THE RAPTOR AND THE LAMB

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http://www.amazon.com/Raptor-Lamb-Predators-Living-World/dp/0805042989

The Raptor and the Lamb: Predators and Prey in the Living World (Hardcover)

by Christopher

McGowan<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1\

?%5Fencoding=UTF8 & search-type=ss & index=books & field-author=Christopher%20McGowan>\

(Author)

*Amazon.com Review

* " Most animals are either eaten or eat other animals, " writes zoologist

Christopher McGowan. " Plants, too, are often consumed by animals.

Consequently the chances of being devoured, or of eating some other organism

in order to survive, are exceedingly high. " McGowan looks at several kinds

of predator-prey relationships, examining such creatures as the supposedly

rapacious crocodile (a surprisingly light eater, when all the facts are in),

the big cats (whose prey usually outweighs them but cannot compete with a

lion's or tiger's explosive force), and a host of snakes, spiders, and

insects. Packed with facts, *The Raptor and the Lamb* makes a fine--if

sometimes gruesome--introduction to biology.

 

*From Library Journal*

All animals must eat to survive, and all animals and plants must avoid being

eaten. The structural, physiological, behavioral, and chemical adaptations

that have evolved to capture or to avoid becoming prey are many and

fascinating. In his latest book, McGowan, a zoology professor at University

of Toronto and the curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Royal Ontario

Museum, examines a variety of these adaptations. Descriptions of typical

predator-prey encounters on land, in the sea, in the air, and under the

microscope provide the framework for the biological explanations. The

descriptions are sometimes graphic, but such is the nature of the subject.

As in his previous books (e.g., Diatoms to Dinosaurs, LJ 9/15/94), McGowan

displays his considerable talents for explaining complex scientific concepts

to a lay audience. Highly recommended for general, school, and academic

libraries.?Bruce D. Neville, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque

Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

 

The relationship between predator and prey is hard to explain without

lapsing into inapplicable morality and/or sentimentality. This 'popular

science' type book shows valient effort, but doesn't entirely manage to

avoid the traps.

 

It does have good points, to be sure. It is approachable for the

non-scientist, both in language and in concept. It does attempt to show some

balance by presenting plants as victims of herbivores, as well as herbivores

as victims of carnivores. It elucidates the various theories of the

evolutionary backgrounds of predator-prey adaptations pretty clearly.

 

However, in an attempt to be gripping, the book delves into shameless

anthropomorphism and value-laden language, especially in the narrative

portions. Despite the fact (clearly stated in the explanatory portions of

the book) that even a good predator on a good day succeeds in less than

fifty percent of hunting attempts, a predator is 'shown' missing a prey

animal only once (and even then the predator goes on to catch a different

animal.) As a result, the 'story' parts of the book create a misapprehension

that the more 'scientific' sections include an obligatory protest against -

namely, that the predator is a killing machine with an almost moral quality,

engaged in a daily slaughter of the innocents. Even the title plays into

this misapprehension: No raptor is shown eating a lamb in the course of the

book - indeed few raptors are even capable of preying on lambs - and no

lambs are shown being eaten by any other predators either; but in our

language the rapicious raptor and the innocent, fluffy lamb create a much

greater emotional impact than, say, the shark and the seal or the lion and

the wildebeast.

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[image: 4.0 out of 5 stars] *Good survey, though with limited theme*,

April 22, 2006

By Jack

Bennetto<http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A158RYKVAWHAJR/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp>(S\

eattle,

WA) - See

all my

reviews<http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A158RYKVAWHAJR/ref=cm_cr_dp_\

auth_rev?ie=UTF8 & sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview>

Overall, is a good survey of a huge subject: the tactics used by predators

and prey in nature. It's comprehensive, accessible, and insightful. There

are areas where I would have liked more exploration, but that's inevitable

with a broad subject. The focus is mostly on predators, touching on nearly

all major groups. Prey are discussed more in response, though a few sections

deal with them specifically (e.g. plants).

 

The book is organized based on the type of animal rather than the strategies

used. Although this is a logical approach, he does little to tie the book

together with broader theories. The few cases where he does (for example,

his occasional mention of pursuit vs. ambush predators) are notable for

their rarity.

 

One caveat is that the author appears to misunderstand evolution. In the

most egregious example he argues against the arms-race model:

 

" Nor is it necessarily an advantage for one of antagonists to respond to

improvements in the other. Suppose a prey species evolved some improvement

in its defensive strategies, perhaps better acceleration or more alertness

to potential dangers. If the predator did not coevolve some corresponding

improvement in its hunting techniques, it would catch fewer prey. The number

of prey would therefore increase, but this could improve the predator's

chance of catching them, so, it the long term, its hunting success might not

suffer. "

 

It's bad enough that a professor of zoology would assume species selection,

but he seems unaware that he is saying anything controversial. Fortunately,

such references are few, and they detract little from the book.

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

[image: 5.0 out of 5 stars] *Science for the non-scientist*, November 15,

2000

By

" scooterinmaine " <http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A791QK5W1BFSF/ref=cm_cr_dp\

_pdp>(Bath,

ME United States) - See

all my

reviews<http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A791QK5W1BFSF/ref=cm_cr_dp_a\

uth_rev?ie=UTF8 & sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview>

This is the best and I stress best book you can possibly get for someone

that you believe or know enjoys biology or natural studies. However, it goes

beyond that, this book is perfect for the person who likes cats and dogs and

wants to know their specific differences and how they act in the wild. His

writing style is very interesting and informative (not dumbed down but not

highly scientific). A very excellent book for a plane ride or just a

relaxing read (meanwhile you may learn something). Highly recommended.

Hopefully some of his out-of-print books will be reprinted.