Description
Book SynopsisTells a story about evolution, as well as a tale of the storms, scurvy, and shipwrecks that plagued the Pacific coast's explorers, naturalists, and scientists, many of whom led turbulent or tragic lives, with themes reflected in the wonder and danger of the coast itself.
Trade Review"Wallace's easy-going style, mixing personal adventures with textbook science, makes paleontology as readable as narrative history." The California Territorial Quarterly "A fascinating narrative of adventures from the pioneer naturalists to modern scientists." -- Evelyne Bremond-Hoslet Mammalia
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Prologue. Steller's Sea Ape 1 / Reefs in the Desert 2 / Amphibious Ambiguities 3 / Bird Teeth and Reptile Necks 4 / Tail Tales 5 / Cope's Elusive Ophidians 6 / Hooves into Flippers 7 / Marsh's Deceptive Desmostylians 8 / Emlong's Whale 9 / Paws into Flippers 10 / Sea Cows and Oyster Bears 11 / The Long, Warm Summer 12 / Emptying Bays 13 / Punctuated Pinnipeds and Darwinian Sirenians 14 / Advent of Autumn 15 / Ice Age Invasions 16 / Hands into Paddles 17 / Pileated Woodpecker's Boat 18 / The End of the Earth 19 / An Industrial Interlude 20 / Intimations of Communication Epilogue. The Old Man of the Sea Notes Bibliography Index
