An exploration of the relationship between humans and the charismatic
and elusive hare. To the people of rural Britain, hares are deeply
beloved, perhaps above all other animals. They thrive in abundance in
imagery but can be maddeningly elusive in reality. In our stories –
ancient and modern – they are magical, uncanny and illogical beings
which commune with the moon, vanish at will, and lose their minds when
spring arrives. Yet despite the breadth and depth of its legends, the
brown hare of the lowlands is a relative newcomer to our islands, and
our 'real' ancient hare is the mountain hare of the most unforgiving
high mountainsides. Hares of myth have godly powers, but real,
earthbound hares walk a dangerous line – they are small animals with
many predators but have no burrow or tunnel to shelter them from
danger. They survive by a combination of two skills honed to
unimaginable extremes – hiding in plain sight, and running faster
than anything and anyone. The need to excel as hiders and runners
ultimately directs every aspect of hare biology and behaviour, as well
as inspiring our own wild ideas about hare-kind. This book explores
hares as they are and as we imagine them, and the long and often
bloody history of our association with these enigmatic animals.
Elegant studies of molecular biology and biomechanical physics help us
understand how hares are put together, while centuries of game estate
records reveal how humans have commodified and exploited them. But it
is ultimately the moments spent in the company of wild hares that
allow us to bring together myth and reality to celebrate the magic of
the living animal.
Les mer
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781472909909
Publisert
2020
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
Bloomsbury Natural History
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter