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Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change

Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change

by Thor Hanson

Basic Books ·2021 ·280 pages ·Nature
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58/99
Near the Top

57/99

Critics

Near the Top

58/99

Readers

n/a

Scholars

62/99

Rating

52/99

Volume

57/99

Rating

60/99

Volume

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About This Book

*A New York Times Editor's Choice pick *Shortlisted for the 2022 Pacific Northwest Book Awards A beloved natural historian explores how climate change is driving evolution In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid , biologist Thor Hanson tells the remarkable story of how plants and animals are responding to climate adjusting, evolving, and sometimes dying out. Anole lizards have grown larger toe pads, to grip more tightly in frequent hurricanes. Warm waters cause the development of Humboldt squid to alter so dramatically that fishermen mistake them for different species. Brown pelicans move north, and long-spined sea urchins south, to find cooler homes. And when coral reefs sicken, they leave no territory worth fighting for, so aggressive butterfly fish transform instantly into pacifists. A story of hope, resilience, and risk, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is natural history for readers of Bernd Heinrich, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and David Haskell. It is also a reminder of how unpredictable climate change is as it interacts with the messy lattice of life.


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Reviews

"With contagious curiosity, Hanson nimbly avoids pedantic, moralistic admonishments."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"This compelling read will spark the interest of everyone who cares about what is happening to the natural world."

Rachel Owens· Library Journal Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"An award-winning biologist and author whose earlier work has focused on bees, feathers, seeds and gorillas, Hanson is an affable guide and storyteller, with a knack for analogy, a sense of humor and the natural curiosity of a scientist ..."

Jonathan Balcombe· The New York Times Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Synthesizing a wealth of recent findings, [Hanson] opens trapdoors onto the vivid lives of other beings in hopes of giving humans a close-grained understanding of our role in habitat change and the varieties of adaptation that may be in store for our species too."

Rebecca Giggs· The Atlantic Read review ↗ Near the Top

"We are taken from the rainforests of Costa Rica to the Arctic ice of Franz Josef Land and the coral reefs of Indonesia."

Philip Ball· The Guardian Read review ↗ Near the Top

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