Wild Science: Unexpected Encounters When Working in Nature

(Paperback)

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What's it like to study polar bears in the wild How do you raise children among large carnivores Could you outrun a hyaena And how do you find a frog that no-one has seen for 40 years

From deserts to rainforests and even the polar Arctic, scientists venture into the field to collect, observe and study the world's organisms and the environments they live in. But even with the best planning, unexpected weather, unpredictable animals and unforeseen encounters can occur. In Wild Science, contributors share their experiences from across the globe, and the precarious, hilarious and thought-provoking situations they have found themselves in.

Wild Science explores the stories 'behind the science' and shares the knowledge gained from these experiences, without you having to get wet or muddy, or face-to-face with an irate gorilla. It shows the value of experience, even when things don't go right, and the importance of fieldwork for understanding our own place in the world.

Author Bio

Dr Helen P. Waudby is an Adjunct Research Fellow with the Gulbali Institute at Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, and a conservation biologist with the New South Wales Government. She has worked in wildlife research and conservation for more than 20 years, spending much of that time in the field.

With contributions from Cara Penton, Terrah Guymala and Warddeken Rangers; Christopher R. Dickman; Laura Kojima; Pamela Catcheside; Euan G. Ritchie; Neil Jordan; Leonardo Guida; Manu E. Saunders; David M. Watson; Jessica Marsh; Erika M. Roper; Laura M. Skates; Andrew E. Derocher; Isabel Castro; David G. Hamilton; Abi T. Vanak; Jodi J. L. Rowley; Wayne Boardman; Robert Heinsohn; Jo Isaac; Lydia McLean; Tracy Ainsworth; Dieter F. Hochuli; and Bradley P. Smith.