Ann MoyalBesprekingen

A great book, l only wish it were longer. It is more of a survey of platypus research than an in depth study, but it definitely whetted my appetite

For Christmas a year and a half ago, my SIL bought me the chance to swim and play with a platypus at Healesville Sanctuary, the conservation facility that has been dedicated to the care and study of platypuses since the early 1900's. It was, hands down, one of the best, if not the best, wildlife experiences I have ever had.

So imagine my disappointment when I started reading Platypus and discovered not so much a book about platypuses, but a book on the human history of discovery and research on platypuses. All of which apparently required an overabundance of killing, preserving and dissecting these wonderful, adorable, sweet animals. The first approximately 190 pages of the slim 206 page book was not much more than a recitation of what could pretty much be defined as harvesting.

Not. happy.

I went with three stars in a huge effort to be fair; it's relatively well-written (a bit dry) and for many this might have been exactly what they were expecting from the book. I recognise the dichotomy that often arises from my adoration of animals and my love of science. The last 15 pages or so was much more what I'd been expecting of the whole book and at least left me feeling somewhat upbeat, but on the whole, I did not like this book.

I picked this book up at the gift shop when exiting the American Museum of Natural History's Extreme Mammals exhibit. It is a history of science monograph of the discovery and increased understanding of the platypus, published by a University Press and without any of the flash and pretense you might find in some books of this type (e.g., something with a title like "The Platypus: The Discovery of the Animal that Changed the Western World and the Face of Science Forever.")

The story itself is more than good enough not to need any of the flash. In brief, Westerners discovered the platypus in 1798. It wasn't until nearly a century later that they fully understood and confirmed that it's young hatched from eggs. The length of time was not for lack of interest. Platypuses were a major source of fascination and effort both for the more theoretically inclined naturalists in London and Paris and their more practical counterparts in Australia. Instead, the length of time it took to make this discovery was largely about preconceived notions about taxonomy and pre-Darwinian ideas about species, especially dominated by ideas from Richard Owens (who famously referred to Darwin as the "Devil's Chaplin.") The theory of evolution helped unlock the frozen perception, allowing people to stop looking for pregnant platypuses and to take Aboroginal "legends" more seriously. Also slowing the process was how elusive and finicky the creature itself is.

While telling this story, the book elucidates several aspects in the history of science, the relationship between London science and outer areas like Australia, and ultimately the riddle of the platypus was solved by amateurs giving way to professional scientists.

It took another century to discover that the platypus has literally evolved a sixth sense -- being able to detect electrical impulses, using them to hunt in dark water. A useful reminder that it is not a more "primitive" animal but has evolved just as long as humans have.

I picked this book up at the gift shop when exiting the American Museum of Natural History's Extreme Mammals exhibit. It is a history of science monograph of the discovery and increased understanding of the platypus, published by a University Press and without any of the flash and pretense you might find in some books of this type (e.g., something with a title like "The Platypus: The Discovery of the Animal that Changed the Western World and the Face of Science Forever.")

The story itself is more than good enough not to need any of the flash. In brief, Westerners discovered the platypus in 1798. It wasn't until nearly a century later that they fully understood and confirmed that it's young hatched from eggs. The length of time was not for lack of interest. Platypuses were a major source of fascination and effort both for the more theoretically inclined naturalists in London and Paris and their more practical counterparts in Australia. Instead, the length of time it took to make this discovery was largely about preconceived notions about taxonomy and pre-Darwinian ideas about species, especially dominated by ideas from Richard Owens (who famously referred to Darwin as the "Devil's Chaplin.") The theory of evolution helped unlock the frozen perception, allowing people to stop looking for pregnant platypuses and to take Aboroginal "legends" more seriously. Also slowing the process was how elusive and finicky the creature itself is.

While telling this story, the book elucidates several aspects in the history of science, the relationship between London science and outer areas like Australia, and ultimately the riddle of the platypus was solved by amateurs giving way to professional scientists.

It took another century to discover that the platypus has literally evolved a sixth sense -- being able to detect electrical impulses, using them to hunt in dark water. A useful reminder that it is not a more "primitive" animal but has evolved just as long as humans have.½

This is a good bit of nature writing. It traces the history of Western interaction with the platypus, from the claims of fraud when first introduced to Western society to (almost) present-day. It's entertainingly written, and includes lots of fun illustrations. It's chronologically written, and I enjoy that the author keeps the suspense of various scientific questions in the book until you "get" to the point when they were definitively determined. There were a lot of different debates - some of which I'd never heard of - and it is interesting to watch how the theories and debates developed. Alongside that, there is an entire chapter about Darwin (and of course, his relation to the platypus). It is also interesting to see the Before and After of natural history vis-a-vis Darwin. Platypus research started a decade before The Origin of Species, and continues today, so the book is a good survey of how exactly Darwin Changed Everything.

Another thing I did like about the book is that the author specifically does discuss the Westerner's attitudes towards the native inhabitants of Australia, and even discusses how these attitudes hurt the scientific research. She doesn't dwell on it, but she presents the facts, and I appreciate that.

There are also, of course, a wealth of platypus facts, including some information about their bills that I didn't know. I am just sad that this was published in 2000, before the interesting research on the platypus genome came to light (see wikipedia for more info).

In conclusion: I enjoyed this book*. If you like reading about animals and scientific history, you probably will too. I would like a platypus now please.

* The only thing I didn't like is the number of platypuses killed during the early research. I mean, I know it was like that, but reading about it made me so sad!

This is a little gem of a book. The platypus frustrated naturalists' taxonomic efforts and inspired some creative speculation about how exactly an animal that looks like a mammal might lay an egg like a bird. The scientific study of the platypus inspired heated debates, international posturing, and quite a bit of awkwardly rhyming poetry.

This is a charming work of natural history and runs as a nice tangent to the broader fields of the history of science and evolutionary biology. It isn't for everyone, but it is a breezy, fun work of popular science for readers interested in the subject.

Naturalists > Australia > Biography/Scientists > Australia > Biography/Natural history > Australia > History