Description
Book SynopsisLife is beautiful, ruthless, and very, very strange.In the evolutionary arms race that has raged on since life began, organisms have developed an endless variety of survival strategies. From sharp claws to brute strength, camouflage to venom—all these tools and abilities share one purpose: to keep their bearer alive long enough to reproduce, helping the species avoid extinction. Every living thing on this planet has developed a time-tested arsenal of weapons and defenses. Some of these weapons and defenses, however, are decidedly more unusual than others.
In
Strange Survivors, biologist Oné R. Pagán takes us on a tour of the improbable, the ingenious, and the just plain bizarre ways that creatures fight for life.
Inside this funny, fascinating field guide to nature’s most colorful characters, you’ll meet killer snails, social bacteria, and an animal with toxic elbows. But
Strange Survivors is more than a collection of curiosities—it is a love letter to science and an argument for the continuing relevance of this evolutionary battle as we face the threat of resistant bacteria and the need for novel medical therapies. Whether discussing blood-thinning bats and electric fish or pondering the power of cooperation, Pagán reveals the surprising lessons found in some of life’s natural oddities and how the tactics they employ to live might aid our own survival.
Trade Review"This volume contains an engaging series of essays about Darwinian natural selection. This text would make for excellent supplemental reading in a lower level undergraduate course; it it is also ideally suited for the general reader. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
—CHOICE magazine “
Strange Survivors presents some of the most remarkable examples of animals’ survival mechanisms in an accessible, scientifically accurate, and humorous way. Reading this book was like sitting down to enjoy a chat on the wonders of the natural world with a close friend."
—Marie McNeely, PhD, cofounder of People Behind the Science and Unfold Productions “
Strange Survivors is technically accurate and isn't shy with scientific terms, but never in a manner that's intimidating or overbearing. This isn't fiction—you have to think as you read, but the reward is an increased understanding of the astonishing variety of life on Earth and the strategies species use to survive.”
—Peter Cawdron, author of AnomalyTable of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1: The E Word
Chapter 2: The Language of Life
Chapter 3: It All Starts with a Spark
Chapter 4: Unusual Suspects
Chapter 5: The Fast and the Hangry
Chapter 6: The Very Best Survival Tactic of Them All
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
