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A Fragile Balance: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Marsupials | 
 enlarge | Author: Christopher Dickman
Creator: Rosemary Woodford Ganf
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Category: Book
List Price: $65.00
Buy New: $52.00
You Save: $13.00 (20%)
New (13) Used (5) from $48.89
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 546883
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 12.2 x 9.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 0226146308
Dewey Decimal Number: 599.20994
EAN: 9780226146300
ASIN: 0226146308
Publication Date: January 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Marsupials are nearly synonymous with Australia. Although one of these enigmatic pouched mammals—the opossum—inhabits the United States and another 80 or so thrive in South America, some 220 species are confined to the Australasian region. In Australia, marsupials are the most diverse and dominant indigenous species, from the wallaby and the wombat to the kangaroo and koala.
The extraordinary story of these fascinating animals, A Fragile Balance provides the most up-to-date information on marsupials without losing sight of the unique set of circumstances that led them to prevalence Down Under. Covering all marsupial species in Australia, the book uses an evolutionary framework to interpret the marsupial’s biological traits. Each species account includes a basic biological description, a range map, and a measure of conservation status. The accounts are bounded by general chapters on biology, natural history, cultural history, and conservation. A Fragile Balance is the first book to emphasize interactions between and among marsupials, as well as between humans and marsupials.
Combining the expertise of renowned biologist Christopher Dickman with the artistic talents of illustrator Rosemary Woodford Ganf, A Fragile Balance will be a much celebrated reference for mammalogists worldwide, as well as for readers interested in Australian natural and cultural history.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A treasure to behold and own January 1, 2008
James L. Spingarn (Glen Head, NY USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Magnificently produced volume on everything one could possibly wish to know about Australian marsupials. It is written by a very knowlegable and readable expert , Christopher Dickman, (definitely not a textbook) and wonderfully illustrated (perhaps amongst the finest mammalian artwork ever (Audubon would have been envious); illustrations borrowed from the three volume collector's set "Marsupials of Australia," which took over 15 years to complete by the incomparable Rosemary Woodford Ganf. Thus, this is a steal at $65 US. If you like beautiful, authoritative, informative books on natural history, then this is a must for you.
A wonderfully produced book on an Australian icon July 4, 2008
Robert C. Ross (New Jersey)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Icons, rather.
There is one marsupial species in North America, 80 or so in South America, and some 220 in the Australasian region (not counting extinct species). Even the names are fascinating: the spotted tail quoll, the green ringtail, the red-necked wallaby, the brushtail possum ... and many, many more. Makes our opossum sound downright pedestrian.
Christopher Dickman is an elegant and clear writer:
"[J]ust about every aspect of marsupial biology is intrinsically fascinating. Let us consider, for example, the reproductive biology of these mammals. Pregnancy lasts from just 11 to 42 days, depending on the species, and the young at birth are not much larger than a grain of rice. Yet, these tiny creatures make their own way independently to the mother's pouch, where they attach to a nipple to obtain nourishment for the next stage in their lives. In kangaroos that nurse young of different ages, the mother has the extraordinary ability to produce two different kinds of milk from different nipples; each is attuned exquisitely to the requirements of the joey that suckles them. Among the smaller marsupials, antechinuses are renowned for their frenetic approach to reproduction. Both sexes mate promiscuously for about two weeks each winter, and then all males die. Females in these and other marsupial species appear able to bias the sex ratio of their litters, producing more males or more females depending on their age and environmental conditions."
Each of the species is described with great care, and Dickman has called on other experts to expound on their particular interests: David Lindenmayer writes about Leadbeater's possum; Peter McRae about bilbies, Daniel Lunney about koalas; and Dr Menna Jones on Tasmanian devils and an infectious facial tumor disease.
The drawings are extraordinary and worth the price of the book simply as an artistic triumph. Rosemary Woodford Ganf is an award-winning illustrator who places her subjects in their natural environment. Details entrance: a whiptail wallaby joey climbs into its pouch beside a log carefully drawn to show the shedding bark and scars of wood borers.
Dickman is a champion for preservation of these wonderful creatures: "There are signs that many living [marsupial] species are on borrowed time and may vanish if we lower our guard. Could we face a time when Australia is no longer the land of marsupials?"
One hopes that Dickman's fears are unfounded. In the meantime, this wonderful book is one of the very best nature books I've ever read or enjoyed. Excellent science, but fascinating and approachable for a general reader.
Robert C. Ross 2008
 A beautiful balance ! March 31, 2008
M. G. Kuijpers
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this book as soon as it came on the market.
Great it is.
Why you are asking ? Well first of all the drawings, they are great and must be one of the most beautiful seen and made today. Take a look at the cover of this book here on Amazon, and then think of a book full of these !
The text explains to you the developement of the marsupials, their status,distribution in Australia (remember this is about the Australian marsupials) and different marsupial families.
It highlights some of the most unusual marsupials.
If you have got any interest in Australian marsupials this book should be in your library.
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