Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change

by Thor Hanson

Hardcover, 2021

Call number

577.2 HAN

Collections

Nonfiction, New Nonfiction

Genres

Science & Nature

General Nonfiction

Publication

Basic Books (2021), 304 pages

Description

"In his three previous books-Feathers, The Triumph of Seeds, and Buzz-Thor Hanson has taken his readers on unforgettable journeys into nature, rendered with great storytelling, the soul of a poet, and the insight of a biologist. In this new book, he is doing it again, but exploring one of the most vital scientific and cultural issues of our time: climate change. As a young biologist, Hanson by his own admission watched with some detachment as our warming planet presented plants and animals with an ultimatum: change or face extinction. But his detachment turned to both concern and awe, as he observed the remarkable narratives of change playing out in each plant and animal he studied. In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, Hanson tells the story of how nature-both plants and animals, from beech trees to beetles-are meeting the challenges of rapid climate change head-on, adjusting, adapting, and sometimes noticeably evolving. Brown pelicans are fleeing uphill, seeking out new lives in the mountains. Gorillas in Uganda are turning to new food sources, such as eucalyptus trees (which humans only imported to Africa in the past several decades), as their old sources wain. Auklets, a little sea bird, aren't so lucky: changes in the lifecycles of their primary food source means they return at specific times of year to oceanic feeding grounds expecting plankton blooms that are no longer there. As global warming transforms and restructures the ecosystems in which these animals and others live, Hanson argues, we are forced to conclude that climate change will not have just one effect: Some transformations are beneficial. Others, and perhaps most, are devastating, wiping out entire species. One thing is constant: with each change an organism undergoes, the delicate balance of interdependent ecosystems is tipped, forcing the evolution of thousands more species, including us. To understand how, collectively, these changes are shaping the natural world and the future of life, Hanson looks back through deep time, examining fossil records, pollen, and even the tooth enamel of giant wombats and mummified owl pellets. Together, these records of our past tell the story of ancient climate change, shedding light on the challenges faced by today's species, the ways they will respond, and how these strategies will determine the fate of ecosystems around the globe. Ultimately, the story of nature's response to climate change is both fraught and fascinating, a story of both disaster and resilience, and, sometimes, hope. Lyrical and thought-provoking, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is poised to transform the conversation around climate change, shifting the focus from humans to the lattice of life, of which humans are just a single point"--… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member nancyadair

Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid by Thor Hanson is enjoyable and accessible science writing that will appeal to a large demographic. “When complex ideas are attached to a narrative, they immediately become more relatable,” Hanson writes in his introduction. And he does a marvelous job of

telling stories of climate change’s impact on species whose ecosystems are changing, the species changing, or dying, in response. And as Hanson takes us across the world, the book is an ecological travelogue.

We humans have known climate change has been happening, yet continued to believe it was ‘coming.’ Changing our lives and cultures hasn’t happened. And now, plants and animals across the globe are showing us that the change is already here. They are modifying their behaviors, even if we haven’t.

We are seeing before our eyes rapid changes in climate and shifting ecosystems. What can we learn from species adapting to these changes?

Hanson visits Waldon Pond, a major source of harvested ice in Thoreau’s time, while he found ice barely 2″ thick in February. He tells stories of the “greatest redistribution of species since the last ice age,” as Gretta Pecl stated. Some plants and animals “roll with the punches.” That gives some hope.

The book is illustrated with photographs. The ‘hurricane lizards,’ for instance, are shown during a wind test to see how they coped with gale force winds. Those with the largest toe pads could cling better. Those lizards survived the hurricanes.

The book is as enjoyable to read as it is informative.

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LibraryThing member msf59

This is not just another diatribe against climate change and environmental destruction but a fascinating look at how nature and wildlife have evolved in small ways, to thwart these dangerous changes. I have noticed subtle shifts in avian behavior. Of course, there is going to still be major losses,

that cannot be avoided but it is encouraging to read a book that offers a glimmer of hope in these trying times.

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LibraryThing member Katyefk

Interesting synthesis of climate change studies going on in many different scientific areas.
I never really understood how we can tell the climate is changing. After reading this book I feel very grounded in the supporting studies that explain it very well. I also can now challenge myself to really

look around me and see what is changing and has changed as far as plants, animals, insects, the weather, the ocean and geological features. And, I am now able to follow the predictions of what is expected and understand why. Things are in a constant state of evolution to survive.

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LibraryThing member Shrike58

Equal parts natural history, memoir, and advocacy, I have to admit that I found this book rather slight; though the title is a great sales pitch! That said, it is well-written enough that I would consider reading something else by Hanson.

LibraryThing member banjo123

This is a really nice little book about biology and climate change, aimed at the average reader. Reading it reminded me that I really do want to read more about science.

Hanson gives lots of examples of plant and animal species, and how they respond to changes in temperature; for example birds

moving to higher elevations, and then crowding out the birds that had been in the higher elevations to start with. There are also stories of animals who adapt and take new opportunities. For example, the dovekie, or little Auk, was thought to be very vulnerable to climate change, but surprised scientists by thriving, because they ate plankton that they found off of melting Arctic glaciers. (Not a long term strategy, as eventually the glaciers will be all melted, but still.)

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LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne

While this is an excellent book, well written, interesting, and all that, it is also the scariest thing I have seen about climate change. Hanson is a biologist, and he brings example after axample of how climate change is affecting nature.

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