The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the Twentieth Century

Scientists and laymen appear to have been peculiarly confident that at the beginning of this century the world had been thoroughly charted and that few, if any, large animals still awaited discovery. Indeed, the days of significant new discovery are still thought by many to have ended abruptly with the scientific unveiling of the okapi in 1901 - and the rediscovery of extinct animals still considered to be as likely as the alchemic conversion of iron into gold. Since then, however, a host of creatures, ranging from pigmy hogs to Komodo dragons and coelacanths, has turned up to contradict this view. This book is devoted to the spectacular zoological discoveries and equally amazing rediscoveries of the 20th century and contains a comprehensive collection of photographs of these species.