Customer Reviews

Civilization And The Limpet

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I consider myself fairly widely-read, but after reading Mr Wells' account of why fish are built like they are and how close to the brink of life/death they live, it really gave me pause to think about how (most of) we humans live our lives in absolute, cushioned-from-nature safety. Never having to worry about where the next meal is coming from, nor in a constant state of alert, waiting for sudden death to come scooping us up - whether in the shape of a barracuda or a trawl, it makes little difference to Fred Mackerel. I had never sat down and thought about the energy balance at such a low level before - the energy trade-off between a long chase for a few calories, or sit around on tick-over, waiting for dinner to pass by. We always seem to think of ENERGY on a larger scale (coal, oil, electricity) which somehow divorces us from the fishes' problem - this book made me take a step back and consider Nature and Her ways in a different light - marvellous! (both Nature and the book).

This book is truely wonderful. It reads very easily and has lots of laughs in it. It is one of those books that you are sad to finish. The essays are short and insightful. Many of the marine organisms presented are totally overlooked by virtually everybody, but Martin Wells does a great job of discussing their lives. It is not all strict science, at one point he wonders if limpets ever feel lusty. It is a real joy. If anybody has any interest in marine biology, SCUBA diving, or pretty much any interest in the sea, read this book.

This book is very enjoyable read. It is not purely science, and certainly not purely about the limpit. A fine combination of one man's philosophy about life, and how he feels we should fit into the natural world, that also teaches you about the natural history of (mostly) cephalopods. A pleasant departure for the scientist, and an enlightening introduction to marine biology for the layman.

Naturalists who pick up the pen have to work hard to make their objects of study-which obviously they find of great interest-compelling for the rest of us. This problem is made more difficult by the secret language that scientists speak, which is not as indecipherable as computer programmer geekspeak, but close. The naturalists that succeed at this provide a real service to the rest of us, their books refuges in which to indulge in a brief respite. In their hands we are immersed in a wonder-filled worlds that exists entirely (and amazingly) without special effects. Along the way, we even learn something. Martin Wells, a marine zoologist, succeeds at this task in Civilization and the Limpet, a book that not only marine zoologists would enjoy during a vacation at the seashore.
Wells begins this collection of quirky essays by objecting to the anthropomorphic bias of the media. All the articles about people! The animals seem neither available for, nor worthy of, comment. Wells hopes his little book will convince people that perhaps they (animals) do have something to say to us (people), though they more often than not seem aloof and wary of us (and rightly so.)
Wells studies some of the least respected creatures in the sea. The collection's first essay defends the "world's most unloved animal," the sea urchin. This spiky tide pool creature is known mostly for sticking in swimmers' feet. Only the Chileans and Japanese (and Wells) eat them with any relish. Wells informs us that sea urchins, and their relatives the starfish, exist without a brain, co-ordinating their activities, including the movement of hundreds of tiny tube feet to get around, with a neurological form of democracy. And while Wells doesn't convince me that sea urchins make scrumptious snacks (I've tasted them), he does make them more knowable, thus putting a little of the wonder back.
Wells book is a perfect resource for the recovering wonderer.. In one of the best essays in the collection, "Things that go flash in the night", Wells discusses bioluminescence, the certainly wonderful process whereby animals and plants make themselves glow. He writes: "Sailing at night in seas that luminesce is something splendid that is not given to all men. On a quiet night, with just enough wind to ghost along without the engine, it can be euphoric. Euphoria is worth seeking; we don't often achieve it in this rush-around world. You need a pause, or you miss it."
Don't miss Wells' book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a delightful tour of a variety of topics in marine biology. The author, Martin Wells, wrote with enthusiasm, humor, and authority on a wide range of subjects. Even better, not only do individual chapter essays focus on a particular animal or group of animals, as Wells often uses them to illustrate larger points in marine biology or biology in general (or often issues in conservation).

I can't list all the topics that Wells dives into in this short review, but I would like to mention a few of the ones I found the most interesting. In the chapter titled "Hot Fish," he shows that simply considering mammals and birds as warm-blooded and other animals as cold-blooded is a gross oversimplification. Not only do not all mammals and birds maintain a constant high body temperature, but there are essentially warm-blooded fish! Several speices of tuna and sharks, the two groups having developed there "warm-bloodedness" quite independently, are both able to maintain muscular temperatures well above that of the seas in which they swim. Wells discusses not only how this is possible, but what effec this has on the life of the fish and the ecology of the ocean.

