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shanaqui's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Once upon a time, megafauna were common all over the world, but after a certain point in time, they began to disappear. Mammoths. Mastodons. Cave lions. Cave bears. Aurochs. Irish elk. And what was the common factor? Well, as Ross Barnett says in The Missing Lynx, probably us. Probably humans.
The Missing Lynx digs into the lives of a few of these different creatures, trying to understand where they came from and where they went, focusing mostly on the lives of animals once found in the British Isles which are extinct now (in some cases worldwide, in others just in the UK). In some ways it's a sad story -- think of all we've lost. But Barnett is enthusiastic, fascinated, and that made the book pretty compulsive reading.
I did find it weird that beavers apparently count as megafauna: I always think way bigger, somehow! But apparently beavers count, and they are indeed pretty cool.
It's easy to get pessimistic when you read books like this, showing how humans were a major driver in extinctions. Somehow Barnett's enthusiasm wins out over that, with some optimism that if we can learn to look at ourselves, we can begin to fix this through reintroductions, rewilding, and perhaps (though he's sceptical of this and rightly so) resurrection.
The Missing Lynx digs into the lives of a few of these different creatures, trying to understand where they came from and where they went, focusing mostly on the lives of animals once found in the British Isles which are extinct now (in some cases worldwide, in others just in the UK). In some ways it's a sad story -- think of all we've lost. But Barnett is enthusiastic, fascinated, and that made the book pretty compulsive reading.
I did find it weird that beavers apparently count as megafauna: I always think way bigger, somehow! But apparently beavers count, and they are indeed pretty cool.
It's easy to get pessimistic when you read books like this, showing how humans were a major driver in extinctions. Somehow Barnett's enthusiasm wins out over that, with some optimism that if we can learn to look at ourselves, we can begin to fix this through reintroductions, rewilding, and perhaps (though he's sceptical of this and rightly so) resurrection.
moththem's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This was a wonderfully informative book.
As someone who's studied extinction and conservation, the final moment of the book was really poignant as it hammers the nail on the head about how the ecological fight favours certain futures over others. A beautiful end to a witty, clever and detailed book.
As someone who's studied extinction and conservation, the final moment of the book was really poignant as it hammers the nail on the head about how the ecological fight favours certain futures over others. A beautiful end to a witty, clever and detailed book.
e_grace's review
5.0
The Missing Lynx is a thought provoking, eye opening and incredibly well written book. It talks a lot about fossils, extinctions and DNA but in a really interesting, informative and engaging way. I learnt so much about the incredible megafauna that once roamed Britain (before humans killed them all) - I wish we still had Irish elk and cave lions!
elite_reading_wizard_3000's review
5.0
This was the perfect non-fiction book for me. When I was younger I was always far more interested in woolly rhinos and sabretooth cats than I ever was in dinosaurs.
Ross, an Oxford-educated paleontologist, discusses ten species that were once native to the British Isles, ranging from cave hyenas to beavers, and wolves to lynxes. Each chapter is packed full of information on how these animals arrived here, how they interacted with their environment (including our ancestors), and what led to their various extinctions (...usually our ancestors).
This book is much more than a simple portrait of a dozen or so extinct Mammals. Throughout (and with a healthy dose of humour), Ross encourages the reader to think about what has disappeared and the sort of collective amnesia that we have towards this loss. Once you truly consider it, it really is astonishing that we live on an island where, lions, bears, and rhinos might still roam if it was not for our presence.
The book finishes with a poignant message of 'four Rs': reintroduction, rewilding, resurrection, and rememberance. The first of these is the most exciting, with successful beaver reintroduction in the UK and the future prospect of similar programmes for lynxes being very promising.
Ross, an Oxford-educated paleontologist, discusses ten species that were once native to the British Isles, ranging from cave hyenas to beavers, and wolves to lynxes. Each chapter is packed full of information on how these animals arrived here, how they interacted with their environment (including our ancestors), and what led to their various extinctions (...usually our ancestors).
This book is much more than a simple portrait of a dozen or so extinct Mammals. Throughout (and with a healthy dose of humour), Ross encourages the reader to think about what has disappeared and the sort of collective amnesia that we have towards this loss. Once you truly consider it, it really is astonishing that we live on an island where, lions, bears, and rhinos might still roam if it was not for our presence.
The book finishes with a poignant message of 'four Rs': reintroduction, rewilding, resurrection, and rememberance. The first of these is the most exciting, with successful beaver reintroduction in the UK and the future prospect of similar programmes for lynxes being very promising.
baldingape's review
4.0
Humans are a natural force to be reckoned with.
On my more negative days, I go as far as to say that humans are death cloaked in meat. Death in a very literal and cosmic sense.
On my more negative days, I go as far as to say that humans are death cloaked in meat. Death in a very literal and cosmic sense.
kannan_raja's review
5.0
Excellent read with humorous footnotes and with little, to no scientific jargon. Ross Barnet tastefully writes about the lives, ecology, and extinction of many of Britain’s charismatic megafauna. While some of the recent extinctions have a second chance, many like the cave lion, shelk, or brown bear will not be returning to the British landscape again. But there is hope for the beavers (both legal and illegal), and with luck, the wolf and lynx may once again roam the wilderness too.