Wow! eBook
Australia's Amazing Kangaroos: Their Conservation, Unique Biology and Coexistence with Humans
Author(s): Ken Richardson (Author)
- Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
- Publication Date: 1 July 2012
- Language: English
- Print length: 240 pages
- ISBN-10: 9780643097391
- ISBN-13: 0643097392
Book Description
This book provides an authoritative source of information on kangaroos and their relatives. Topics include: species characteristics and biology, adaptations and function, and conservation. The book also discusses culling and the commercial kangaroo harvest, as well as national attitudes to kangaroos and their value for tourism.
There are 71 recognised species of kangaroo found in Australasia. Of these, 46 are endemic to Australia, 21 are endemic to the island of New Guinea, and four species are found in both regions. The various species have a number of common names, including bettong, kangaroo, pademelon, potoroo, quokka, rat kangaroo, rock wallaby, tree kangaroo, wallaby and wallaroo.
Illustrated in full colour, Australia’s Amazing Kangaroos will give readers insight into the world of this intriguing marsupial – an animal that has pride of place on the Australian Coat of Arms.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Ken Richardson is a zoologist and veterinarian who has spent most of his academic career at Murdoch University. He has had over 30 years of field experience working on most major groups of vertebrates, including a 20-year ecological study of the honey possum in southern Western Australia. In his work, he has been particularly interested in the anatomical and physiological adaptability of vertebrates that allow them to successfully contend with environmental changes, such as global warming. He has published many scientific papers on the anatomy, physiology, anaesthesia and diseases of several species of kangaroos as well as a book on the biology of crocodiles. He is also an inaugural member of the Animals in the Wild Working Group of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy.
