On the Wing: Insects, Pterosaurs, Birds, Bats and the Evolution of Animal Flight
- ISBN-10
- 0199996792
- ISBN-13
- 9780199996797
- Series
- On the Wing
- Category
- Science
- Pages
- 224
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2015-09-02
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- David E. Alexander
Description
Ask anybody what superpower they wished to possess and odds are the answer just might be "the ability to fly." What is it about soaring through the air held up by the power of one's own body that has captivated humans for so long? David Alexander examines the evolution of flight in the only four animals to have evolved this ability: insects, pterosaurs, birds, and bats. With an accessible writing style grounded in rigorous research, Alexander breaks new ground in a field that has previously been confined to specialists. While birds have received the majority of attention from flight researchers, Alexander pays equal attention to all four groups of flyers-something that no other book on the subject has done before now. In a streamlined and captivating way, David Alexander demonstrates the links between the tiny 2-mm thrip and the enormous albatross with the 12 feet wingspan used to cross oceans. The book delves into the fossil record of flyers enough to satisfy the budding paleontologist, while also pleasing ornithologists and entomologists alike with its treatment of animal behavior, flapping mechanisms, and wing-origin theory. Alexander uses relatable examples to draw in readers even without a natural interest in birds, bees, and bats. He takes something that is so off-limits and unfamiliar to humans-the act of flying-and puts it in the context of experiences that many readers can relate to. Alexander guides readers through the anomalies of the flying world: hovering hummingbirds, unexpected gliders (squirrels, for instance), and the flyers that went extinct (pterosaurs). Alexander also delves into wing-origin theory and explores whether birds entered the skies from the trees down (as gliders) or from the ground up (as runners) and uses the latest fossil evidence to present readers with an answer.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2015-09-02
- 224 pages
- Ebook
- Oxford University Press
-
- 2015
- 210 pages
- Paperback
- Oxford University Press, USA
Similar books
-
A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds
By Scott WeidensaulThis breathtaking work of nature writing from Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott Weidensaul also introduces readers to those scientists, researchers, and bird lovers trying to preserve global migratory patterns in the face of climate change and ...
-
A Bird on the Wing: Zen Anecdotes for Everyday Life
By OshoThis book will take you as far as words can go; the rest is up to you. This is the very essence of Zen.
-
The Lark on the Wing
By Elfrida 1902- VipontThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations.
-
North on the Wing: Travels with the Songbird Migration of Spring
By Bruce M. BeehlerI visit Clark's Creek Natural Area for morning birding and continue northward toward my next camping spot. Passing country churches nearly every mile, I travel through another of Audubon's stomping grounds—Natchez, Mississippi—before ...
-
The Bird Is on the Wing: Aerodynamics and the Progress of the American Airplane
By James R. HansenHow ideas about its aerodynamics first came together and how the science and technology evolved to forge the airplane into the revolutionary machine it became is the epic story James R. Hansen tells in The Bird Is on the Wing.
-
The Thing on the Wing Can Sing: A Short Vowel Sounds Book with Consonant Digraphs
By Brian P. ClearyCome along with me and learn all about reading! Brian P. Cleary's wacky sentences and Jason Miskimins's colorful art will make phonics fun! Find activities, games, and more at www.brianpcleary.com.
-
On the Wing: To the Edge of the Earth with the Peregrine Falcon
By Alan TennantOn his solitary tracking days George was always back by dark, after all three falcons had gone to roost, and as I paced Cameron's flight apron, waiting, I heard approaching steps. It was Guzman, a Mexican pilot we had met the previous ...
-
The Wing on a Flea: A Book about Shapes
By Ed EmberleySimple rhyming text and illustrations guide the reader to see triangles, rectangles, and circles in everyday things.
-
Fly the Wing: A Flight Training Handbook for Transport Category Airplanes
By Billy WalkerAlthough not intended to replace training manuals, this book is by itself a course in advanced aviation. With clear explanations and in-depth coverage, it has been described as a "full step beyond the normal training handbook.
-
The Wall and the Wing
By Laura RubyIn a future New York where most people can fly and cats are a rarity, a nondescript resident of Hope House for the Homeless and Hopeless discovers that although she is shunned as a "leadfoot," she has the surprising ability to become ...