Paperback(Eighth Edition)
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Overview
Conditions may be extreme, but wildlife thrives in superb scenery. Bradt’s Antarctica: A Guide to the Wildlife brings to life the history of exploration (and exploitation) in this vast polar desert, where two-thirds of the world’s fresh water is locked up as ice on a continent twice the size of Australia. This readable introduction to mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates and plants is ideal for those ‘going south’ to the world’s highest continent, where more than half the land exceeds 6,560 feet above sea level.
Celebrating the amazing species of this spectacular environment, the guide features chapters on the region’s famous whales and penguins alongside entries on lesser-known species like skuas and sheathbills. Each species account blends extensive insights into natural history with identification tips and stunning artwork. Although focusing on wildlife on the Antarctic Peninsula, an appendix on South Georgia’s wildlife briefs those whose itinerary extends to that island.
Updated throughout to address the needs of a flourishing but environmentally conscious tourism industry, this eighth edition takes account of evolving changes in population dynamics of Antarctic creatures, and reflects profound changes ice-shelf extent, which have made it easier for expedition vessels to contemplate visiting emperor penguin colonies.
Written by renowned expedition leader and former natural-history broadcaster Tony Soper and illustrated with specially commissioned paintings by Dafila Scott (granddaughter of ‘Scott of the Antarctic’, no less), Bradt’s Antarctica: A Guide to the Wildlife is an informative, entertaining guidebook that will whet your appetite for this trip of a lifetime – and will always be within arm’s reach when you get there.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781804692677 |
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Publisher: | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. |
Publication date: | 03/01/2025 |
Edition description: | Eighth Edition |
Pages: | 152 |
Product dimensions: | 5.25(w) x 8.50(h) x (d) |
About the Author
After training and working as a zoologist, Dafila Scott (dafilascott.co.uk) turned to drawing and painting. Much of her work is inspired by wildlife and landscape, featuring animals or places with which she has become familiar, notably Antarctica – a region with which she has a long family connection, including through her grandfather (Captain Robert Scott, aka ‘Scott of the Antarctic’). As daughter of conservationist and broadcaster Sir Peter Scott, she has been steeped in nature since childhood. A member of the Society of Wildlife Artists, in 2017 she won that Society’s RSPB Award.
Read an Excerpt
This book reviews the creatures which live south of the Antarctic Convergence. This turbulent area, where the sea temperature suddenly drops by several degrees, nourishes a wealth of tiny sea creatures which in turn support the world's greatest concentration of wildlife. Polar regions lack diversity; there are relatively few species here by comparison with the tropics or the temperate regions. But you may walk all day in a tropical jungle and see precious little, whereas at sea in the Southern Ocean or ashore on the islands and the coast of Antarctica there are birds and seals in glorious abundance. What's more, they are unafraid of human visitors. Treat them with respect, move slowly and quietly, and they will tolerate intrusion with equanimity. Better still, sit down quietly and they will come to you in innocent curiosity. It is a magical experience for anyone nurtured in regions where animals long ago learned to fear Man.
Table of Contents
IntroductionDiscovery and Exploitation
Terrestrial Plants And Insects
Marine Invertebrates
Fish
Birds
Mammals
Appendices
Author, Illustrator
Index