In "Diverse Divers," he discusses the physiological adaptations needed to dive, as well as some of the afflictions suffered from go deep beneath the surface. Discussing not only the problems faced by humans when diving (including a somewhat uncomfortable but informative discussion of the bends), Wells analyses how other animals deal with the challenges of diving, particularly seals and whales.

"Buoyancy" is another fascinating chapter, where Wells discusses how animals are able to float. Seemingly a simple subject at first, it is a problem for marine life, tackled by a variety of solutions. Wells analyses everything from the pressurized swim bladders of fish to the huge oily livers of basking sharks to marine mammal blubber to alterations in the ionic content of body fluids (such as in some types of squid) to the cuttlebones in cuttlefish to how the _Nautlius_ does it...I never knew there we so many ways to achieve buoyancy!

"Dolphins" is devoted to many people's favorite marine mammals, and was quite informative. One issue the authors explores is the well known large brains of cetaceans, particularly dolphins. Does that mean that they are most intelligent creatures in the sea, or does it mean maybe something else? Wells offers a theory as to why dolphins have such large brains, and it has to do with their echolocation. Fascinating.

Other chapters focus on the _Nautilus_, octopi, those marine organisms that attach to boats (such as barnacles), bioluminescence, the lugworm, and hermaphroditism in marine life, among other topics. A wonderful book, I highly recommend as it has something for everybody who likes the sea and marine life, from the most specatacular dolphins and whales to the lowest marine worms to the hated barnacle to dangerous sharks.

I am widely-read in the 'general science with zoological bent' book world. I know much more about all sorts of beasties than any non-zoologist or non-vet really should. And now I know even more than that, thanks to Martin Wells and his excellent book.
Wells writes with tangible passion and a great sense of humour and the bizarre. This is a lovely, engrossing read which I finished in just one day, despite trying to "leave some for later". And although the light and accessible writing style allows for even the complete beastie novice to become immersed (no aquatic animal pun intended), the amount of new and interesting information contained here is very impressive. I repeatedly interrupted my friend's activities to read him yet another descriptive/amusing/insightful/completely unexpected fact about this or that sea beastie.
A fabulous book which I would recommend to (I came close to writing "foist upon" there, because I've been telling all and sundry about this book) anybody who had even the slightest interest in biology.

I first read this book while relaxing in a car repair shop while on a ski trip. It is not high science yet brings wonderful facts with wet writing (meaning that it is not a dry science text, haha). Very enjoyable in the different relationships described, and in the end you not only feel like you have a better understanding of some of our sea friends, but you may actually have a better understanding of the order of things. A fun read.
P.S. Yes I am a nerd, but I think that it will be enjoyed by many.

Inspired by a sea voyage from England to the Mediterranean, Cambridge professor and zoologist Wells describes the many strange and wonderful strategies for survival to be found in the sea. A recurrent theme is the biological "cost" of various evolutionary designs from warm blood to jet propulsion.

These 25 essays, aimed at the "curious nonscientist" focus closely on creatures like starfish and sea urchins which function quite adequately without a brain or the limpet which finds its way home despite the myriad attempts of scientists to defeat it. Wells explores the practical logic of hermaphroditism in limpets, barnacles, tapeworms, sea slugs and the like, costs and advantages of warm blood zones in tuna, the functions of buoyancy and luminescence, and much more.

He also suggests simple experiments, such as poking a sea urchin with a pencil or catching an octopus (or maybe just feeding it a crab) to observe behaviors and devotes a chapter to creatures (largely jellyfish) equipped with nasty defenses. He shows how the lack of anti-fouling likely prolonged the Punic Wars and observes that "the advent of wooden shipping and the tendency for ships to cluster together in ports must have heralded something of a golden age for marine termites."

While each essay stands alone, references to previous chapters connect the essays in a "developing sequence." Wells' writing is chatty, humorous and clear, with contagious enthusiasm. He imparts a lot of fascinating information about ingenious creatures most of us have never bothered to think about. You'll never look at a tidepool quite the same way again.