even more questions, and for whom at times the logistics of just staying alive may trump all science.
In his search for an understanding of how modern whales live their lives, Thewissen also journeys to Japan and Alaska to study whales and wild dolphins. He finds answers to his questions about fossils by studying the anatomy of otters and porpoises and examining whale embryos under the microscope. In the book's final chapter, Thewissen argues for approaching whale evolution with the most powerful tools we have and for combining all the fields of science in pursuit of knowledge.
Thewissen reports on his discoveries in the wilds of India and Pakistan, weaving a narrative that reveals the day-to-day adventures of fossil collection, enriching it with local flavors from South Asian culture and society. The reader senses the excitement of the digs as well as the rigors faced by scientific researchers, for whom each new insight gives rise to even more questions, and for whom at times the logistics of just staying alive may trump all science.
In his search for an understanding of how modern whales live their lives, Thewissen also journeys to Japan and Alaska to study whales and wild dolphins. He finds answers to his questions about fossils by studying the anatomy of otters and porpoises and examining whale embryos under the microscope. In the book's final chapter, Thewissen argues for approaching whale evolution with the most powerful tools we have and for combining all the fields of science in pursuit of knowledge.
J. G. M. “Hans” Thewissen is Ingalls-Brown Endowed Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Northeast Ohio Medical University. He is coeditor of Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2002), Emergence of Whales (1998), and Sensory Evolution on the Threshold (2008).
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