Platypus: Platypus / Edition 1

by Ann Moyal

Overview

This is the enigmatic story of a biological riddle that confounded scientists for nearly ninety years, challenging theories of creationism, evolution, and classification of species along the way. Secretive, elusive, and beguiling, the platypus has continued to captivate public and scientific attention to the present day.

When the first platypus specimen reached England from Australia in 1799, the scientific community claimed that it was a hoax. On closer investigation, dubious European naturalists eventually declared it to be real, though in an age obsessed with classification, the category-defying platypus sparked heated debates across Europe for a century. In Platypus, Ann Moyal provides a unique biography of one of the world's most famously strange creatures and tells the incredible story of how it became the focus of the great scientific debates of the nineteenth century. Eloquent and concise, Platypus uncovers the earliest theories and latest discoveries about this delightfully odd member of the animal kingdom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781560989776
Publisher:	Smithsonian Institution Press
Publication date:	07/28/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Ann Moyal is a historian of science. She has held research and teaching positions at a number of universities and is the founder and past president of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia. She lives in Canberra.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	viii
	Introduction	xi
1	'This Highly Interesting Novelty'	1
2	The Frenchmen's Gaze	19
3	Marshalling the Animals	31
4	The Wrangling Scientists	48
5	The Land of Contrarieties	61
6	The First Hard Look	74
7	The Paper War	89
8	Darwin's Platypus	102
9	To the Antipodes	115
10	The Clash of Titans	130
11	Solving the Mystery	141
12	The New Men	158
13	'The Platypus Man'	167
14	The Platypus Goes to War	180
15	'The Animal of All Time'	186
	Glossary	206
	A Word on Sources	209
	Illustrations	215
	Index	219

Editorial Reviews

If any animal has mystery and charisma, it is the platypus. This book tells its story, and it's a winner . . . It has something for everyone—the excitement of a detective story, the history of biological ideas. . . . Read it and enjoy.”—Nature

“Few of the monotreme’s admirers have seen one in the wild; fewer still know the key roles platypuses have played in theories of evolution. . . . Moyal—a historian of science based in Canberra, Australia—sets out to tell us all this and more in a cleanly written tome combining scientific curiosities with narrative history.”—Publisher’s Weekly

“Moyal writes a spirited and eminently readable account of this odd Australian mammal. . . . Well illustrated with period engravings of both the animal and the scientists who fought over it, as well as photographs of the living animal, this lively overview of the platypus is recommended for all libraries.”—Booklist

“Moyal's sublime Platypus traces the wild and raucous history of the antipodean creature's introduction to the world. Part history, part mystery, Platypus details how the European scientific community was able to understand this Australian oddity. . . . [This book is] as remarkable and delightful as its bizarre subject.”—New York Resident

From the Publisher

This book about one of the world's most unique animals is written at an academic level, but is clear enough for a serious young person to read. It is filled with beautiful illustrations and drawings, and there is even a story from the Australian aborigines about this animal. The reader will learn not only about the platypus, but also the history of science in categorizing living beings. Moyal includes remarkable stories about some giants in the naturalist field, such as Charles Darwin, George Bennett and J.T. Wilson, which brings a human touch to the story. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2001, Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 226p. illus. bibliog. index., Ages 12 to adult.
—Nola Theiss

KLIATT