Rate this book

Horseshoe Crabs And Velvet Worms: The Story Of The Animals And Plants That Time Has Left Behind (2012)

by Richard Fortey(Favorite Author)

3.82 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0307263614 (ISBN13: 9780307263612)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Knopf

review 1: Renowned British palaeo Fortey travels far and wide revealing plants and animals that have survived deep time and tell us something about evolution. The man's thirst for knowledge is bottomless and it's impossible to sum up in a short review everything he turns up. Sponges, lampreys, trilobites, jellyfish, cockroaches and animals I'd never heard of such as echidna (like a hedgehog), tuatara (lizard) and tinamoa (bird). Weird facts abound. Turtles developed the bottom half of their shells first and a 40 foot pine tree is discovered in Australia in the 1990s. Fortey has a different take on human evolution too and speaks out on the modern idea of Aborigines or American Indians as 'noble savages'. Great stuff.
review 2: I really enjoyed this popular science book. ... moreAimed at a general reading audience, the book is easy to read, fast-paced, and I loved the author's voice. The author's tone makes him seem like the sort of fellow you'd like to have a pint with at the local pub (he has a very British tone). I learned fascinating tidbits of information about obscure creatures, many of which I had never heard about, and all of which I had no idea of their significance to evolution and our ecosystems. less

Download links for: Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms: The Story of the Animals and Plants That Time Has Left Behind

Advertising