Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
plays key roles in conservation, and natural history offers an enlightened form of con-
tentment.
With this topic I've set out to praise sweeping dry plateaus and soggy tropical lood-
plains, as well as the black-tailed rattlesnakes, jaguars, and other creatures that enliven
them. More privately, though, right from the start, I wanted to thank my heroes and ex-
plain some things to friends and loved ones; I knew there would be disturbing undercur-
rents and thought they'd be straightforward. Instead,
TracksandShadows
has unfolded
as a complex, rewarding journey during which, after decades of studying predators, I
became one myself. Along the way, problems that seemed easy proved intractable. Non-
etheless, by sharing my search for solutions, I aim to persuade others to get out there
and learn more about themselves. By portraying field biology as art, I hope to add an-
other brief in defense of the wild.
