Tasmanian Devil: A Unique and Threatened Animal - Hardcover

Owen, David; Pemberton, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1741143683 ISBN 13: 9781741143683

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, 2006

Synopsis

Packed with information that has only been published in scientific journals, if ever at all, this collection of biological facts challenges the misconceptions associated with Australia's most famous marsupial. Far from being a scavenging, ferocious oddity, an image perpetuated by the infamous cartoon character, the Tasmanian Devil is actually a treasured and valuable wildlife species facing extinction. By sharing the surprising, controversial, funny, and tragic history behind the world's largest marsupial carnivore, this new guidebook covers all aspects of the biology and the habitat of the Tasmanian Devil.

About this title

About the Author:

David Owen is the editor of the Australian literary journal Island. He is the author of nine novels and Thylacine: The Tragic Tale of the Tasmanian Tiger. David Pemberton is the Vertebrate Curator at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

From Booklist:

Although most of the world is familiar with Taz, the Warner Brothers cartoon version of the Tasmanian devil, this animated character bears little resemblance to the true animal. The Tasmanian devil, the second largest marsupial carnivore, has been extinct on the Australian mainland for approximately 500 years, holding out only on the island of Tasmania. Owen, editor and author, and museum curator Pemberton have produced a comprehensive look at the devil for the layperson. Written in the conversational yet informative tone of the good naturalist-lecturer, the text covers all aspects of the devil, from Aboriginal dreamtime mythology to persecution by early white settlers to modern studies of the animal's natural history. Individual chapters examine evolution, ecology, relations with European settlers, devils in captivity, and the politics of Warner Brothers' copyright on the "Tasmanian devil" name. The final chapter reports on a devastating new disease that is moving through the devil population. Well illustrated with drawings and photos, and with a lengthy notes section and sizable bibliography, this will be the go-to book on Tasmanian devils for the foreseeable future. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1741143683
• ISBN 13: 9781741143683
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 232