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Chargement... The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofapar Jonathan B. Losos
Chargement...
Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. An evolutionary history if the domestic cat. The author covers his topic from how a cat's genes help dictate "friendliness" and other domestic behaviors, phylogeny- both ancient and modern, breeding, feral cats and their impact on the environment and the future of cats. A fascinating read. A gift from Robin and Fletcher, read 7/4/2023 aucune critique | ajouter une critique
"The past, present, and future of the world's most popular and beloved pet, from a leading evolutionary biologist and great cat lover The domestic cat-your cat-has, from its evolutionary origins in Africa, been transformed in comparatively little time into one of the most successful and diverse species on the planet. Jonathan Losos, writing as both a scientist and a cat lover, explores how researchers today are unraveling the secrets of the cat, past and present, using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you'd be amazed where those backyard cats roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat . . . really?) to forensic archaeology. In addition to solving the mysteries of your cat's past, it gives us a cat's-eye view of today's habitats, including meeting wild cousins around the world whose habits your sweet house cat sometimes eerily parallels. Do lions and tigers meow? If not, why not? Why does my cat leave a dead mouse at my feet (or on my pillow)? Is a pet ocelot a bad idea? When and why did the cat make its real leap off the African plain? What's with all those cats in Egyptian hieroglyphics? In a genial voice, casually deciphering complex science and history with many examples from his own research and multi-cat household, Losos explores how selection, both natural and artificial, over the last several millennia has shaped the contemporary cat, with new breeds vastly different in anatomy and behavior from their ancestral stock. Yet the cat, ever a predator, still seems only one paw out of the wild, and readily reverts to its feral ways as it occupies new lands around the world. Humans are transforming cats, and they in turn are transforming the world around them. This charming and intelligent book suggests what the future may hold for both Felis catus and Homo sapiens"-- Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)636.8000Technology Agriculture & related technologies Animal husbandry Cats -- Standard subdivisionsClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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However, an editor might have put a gentle paw on Losos's arm to rein in an excess of genomics - lengthy, detailed descriptions of genes and alleles and natural selection and the bits and pieces that influence coat color and texture, body shape, ear placement, even tooth length. While I always applaud good efforts to explain scientific information to interested laypeople, sometimes there is just too much of a good thing, and eyes start to glaze. He also gets rather excited about the messing about with genes that humans like to do to animals - like maybe creating cats that don't want to go outdoors, in order to keep the cats and the world's birds safer - while being appropriately critical of the wretchedness of Persian cats deliberately bred to not have a nose or the Scottish Fold cats whose ears lie flat because of a genetic defect that actually weakens ALL their cartilage, dooming them to deteriorating and painful joints. But I part company with him when he enthuses about the potential for re-creating small, friendly saber-toothed cats, or the penchant of breeders to create "new" cat breeds via crossbreeding with servals or other cat types, creating a whole lot of "not quite there" versions along the way - who all need homes too, right? The ethics of deliberately creating a whole lot of "stylish" new cats as status symbols and commercial merchandise doesn't really come up, and I fault him for that.
Other readers have complained about the plethora of footnotes - I read and enjoy those extra asides and scraps of information. But for a book intended to transmit scientific information, I hated the way the references are given - dense paragraphs listing mostly websites at the back of the book, and while he clearly knows the literature and the experts, his reliance in the text on references to Facebook pages and online surveys can feel a bit superficial. Still, I'd have loved to take his introductory "Science of the Cat" class! ( )