A Sheltered Life

The Unexpected History of the Giant Tortoise

By: MR Paul Chambers

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Hardcover | 3 November 2005

At a Glance

Hardcover
320 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 14.61 x 1.91

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For millennia the mighty giant tortoises lived in isolation on remote oceanic islands such as the Galapagos, Seychelles and Mauritius. Then in the sixteenth century sailors discovered that they were good to eat, and their strategic location led to a wholesale plunder of their population by passing ships.
Later, many Victorian scientists became fascinated with these creatures, directly inspiring the first understanding of ecology and biogeography and Darwin's theory of natural selection. The giant tortoise was also the subject of the world's first conservation fight in the 1870s. Indeed many people's lives have been touched by these gentle giants. The French were happy to surrender the island of Mauritius in 1810, but baulked at handing over their mascot tortoise, and the British and American governments were forced to concede the tortoises in a major Cold War incident. The twentieth century saw the establishment of wildlife reserves in the Galapagos and elsewhere, but it has been too late for many species. However, modern genetics has been able to track down members of what were once believed to be extinct populations.
A Sheltered Life is a fascinating look at one of the world's strangest and most wondrous animals--whose significance in modern science and culture cannot be underestimated.

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Nature & The Natural World Wildlife in General Wildlife & Reptiles & Amphibians Science Science in General History of Science Biology, Life Sciences Biochemistry Life Sciences in General Ecological Science

Acknowledgements	p. x
Scientific and Other Conventions	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Discovery
A Sheltered Life	p. 3
The Worthless Islands	p. 8
Here Be Giants	p. 15
Inspiration
Just One Species?	p. 25
A Tortoise for Each Island	p. 32
Revelation	p. 45
Ironies	p. 72
Decimation
The Indian Ocean Tortoises	p. 79
The Safe Haven	p. 85
The Arrival of the Whaling Fleet	p. 93
Settlers	p. 106
Obsession
La Mare aux Songes	p. 115
A Champion for the Tortoises	p. 118
Understanding the Tortoises	p. 135
Save the Tortoises!	p. 144
The Final Showdown	p. 149
Galapagos or Bust	p. 154
The Errant Playboy	p. 168
Pets
The Well-Travelled Tortoises	p. 175
Darwin's Missing Tortoise	p. 177
Digging into Harriet's Past	p. 187
The Fate of the Beagle Tortoises	p. 199
Marion's Tortoise	p. 206
Recovery
In the Name of Science	p. 213
Aldabra's Legacy	p. 227
The Charles Darwin Foundation	p. 240
In the Blood
Lumpers and Splitters	p. 251
The Tortoises' Origins	p. 262
Epilogue	p. 271
Notes and Sources	p. 275
Bibliography	p. 295
Index	p. 301
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

A Sheltered Life

The Unexpected History of the Giant Tortoise

At a Glance

Hardcover

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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