Antipode

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By definition, antipode is a point on the earth diametrically opposite from another As a field biologist specializing in reptiles and amphibians, Heather Heying has been to some of the most remote places on the globe Her career consists of trekking through dense rainforests, sitting for hours at a time observing elusive creatures, and spending weeks on end in remote, sometimes inhospitable locales But nothing she previously experienced quite prepared her for the three seasons she spent studying the tiny, bright, poisonous frogs found only at what is the antipode of her world, both geographically and figuratively the island nation of Madagascar.The majority of Madagascar s wildlife is endemic found nowhere else Lemurs rule the forest canopy, while on the ground, snakes and lizards search for evening meals of frogs and bugs, all against a gorgeous backdrop of rainforest It s a biologist s paradise but at times can also be a foreigner s worst nightmare Madagascar in no way resembles what most Westerners know as normal existence Technologically, it is laps behind the first world Time shuffles by at a slow gait Poverty is rampant people pride themselves on how many pots of rice a day they eat Language and culture barriers, combined with bureaucratic red tape, can make travel virtually impossible.In stories that are in turns moving, insightful, hilarious, and beautiful, Heather recounts her experiences from run ins with naked sailors and unusually hostile lemurs to tropical hurricanes and greedy tourist entrepreneurs As she carefully navigates an obstacle strewn path, she gradually uncovers the hidden lives of the beautiful yellow and blue poison frogs she studies And all the while, she is coming to understand her role as a female Westerner in a foreign society, and her intense love for and fascination with the stunning cultures and wildlife of Madagascar. Read Antipode By Heather E. Heying – kino-fada.fr This book offered a glimpse into Madagascar that the author experienced while doing research on poisonous frogs I like that she explained the environment, the animals, and the way of life for the inhabitants of Madagascar It was interesting to learn about how scientists operate on research trips.Okay Was not as helpful in learning about Madagascar as I would have hoped More of a travelogue limited to small areas of Madagascar.Heather Heying is a frog researcher who studied mantella frogs on the island of Nosy Mangabe She tells the story of her time in Madagascar on this island, living in a tent While she did her studies in the 1990 s, the island has changed a lot since she was there, largely due to increased tourism.Her description...really interesting insight into malagasy culture as well as its natural world The author comes off bit self righteous, but tries to get around that with personal anecdotes and philosophical commentaries, which read a bit disingenuou...I read this when Meg was in Madagascar I felt like it connected me to her somehow, and I love reading about Africa in all its formsOne of my favorite books Heather is a poison arrow frog biologist who goes to Madagascar for her research She gets bitten by a lemur and finds the same good soap I did in Tanzania, finally

Antipode
  • English
  • 13 February 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 288 pages
  • 0312281528
  • Heather E. Heying
  • Antipode