The Narrow Edge

A Tiny Bird, an Ancient Crab, and an Epic Journey

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Zoology, Nature
Cover of the book The Narrow Edge by Deborah Cramer, Yale University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Deborah Cramer ISBN: 9780300213713
Publisher: Yale University Press Publication: April 28, 2015
Imprint: Yale University Press Language: English
Author: Deborah Cramer
ISBN: 9780300213713
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication: April 28, 2015
Imprint: Yale University Press
Language: English

Thousands of ravenous tiny shorebirds race along the water’s edge of Delaware Bay, feasting on pin-sized horseshoe-crab eggs. Fueled by millions of eggs, the migrating red knots fly on. When they arrive at last in their arctic breeding grounds, they will have completed a near-miraculous 9,000-mile journey that began in Tierra del Fuego.
 
Deborah Cramer followed these knots, whose numbers have declined by 75 percent, on their extraordinary odyssey from one end of the earth to the other—from an isolated beach at the tip of South America all the way to the icy tundra. In her firsthand account, she explores how diminishing a single stopover can compromise the birds' entire journey, and how the loss of horseshoe crabs—ancient animals that come ashore but once a year—threatens not only the survival of red knots but also human well-being: the unparalleled ability of horseshoe-crab blood to detect harmful bacteria in vaccines, medical devices, and intravenous drugs safeguards human health. Cramer offers unique insight into how, on an increasingly fragile and congested shore, the lives of red knots, horseshoe crabs, and humans are intertwined. She eloquently portrays the tenacity of small birds and the courage of many people who, bird by bird and beach by beach, keep red knots flying.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Thousands of ravenous tiny shorebirds race along the water’s edge of Delaware Bay, feasting on pin-sized horseshoe-crab eggs. Fueled by millions of eggs, the migrating red knots fly on. When they arrive at last in their arctic breeding grounds, they will have completed a near-miraculous 9,000-mile journey that began in Tierra del Fuego.
 
Deborah Cramer followed these knots, whose numbers have declined by 75 percent, on their extraordinary odyssey from one end of the earth to the other—from an isolated beach at the tip of South America all the way to the icy tundra. In her firsthand account, she explores how diminishing a single stopover can compromise the birds' entire journey, and how the loss of horseshoe crabs—ancient animals that come ashore but once a year—threatens not only the survival of red knots but also human well-being: the unparalleled ability of horseshoe-crab blood to detect harmful bacteria in vaccines, medical devices, and intravenous drugs safeguards human health. Cramer offers unique insight into how, on an increasingly fragile and congested shore, the lives of red knots, horseshoe crabs, and humans are intertwined. She eloquently portrays the tenacity of small birds and the courage of many people who, bird by bird and beach by beach, keep red knots flying.

More books from Yale University Press

Cover of the book One World Now by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Delinquency, Development, and Social Policy by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Visions of a New Land: Soviet Film from the Revolution to the Second World War by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book The Warrior Generals: Winning the British Civil Wars by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Leviathan: Or The Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book In the Demon's Bedroom: Yiddish Literature and the Early Modern by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Future Humans by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Discography by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book For God and Kaiser by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Spare the Birds! by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Anti-Pluralism by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book The Leningrad Blockade, 1941-1944: A New Documentary History from the Soviet Archives by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Hitler's Monsters by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book The Mystery of Sleep by Deborah Cramer
Cover of the book Faith, Science and Understanding by Deborah Cramer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy