Zoology
Danielle Clode reviews 'Adventures of a Young Naturalist: The Zoo Quest expeditions' by David Attenborough
David Attenborough turned ninety last year. In a short animation celebrating his birthday, two Aardman penguins muse on their first meeting with the famous naturalist. ‘There’s somethi More
Ben Brooker reviews 'The Inner Life of Animals: Love, grief and compassion – surprising observations of a hidden world' by Peter Wohlleben, translated by Jane Billinghurst
In a 1974 paper, American philosopher Thomas Nagel famously wondered what it was like to be a bat. He concluded that we could never know what it was like to be a member of a different spec More
Richard Noske reviews 'The Australian Bird Guide' by Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Jeff Davies, Peter Marsack, and Kim Franklin
With five illustrated field guides, two e-guide apps, and at least three photographic guides available to help people identify birds in Australia, some would question the need for yet anot More
Matthew Chrulew reviews 'Zoo Ethics: The challenges of compassionate conservation' by Jenny Gray
Zoological gardens are conflicted institutions. They provide a miraculous opportunity for close-ups with exotic and native animals one might never otherwise encounter. Yet they do so by keeping those very animals captive. The creaturely contact that zoos hope and claim can help transform citizens into advocates for animals and the environment is discomfited, if not ... More
Ann Moyal: Platypus
The enigmatic Platypus
Peter Menkhorst
Platypus
by Ann Moyal
Allen & Unwin, $24.99 pb, 249 pp, 9781741757798
When the first specimen of the Platypus reached Europe in 1798, it was received with incredulity by zoologists. With anatomical and mor ... More
