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Bernd Heinrich isn't a purist. When he takes off to live in the frozen Maine woods for the winter, he might chop wood for heat and cooking but drives into town for a bit of relief every now and again. So reading him is reading a balanced man which is one reason I like his books so much.
The main reason though is that these books go into such extreme detail, the absolute minutae of the natural life and explain it in well-written prose and his own pen & ink drawings. His world is one where evoluti ...more
The main reason though is that these books go into such extreme detail, the absolute minutae of the natural life and explain it in well-written prose and his own pen & ink drawings. His world is one where evoluti ...more
How do animals survive in the winter? The Arctic ground squirrel hibernates in the winter, and digs himself a small hole and sleeps there for 11 months each year! Its body temperature drops to -2 to -2.9 C, though in the laboratory, its blood plasma freezes at those temperatures! Once a month its body temperature rises to around 30 C for about a day, during which the squirrel experiences REM sleep. Why does its temperature rise, which uses up half of its available fat energy supply?
How does the ...more
How does the ...more
Heinrich begins with an absolutely beautiful chapter that discusses how much energy a body needs to remain active and alive, how much energy the sun provides to Earth's organisms during various seasons, and questions how species can survive when the sun's energy is low. He spends the rest of the book examining the various ways in which all organisms are unquestionably linked to and governed by the planet atop which they live. Many animals have different ways of adapting to low energy and Heinric
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I love the science writing of Bernd Heinrich! What I enjoy most about his writing is his application of scientific method into every question he has in his life. It is amazing to see how he has a question, and he just gets to and solves the problem using scientific processes. I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as Ravens in Winter, because this book has more "teaching" and less "story" quality to it, but it was still a very interesting read. Heinrich explains how various types of animals are
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I'm so glad that there are people out there that will tolerate the freezing temps and horrible conditions for science and curiosity. This book is full of fascinating examples of evolution, adaption, and ingenuity. Really enjoyed it.
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Jan 09, 2010
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