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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 577.16 EAN: 9781596912991 Edition: 1st ISBN: 1596912995 Label: Bloomsbury USA Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 304 Publication Date: July 08, 2008 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Release Date: July 08, 2008 Studio: Bloomsbury USA Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: A provocative look at how the disappearance of the world’s great predators has upset the delicate balance of the environment, and what their disappearance portends for the future, by an acclaimed science journalist. It wasn’t so long ago that wolves and great cats, monstrous fish and flying raptors ruled the peak of nature’s food pyramid. Not so anymore. All but exterminated, these predators of the not-too-distant past have been reduced to minor players of the modern era. And what of it? Wildlife journalist William Stolzenburg follows in the wake of nature’s topmost carnivores, and finds chaos in their absence. From the brazen mobs of deer and marauding raccoons of backyard America to streamsides of Yellowstone National Park crushed by massive herds of elk; from urchin-scoured reefs in the North Pacific to ant-devoured islands in Venezuela, Stolzenburg leads a startling tour through bizarre, impoverished landscapes of pest and plague. For anyone who has seldom given thought to the meat-eating beasts so recently missing from the web of life, here is a world of reason to think again. Average Rating:
 Rating: - MegapredatorsFor fans of science writing, not to mention lovers of nature and animals, this is a very well-written and occasionally heartbreaking look at the developing science of predation. Stolzenburg presents important breakthroughs and controversies surrounding this relatively new discipline, with especially insightful explorations of whether the human world would truly benefit from a natural environment possessing a full slate of superpredators. Throughout history, large predators have been willfully exterminated, ... Read More Rating: - FANTASTICFrom a layperson point of view this book is a great read detailing with clarity and scientific precision the role of predators in our ecosystem. The book skillfully delivers the historic facts regarding the evolution of the field of ecology as well as how and why great predators (wolves, bears, eagles among others) have been replaced by other secondary predators (coyotes, house cats, hyenas) and the damage our ecosystems incur because of it. That may sound pretty textbook boring, but Stolzenburg tells this ... Read More Rating: - Excellent bookThis is an excellent summary of many field studies that prove the importance of apex predators. It's a quick and compelling read, and expect it may become required reading for all interested in environmental issues. The book paints a rather bleak picture of the situation we face, and now I notice it's conclusions everywhere. He talks at length about the DC area, where I live, which adds to my own personal awareness of the issue. I'd recommend it to anyone: it's written for laypeople but can be useful for scientists ... Read More Rating: - Predatory InstinctsThe authors' style really resonated with me. He describes large earth-shattering revelations with such eloquence. Starting with the thesis that the death/extinction of predators and "super"predators are to blame for many ecological/environmental, he delves into numerous case studies and ongoing research of many leading biologists. The first chapters discussion of the kelp forests along the Pacific rim was particularly interesting, and made a real case for the rest of the book: ecosystems MUST be looked at from the top ... Read More Rating: - An Important Book With Broad ImplicationsWhere the Wild Things Were: Life, Death, and Ecological Wreckage in a Land of Vanishing Predators, is a new and important contribution to conservation and ecology by William Stolzenburg (Bloomsbury, 2008) The author looks at cases, both experimental and real-life, where the top predators have been wiped out, and looks at what happens next. It turns out that a lot of things happen, none of them good. One result is an explosion of "mesopredators" (the second-tier carnivores, ranging from coyotes to raccoons to feral ... Read More 
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