Biology of Hagfishes [Hardcover]

Jørgen Mørup Jørgensen (Editor), J.P. Lomholt (Editor), R.E. Weber (Editor), H. Malte (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0412785307 | ISBN-13: 978-0412785306 | Publication Date: December 31, 1997 | Edition: 1

This book deals with widely different aspects of the biology of hagfishes. It presents reviews of recent research, covering topics as palaeontology, systematics, ecology, immunology and reproduction as well as structure an dfunction of important organs and organ systems: skeleton, muscle, skin, respiratory organs, circulatory systems, kidney, endocrine organs, nervous systems and sensory organs. Hagfishes are shown to be far from the sluggish, degenerate animals they were considered a few decades ago. It becomes clearr that in addition to possessing original craniate traits, these unique animals exhibit some highly advanced solutions to life in the cold and dark environment, where they normally live. The book is written by an international team of specialists who integrate the most recent results with previous published accounts on hagfish biology. As hagfishes generally are considered a sister group to vertebrates, with affinities to fossil palaeozoic agnathans, this book will be of great value to all interested in vertebrate evolution.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... a mine of information on many aspects of hagfish biology. It succeeds because of its breadth and because of the consistent approach of the authors... highly recommended as a summary of current knowledge... belongs in every serious library and on the shelf of comparative vertebrate biologists.'
Copeia, 3 (2000)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (December 31, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0412785307
• ISBN-13: 978-0412785306
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,403,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars There's more to hagfish than is dreamed of..., August 22, 2003

By 

Dr. Michael Trapani (Grass Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biology of Hagfishes (Hardcover)

If you have ever wanted to know everything about the extremely obscure life of hagfish, search no more.

This incredibly detailed text contains chapters on everything from neurophysiology and histology to the anatomy of a 300 million year old fossil hag.

This book is not for the novice! You'd better know your terminology before wading in here. A background in comparative physiology is helpful.

Some things are missing. This book would be improved by a simple overview of hagfish anatomy, a diagram of the odd mouthparts of the hag, and a few pictures of living hagfish that would display some of their unique features.

If you love hags, you'll love this book. I can't wait for the next edition!