Apex: Predators in Life, Culture & the Mirror
Andy Dobson
Sharks, tigers, bears: killers, icons, cuddly toys.
Predators occupy a strangely ambiguous role in modern culture. Dangerous or beautiful; frightening or alluring. The monster of the Idris Elba film Beast is the same animal as the hero of The Lion King; the model for the teddy bear has killed more than 50 people in North America since the year 2000; at different times and in different places, the howl of a wolf has inspired solemn contemplation, abject terror, and transcendent happiness.
Apex is a book that explores this ambiguity, examining the cultural and scientific factors that lie behind it, and its implications for the way in which we interact with animals that might see us as food. The reader will meet predators as gods and myths, as the heroes and villains of books and films, as the unwitting focus of conflicts between farmers and conservationists – and as wild animals in their own right. Along the way, we investigate relationships between humans and individual predators such as lions, bears, and killer whales, and discuss the extent to which we might be able to interpret the feelings and intentions of members of another species.
Finally, we will consider the human as a predator. Homo sapiens is the most proficient hunter in the animal kingdom, yet most of us will never kill a thing, despite living in bodies evolved in part for this activity. By exploring a latent impulse buried in our genetic history, Apex offers an original perspective on the psyche of humans in the 21st century.
What’s new and special about Apex:
- A thought-provoking portrait of some of our species’ oldest and most influential relationships
- An eclectic and colourful blend of biology, history, popular culture, psychology, and narrative storytelling, appealing to a broad and diverse readership
- Covers a topic not previously encompassed within a single book
- Filled with clearly described scientific insights, historical curiosities, and engaging anecdotes
- Written by an academic biologist, in an entertaining, accessible style
Book Details:
- Author: Andy Dobson
- On Submission
- All rights are available
Andy Dobson
Dr Andy Dobson is a research biologist whose papers have been cited well over 1000 times in the academic literature. After a first-class degree in Ecology from Durham, Andy completed a PhD on the ecology of hen harriers at Nottingham University, before joining the University of Oxford’s Zoology Department. At Oxford he developed an interest in epidemiology, and used mathematical modelling to predict changes in the risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. During a later fellowship at Stirling University, Andy turned his attention to host-parasite interactions, and used sim...
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