An awe-inspiring journey through the eons of time and across the globe, in search of visible traces of evolution in living creatures which have survived from earliest times and whose stories speak to us of seminal events in the history of life. 'Reading Richard Fortey is always pure pleasure' BILL BRYSON The history of life on Earth is far older - and far odder - than many of us realise. In this book, acclaimed author Richard Fortey traces this history not through fossil records, but in the living ...
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An awe-inspiring journey through the eons of time and across the globe, in search of visible traces of evolution in living creatures which have survived from earliest times and whose stories speak to us of seminal events in the history of life. 'Reading Richard Fortey is always pure pleasure' BILL BRYSON The history of life on Earth is far older - and far odder - than many of us realise. In this book, acclaimed author Richard Fortey traces this history not through fossil records, but in the living stories of organisms that have survived nearly unchanged for hundreds of millions of years and whose existence today affords us tantalising glimpses of landscapes long vanished. For evolution has not obliterated its tracks. Scattered across the globe, strange and marvellous plants and animals have survived virtually unchanged since life first began. They range from humble algal mats dating back almost two billion years to hardy musk oxen, which linger as the last vestiges of Ice Age fauna. Following in Fortey's questing footsteps, Survivors takes us on fascinating journey to these ancient worlds. On a moonlit beach in Delaware where the horseshoe crab shuffles its way through a violent romance, we catch a glimpse of life 450 million years ago, shortly after it diversified on the ocean floor. Along a stretch of Australian coastline, we bear witness to the sights and sounds that would have greeted a Precambrian dawn. Finally, in the dense rainforests of New Zealand where the secretive velvet worm burrows into the rotting timber of the jungle floor, we marvel at a living fossil which has survived unchanged since before the dissolution of the Gondwana supercontinent. Written with Fortey's customary sparkle and gusto, this wonderfully engrossing exploration of the world's oldest flora and fauna brilliantly combines the best science writing about the origins of life with an explorer's sense of adventure and a poet's wonder at the natural world. Utterly compelling, eye-opening and awe-inspiring, this is a book for anyone with an interest in evolution, in nature, in the remarkable scope of geological time and our own modest interaction with it - in short, in life itself.
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Add this copy of Survivors: the Animals and Plants That Time Has Left to cart. $4.09, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Add this copy of Survivors: the Animals and Plants That Time Has Left to cart. $5.79, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Add this copy of Survivors: the Animals and Plants That Time Has Left to cart. $11.05, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Survivors: The Animals and Plants That Time Has Left to cart. $13.11, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by HarperPress.
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Fine. Glued binding. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Missing jacket. The dust jacket of the book is missing.