Ann Moyal is a historian of science. She has held research and teaching positions at a number of universities and is the founder and past president of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia. She lives in Canberra.
A great account of how a small furry animal managed to challenge biology's beliefs. New Scientist If any animal has mystery and charisma, it is the platypus. This book tell its story, and it's a winner... It has something for everyone-the excitement of a detective story, the history of biological ideas... Everybody will enjoy this book, and the story continues to unfold... Read it and enjoy. -- David Penny Nature Engaging... In recounting the story of how the platypus was studied and eventually classified, Moyal explains that it became entangled in broader debates over taxonomy and evolution among the wise men of European science. Christian Science Monitor A spirited and eminently readable account of this odd Australian mammal that follows the story of its discovery, the scientific infighting over its place in taxonomy, and modern efforts to understand its biology and keep and breed it in captivity. Booklist Moyal affectionately examines the scientific history of one of nature's most fascinating oddities. Quarterly Review of Biology Moyal's sublime Platypus traces the wild and raucous history of the antipodean creature's introduction to the world. Part history, part mystery, Platypus details how the European scientific community was able to understand this Australian oddity... As remarkable and delightful as its bizarre subject. New York Resident A fascinating 'biography' of the bizarre and unusual creature known to taxonomists as Ornithorhynchus. Science Books and Films This book about one of the world's most unique animals is written at an academic level, but is clear enough for a serious young person to read. Kliatt It is a good read. Wildlife Activist
Everyone knows the platypus looks bizarre: its duck's beak, webbed feet, fur, swimming skills, secretive lifestyle and egg-laying talents combine to make the Australian mammal an object of fascination for would-be observers around the globe. Yet few of the monotreme's admirers have seen one in the wild; fewer still know the key roles platypuses have played in theories of evolution and in European concepts of Aussie life. Moyal a historian of science based in Canberra, Australia sets out to tell us all this and more in a cleanly written tome combining scientific curiosities with narrative history. Naturalists from Napoleonic France visited New Holland (Australia) in 1801, carrying wombats, emus and a platypus back to Paris, where astonished Europeans had trouble believing their eyes. Early 19th-century thinkers tried to arrange all the creatures they knew into a "Chain of Being," reflecting divine creation. The egg-laying, warm-blooded platypus and echidna (and their distant cousins, the marsupials) confounded all existing models, and hence sparked intense debate: did these critters really lay eggs? A "scattered company of amateur naturalists" tried hard for answers: the intrepid George Bennett, and later his son, found them, with consequences for the future of biology. Moyal's accessible account integrates this story with others: how was European racism bad for the duck-billed mammal? Who learned how to keep a captive platypus alive? And why, in the midst of World War II, did Australians take great pains to send a live one to Winston Churchill? Readers who care about Darwin and his successors, and readers who simply dig exotic animals, should enjoy Moyal's work: folks who belong in both categories won't be able to put it down. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
A great account of how a small furry animal managed to challenge biology's beliefs. New Scientist If any animal has mystery and charisma, it is the platypus. This book tell its story, and it's a winner... It has something for everyone-the excitement of a detective story, the history of biological ideas... Everybody will enjoy this book, and the story continues to unfold... Read it and enjoy. -- David Penny Nature Engaging... In recounting the story of how the platypus was studied and eventually classified, Moyal explains that it became entangled in broader debates over taxonomy and evolution among the wise men of European science. Christian Science Monitor A spirited and eminently readable account of this odd Australian mammal that follows the story of its discovery, the scientific infighting over its place in taxonomy, and modern efforts to understand its biology and keep and breed it in captivity. Booklist Moyal affectionately examines the scientific history of one of nature's most fascinating oddities. Quarterly Review of Biology Moyal's sublime Platypus traces the wild and raucous history of the antipodean creature's introduction to the world. Part history, part mystery, Platypus details how the European scientific community was able to understand this Australian oddity... As remarkable and delightful as its bizarre subject. New York Resident A fascinating 'biography' of the bizarre and unusual creature known to taxonomists as Ornithorhynchus. Science Books and Films This book about one of the world's most unique animals is written at an academic level, but is clear enough for a serious young person to read. Kliatt It is a good read. Wildlife Activist
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