Background
Ellis, Richard was born on April 2, 1938 in New York City. Son of Robert Butler and Sylvia Diana (Levy) Ellis.
( In parts of Korea and China, moon bears, black but for ...)
In parts of Korea and China, moon bears, black but for the crescent-shaped patch of white on their chests, are captured in the wild and brought to "bear farms" where they are imprisoned in squeeze cages, and a steel catheter is inserted into their gall bladders. The dripping bile is collected as a cure for ailments ranging from an upset stomach to skin burns. The bear may live as long as fifteen years in this state. Rhinos are being illegally poached for their horns, as are tigers for their bones, thought to improve virility. Booming economies and growing wealth in parts of Asia are increasing demand for these precious medicinals. Already endangered species are being sacrificed for temporary treatments for nausea and erectile dysfunction. Richard Ellis, one of the world's foremost experts in wildlife extinction, brings his alarm to the pages of Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn, in the hope that through an exposure of this drug trade, something can be done to save the animals most direly threatened. Trade in animal parts for traditional Chinese medicine is a leading cause of species endangerment in Asia, and poaching is increasing at an alarming rate. Most of traditional Chinese medicine relies on herbs and other plants, and is not a cause for concern. Ellis illuminates those aspects of traditional medicine, but as wildlife habitats are shrinking for the hunted large species, the situation is becoming ever more critical. One hundred years ago, there were probably 100,000 tigers in India, South China, Sumatra, Bali, Java, and the Russian Far East. The South Chinese, Caspian, Balinese, and Javan species are extinct. There are now fewer than 5,000 tigers in all of India, and the numbers are dropping fast. There are five species of rhinoceros--three in Asia and two in Africa--and all have been hunted to near extinction so their horns can be ground into powder, not for aphrodisiacs, as commonly thought, but for ailments ranging from arthritis to depression. In 1930, there were 80,000 black rhinos in Africa. Now there are fewer than 2,500. Tigers, bears, and rhinos are not the only animals pursued for the sake of alleviating human ills--the list includes musk deer, sharks, saiga antelope, seahorses, porcupines, monkeys, beavers, and sea lions--but the dwindling numbers of those rare species call us to attention. Ellis tells us what has been done successfully, and contemplates what can and must be done to save these animals or, sadly, our children will witness the extinction of tigers, rhinos, and moon bears in their lifetime.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1559635320/?tag=2022091-20
( "As the human population has increased, the marine popu...)
"As the human population has increased, the marine population has plummeted, and Ellis tells the complex story behind this equation for disaster with a vast array of facts, unfailing eloquence, and bracing frankness." -BOOKLIST "Read this book and be inspired, informed, and entertained, but watch out. The latest, most powerful tribute to the sea by Richard Ellis could forever change the way you think about the ocean, about yourself, and about the future we share with the sea." -SYLVIA EARLE, EXPLORER IN RESIDENCE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY In The Empty Ocean, acclaimed author and artist Richard Ellis tells the story of our continued plunder of life in the sea and weighs the chances for its recovery. Through fascinating portraits of a wide array of creatures, he introduces us to the many forms of sea life that humans have fished, hunted, and collected over the centuries, from charismatic whales and dolphins to the lowly menhaden, from sea turtles to cod, tuna, and coral. Rich in history, anecdote, and surprising fact, Richard EllisÆs descriptions bring to life the natural history of the various species, the threats they face, and the losses they have suffered. Killing has occurred on a truly stunning scale, with extinction all too often the result, leaving a once-teeming ocean greatly depleted. But the author also finds instances of hope and resilience, of species that have begun to make remarkable comebacks when given the opportunity. Written with passion and grace, and illustrated with Richard EllisÆs own drawings, The Empty Ocean brings to a wide audience a compelling view of the damage we have caused to life in the sea and what we can do about it. "
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1559639741/?tag=2022091-20
(Open this book and you'll plunge five miles below the sur...)
Open this book and you'll plunge five miles below the surface of the sea into an unforeseen realm inhabited by living creatures that strain the bounds of credibility.Prior to John Ross's successful retrieval in 1818 of six pounds of worm-filled mud from the bottom of Baffin Bay, it was widely believed that no life could possibly flourish in the dark, cold, pressurized waters of the deep Atlantic Ocean. Subsequent expeditions have unveiled a mind-boggling menagerie of deep-sea fauna with which we are still only marginally acquainted. Richard Ellis recounts the stories of the exploration of the deep sea and brings us face-to-face with these unexpected efflorescences of evolution.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558216634/?tag=2022091-20
(Life on earth began in the sea, and in this tour de force...)
Life on earth began in the sea, and in this tour de force of natural history, authority on marine biology and illustrator Richard Ellis chronicles more than three billion years of aquatic history. From the first microbes and jawless fishes that evolved into the myriad species we know today - sharks, whales, dolphins, and, of course, humans - Ellis reveals the deep evolutionary mysteries of the sea. Encyclopaedic in scope and complemented by more than sixty drawings, AQUAGENESIS is a fascinating work that will astonish readers with the wonder, richness, and complexity of the evolution of life.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142001562/?tag=2022091-20
( Lavishly illustrated, this book is the first complete, ...)
