Pàlsson, Gísli

The Last of Its Kind: The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction

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ISBN 13:: 9780691230986
author:: Pàlsson, Gísli
format:: Hardback
publisher:: Princeton University Press
language:: English
Publication Year:: 2024
Pages:: 328
Dimensions:: 21.8 x 14 x 2.8 centimetres (0.4
Genre:: Science, Biology, Ecology,
Condition:: New
Availability:: Item usually sent within 10 working days

£22.72

Current Stock: 5

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Description

Description

The Last of Its Kind: The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction The great auk, a flightless bird that once thrived on the remote islands of the North Atlantic, is one of the most tragic examples of extinction. Gísli Pálsson's book tells the story of the bird's final days, drawing on firsthand accounts from the Icelanders who hunted the last great auks. This narrative is woven together with rare, unpublished material and insights from ornithology, anthropology, and Pálsson's own travels to the North Atlantic. The story of the great auk's extinction is a pivotal moment in the history of scientific exploration. In the mid-19th century, British ornithologists John Wolley and Alfred Newton embarked on a journey to Iceland to collect specimens, only to discover that the great auks were already gone. Pálsson chronicles how this discovery opened their eyes to the disappearance of species as a subject of scientific concern, and how it marked a turning point in the understanding of human causes of mass extinction. Through this narrative, Pálsson reveals the complex relationships between science, exploration, and the natural world. The great auk's story serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of human activity on the environment, and the importance of understanding the causes of mass extinction.

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