{"product_id":"the-curious-naturalist-2nd-edition-by-rohan-pethiyagoda","title":"The Curious Naturalist: 2nd Edition by Rohan Pethiyagoda","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen we trek through a national park such as Horton Plains or Sinharaja, or drive through Wilpattu or Yala, an astonishing wealth of plants and animals briefly commands our attention, only to vanish from our consciousness as we pass. Most of us might briefly wonder why peacocks and peahens are so different, what those tangled cobwebs on roadside shrubs contain, or why the Blue Magpie sports such vivid colours while its rainforest neighbours are mostly drab browns and greys. The succession of questions is endless, and we rarely stop to dive into the science behind the answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the foreign visitor, additional questions arise: do turtle hatcheries or the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage actually serve a conservation objective? Why is Sri Lankan food so remarkably spicy? The Curious Naturalist is a richly illustrated collection of 127 essays designed to unveil the sophisticated science behind Sri Lanka's extraordinary biodiversity. This is not a typical field guide focused on identification instead, it explores the evolutionary backstories of organisms ranging from the commonplace to the vanishingly rare. can plants and animals actually be 'dishonest'? How come you've never seen the flowers of common trees like Jak and Bo? Other essays deal with the nuts and bolts of conservation, especially in the face of habitat loss and climate change. Several of them are potentially controversial, challenging, received wisdom and slaughtering the occasional sacred cow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach story is guaranteed to enliven conversations among naturalists, students, and travellers alike, acting as an antidote to the 'anaesthetic of familiarity' to reveal nature as far more complex and interrelated than we often imagine. Through these pages, you will discover spiders as 'smart' as mammals and invertebrates that show spooky signs of sentience; why raindrops of different sizes have profound ecological consequences; and how human-elephant conflict might finally be mitigated. You will learn how archerfish use high-school physics to shoot down prey, why some fish kidnap the young of other species, the secret of everlasting life, and the unsettling behaviour of a metallic-green wasp that performs precision brain surgery on cockroaches in your garden. Ever wondered what all those creepy-crawlies in your bathroom are? 'Life in the Lavatory' will tell you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach essay is designed to be read in 10-20 minutes, stripping away academic jargon while maintaining scientific rigour supported by ex- tensive references.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRohan Pethiyagoda is one of Sri Lanka's most distinguished biodiversity scientists and authors. A winner of the Linnean Medal for Zoology and the Rolex Award for Enterprise, he has served as deputy chair of the Species Survival Commission and been instrumental in discovering and describing dozens of new species of fish, frogs, and lizards. Writing with the wit and spice of a seasoned science journalist and never shying away from controversy, he brings four decades of field experience and a lifelong sense of wonder to every page. The Curious Naturalist is an invitation to join him in exploring biodiversity through his eyes, asking intriguing questions and seeking the answers in science. And where better to do this than in Sri Lanka, the land that gave serendipity its name, seeing the island's biodiversity as he does-a living laboratory in which evolution continues to work its magic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BAREFOOT","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67640695488764,"sku":"14098","price":9450.0,"currency_code":"LKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0506\/9049\/0556\/files\/Untitleddesign_4_672df9dc-9daa-46f4-ba25-17fc5b83fa99.png?v=1791010435","url":"https:\/\/barefootceylon.com\/products\/the-curious-naturalist-2nd-edition-by-rohan-pethiyagoda","provider":"BAREFOOT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}