Lavishly illustrated, this book is the first complete, definitive accout for general readers of everything that is known about the great white shark, the most feared creature in the world’s oceans. It is based on extensive research into the scientific literature and lore of this superbly adapted predator, on analysis of historical records, and on the most up-to-date information. The book is illustrated with 238 photographs and drawings, 116 in color.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804725292/?tag=2022091-20
( Two-thirds of this planet is covered by water inhabited...)
Two-thirds of this planet is covered by water inhabited by an incredible variety of living organisms, ranging in size from microbe to whale, and in abundance from scarce to uncountable. Whales and dolphins must surface to breathe, and some fishes occupy surface waters and can easily be seen from boats or shore, but most of the marine bio-profusion is hidden from human eyes, often under thousands of feet and millions of tons of water, which is usually cold, dark, and utterly inhospitable to humans. By definition, the study of marine life has been quantitatively and qualitatively different from the study of terrestrial life--it is, if you will, a different kettle of fish. What do we know today, how have we learned it, and what remains unknown and unknowable about inner space? Because there have been so few human visitors to the uninviting world of the deep sea, scientists have had to rely on trawled specimens, photographs taken by robotic cameras, or occasionally, observations from deep-diving submersibles, to get even the vaguest idea of the nature of life in the abyss. So far, even our most elaborate efforts to penetrate the blackness have produced only minimal results. It is as if someone lowered a collecting basket from a balloon high above the tropical rain forest floor, and tried to analyze the nature of life in the jungle from a couple of random hauls. The inner space of the deep offers the last frontier on the planet. Even now, we know more about the back side of the moon than we do about the bottom of the ocean, but then the surface of the moon is not hidden under miles of impenetrable water. But we do know that living in this inaccessible medium are some of the most fascinating creatures on Earth. An understanding of the interrelationships between various creatures-including the one predator that has the power to distort, damage, or even eliminate populations of marine animals-is necessary if we are to survive in harmony with these populations. Although new technologies have given us tools to better census the whales, dolphins, and fishes, and to see heretofore unexpected life and geological forms deep under the sea, we are a long way from comprehending the nature and importance of marine biodiversity. Singing Whales, Flying Squid, and Swimming Cucumbers is an attempt to put the search for knowledge into perspective-to try to find out how we got here, and where, with the help of curiosity, science, and technology, we might be headed. With this as our Baedeker, we will voyage through time and space, tracing the history of the discovery of marine biology, from the moment that the first scientists--although for the most part, "science" had barely been invented--tried to figure out what sorts of creatures lived in the Mediterranean, the sea right off their shores. So join Richard Ellis on an underwater adventure like no other you've ever taken or heard of: a voyage to discover the mysteries and reveal the wonders of marine life--more unusual and more astonishing than you--or anyone else--ever imagined.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592288421/?tag=2022091-20
(Dolphins and Porpoises captures the exuberance, the intel...)
Dolphins and Porpoises captures the exuberance, the intelligence, the sheer charisma, of forty-three species of small cetacean -- from the immensely popular bottlenose dolphin to the rare and attractive spectacled porpoise to their awe-inspiring cousin, the killer whale. With 70 black-and-white illustrations and 16 pages in color
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394518004/?tag=2022091-20
Ellis, Richard was born on April 2, 1938 in New York City. Son of Robert Butler and Sylvia Diana (Levy) Ellis.
Bachelor, University of Pennsylvania, 1959.
He was United States. delegate to International Whaling Commission from 1980 to 1990. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and his murals can be seen in the Denver Museum of Natural History, the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts, and Whaleworld, a museum in Albany, Western Australia. He is the author of more than 100 magazine articles, which have appeared in National Geographic, Natural History, Audubon, Curator, National Wildlife, Geo, Australian Geographic, and Reader"s Digest.
He has written 23 books, including The Book of Sharks, The Book of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, Men and Whales, Great White Shark (with John McCosker), Encyclopedia of the Sea, Aquagenesis: The Origin and Evolution of Life in the Sea, Deep Atlantic, Monsters of the Sea, Imagining Atlantis, Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn, Number Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species, Sea Dragons: Predators of Prehistoric Seas, Tuna, The Empty Ocean, and Swordfish: A Biography of the Ocean Gladiator.
On Thin Ice looks into the changing world of polar bears and highlights their problems caused by global warming and disappearing Arctic ice. In 2011 the University Press of Kansas published The Great Sperm Whale: A Natural History of the Ocean"s Most Magnificent and Mysterious Creature.
Richard Ellis curatored a show on sharks in art for the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum, from May 2012 to January 2013. He also has two grandchildren Stella and Felix Adams who share his love for science.
(Dolphins and Porpoises captures the exuberance, the intel...)
(Dolphins and Porpoises captures the exuberance, the intel...)
( In parts of Korea and China, moon bears, black but for ...)
(The Book of Whales celebrates the beauty, the grandeur, t...)
( "As the human population has increased, the marine popu...)
( Lavishly illustrated, this book is the first complete, ...)
(Life on earth began in the sea, and in this tour de force...)
( Two-thirds of this planet is covered by water inhabited...)
(Open this book and you'll plunge five miles below the sur...)
(From the author of Monsters of the Sea and The Book of Wh...)
(Imagining Atlantis by Richard Ellis.)
(373 illustrations in text)
He is a research associate in the American Museum of Natural History"s division of paleontology, special adviser to the American Cetacean Society, and a member of the Explorers Club.
Married Anne Kneeland, September 25, 1963 (divorced 1982). Children: Elizabeth Ellis Adams, Timothy Kneeland.