Endangered: Wildlife on the Brink of Extinction

by George McGavin

A beautifully illustrated book on endangered species and the opportunities to save them. Earth has seen at least five great extinction periods, each wiping out up to 95 percent of all living species. They involved massive volcanic eruptions, disastrous meteor strikes and rapid climatic changes. The main point of Endangered is that the sixth great extinction will be the result of humankind's abuse of the environment. Featuring more than 400 photographs, this book details the plant and animal species that are either endangered or so severely threatened that they soon will be. The authors offer a thoughtful celebration of nature's diversity not scaremongering -- and a plea to rein in current behaviors that negatively affect the planet. Their proposals form a reasoned and hopeful guide to a future world that will be safe for all species. Creatures profiled include marsupials, monkeys, sea turtles, birds of prey, and butterflies and moths. The extraordinary imagery and the compelling and objectively presented information make Endangered essential reading for anyone interested in natural history.

Genres: Animals, Science, Nature

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

George McGavin, a renowned entomologist, is an honorary research associate at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Department of Zoology of Oxford University. He has several insect species named in his honor. He lives in England.

Reviews

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book highlights species of animals that are currently endangered. The first part of the book describes the history of species and extinctions. The main part of the book focuses on and describes specific endangered species. The book wraps up with what we (humans) can do to stop or slow extinction of these species and hopefully save at least some of them (for some, it is already too late, as there are not enough left to repopulate, even if they were given a chance– he calls these, the “living dead”).

Very, very informative. I learned a lot about animals I didn’t know anything about (and I even managed to read - albeit quickly! – through the section on snakes!), and got a refresher on some I have read or learned about previously. Of course, besides describing some of the characteristics of the animals, he also talks about what has caused them to become endangered. There are gorgeous colour photographs of some of the species he is talking about. I like that he ended with things we can do to help – some individual things, and some more global initiatives.

[Hope L. Justice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really enjoyable to leaf through, if you can get past the first fifty pages. There was a lot of information on evolution, Darwinism, and theories of mass extinction. I would have liked to see more full size photographs for an edition this large, even if it meant smaller print on reverse side.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspirational with great pictures.