Carnivorous Nights
Read Carnivorous Nights Online
Authors: Margaret Mittelbach
CARNIVOROUS NIGHTS
“A top-drawer journey into the natural history of Tasmania from two Brooklyn-based nature writers … neatly and wonderfully sews together natural science and travel yarn.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
“The quixotic quest at the heart of
Carnivorous Nights
is more than just endearing and engrossing, it's inspiring.”
—Jonathan Safran Foer, author of
Everything Is Illuminated
and
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
“Beautifully observed, excitingly reported, [and] laugh-out-loud funny … This book will surely become a classic of wildlife adventure and travel writing.”
—Marie Winn, author of
Red-Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park
“A detailed nature guide and a humorous and engaging adventure story.”
—
Science News
“Engaging, witty …[with] stunning drawings of the wildlife …From Mittelbach and Crewdson's descriptions, it's hard not to become enamored of the tiger … and the cavalcade of human characters is just as compelling.”
—
Plenty
magazine
“A stuffed tiger sends three New Yorkers to the ends of the earth—where they encounter devils, charnel houses and eco-madness. The Devil's Isle will never be the same again. This is taxidermy's greatest tough-love story.”
—Tim Flannery, author of
A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals
“Sit down in a comfortable chair and get totally absorbed, as I did, with companions every bit as charming and more informative than André (as in
My Dinner with
).”
—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of
Dogs Never Lie About Love
and
When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals
“Alexis Rockman and the thylacine are two of the most fascinating critters that have ever prowled the woods of Tasmania or the galleries and basketball courts of New York. Put them together, and you're off on a roaring adventure.”
—David Quammen, author of
The Song of the Dodo
“[
Carnivorous Nights
] was like literary and artistic crack—it was so good I did not want to put it down and found myself going to bed much too late just so I could find out what happened next. It's full of suspense, wit, quirky characters, haunting paintings, and insight into nature and extinction.”
—E. J. McAdams,
executive director, New York City Audubon
“The authors recount their adventures with an offbeat sense of humor that makes the book appealing to a wide audience. Rockman's charming illustrations—made using organic materials he gathered on the trip— add a touch of whimsy to this delightful tale.”
—
Islands
magazine
Dedicated to
Charemaine and Quinn Li
—M.C.
Jon Carlo, Molly, and Danilo
—M.M.
my father, Raphael Russell Rockman
—A.R.
2.
Rock Art
9.
Hopping
10.
Sexy Beast
11.
Suicide Hen
12.
Miller Time
17.
The Red Fog
26.
In the Name of George Prideaux Harris
29.
Cryptid
30.
Remains
Map of Tasmania
South Cape Bay soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
XIIIThylacine
Beaumaris Zoo soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
2Diamond Python
Port Hacking soil and charcoal, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
13White Ibis
Port Hacking soil and charcoal, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
15Gray-headed Flying Fox
Port Hacking soil and charcoal, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
16Gray-headed Flying Fox
Port Hacking soil and charcoal, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
26Thylacine
Adamsfield soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
36Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Milkshakes Forest Preserve soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
44Echidna
Soil from Gordon River Road and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 9 × 12 inches
53Inchman
Soil from Bicheno and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 12 × 9 inches
66Jack Jumper
Naarding Site soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
75Tasmanian Devil
Soil from Kings Run near Marrawah and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 9 × 12 inches
77Bennett's Wallaby
Pulverized rotting wood, wallaby fur, and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 9 × 12 inches
91Tree Fern
Decayed fern stem from Styx Forest and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 12 × 9 inches
96Giant Crayfish
Soil from the Hebe River and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
110Tasmanian Native Hen
Mud from the Hebe River and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
112Tasmanian Devil
Kings Run soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
121Tasmanian Wombat
Wombat fecal matter and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
123Tasmanian Devil
Soil from Kings Run near Marrawah and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 9 × 12 inches
129Wombat
Wombat fecal matter and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
132Thylacine
Adamsfield soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
134Thylacine Tracks
Naarding Site soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
141Fairy Penguin
Swansea soil, soil from muttonbird nest, and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
145Pademelon
Kings Run soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
152Thylacine
Kings Run soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
160Thylacine
Kings Run soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
163Brushtail Possum
Soil from South Coast Track and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 9 × 12 inches
164Long-nosed Potoroo
Launceston Field Naturalists Club soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
172Tasmanian Bettong
Launceston Field Naturalists Club soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
183Ferns
Soil and fern matter from Styx Forest and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 9 × 12 inches
185Cave Crickets
Meander River sediment and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
198Cave Spider
Meander River sediment and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
206Muttonbird
Soil from muttonbird nest and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
213Tasmanian Platypus
Meander River sediment and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
221Spotted-tailed Quoll
Meander River sediment and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
228Eastern Quoll
Meander River sediment and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
236Weedy Sea Dragon
Kelp from Bay of Fires and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9 × 12 inches
246Big Bellied Seahorse
Kelp from Bay of Fires and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
248Sperm Whale and Giant Squid
Spermaceti and oil paint on gessoed paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
257Thylacine
Adamsfield soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
258Land Leech
Pulverized leech, human blood, instant coffee, and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 9 × 12 inches
269Thylacine
Beaumaris Zoo soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
271Eucalyptus regnans
Soil from Styx Forest and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 12 × 9 inches
281Wedge-tailed Eagle
Fern fronds from Styx Forest and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 12 × 9 inches
289Thylacine
Naarding site soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 9 × 12 inches
291Thylacine
Beaumaris Zoo soil and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 9⅛ × 12¼ inches
302Thylacine
Soil from Clear Hill Road near Lake Gordon and acrylic polymer on paper, 2003 12 × 9 inches
307Fairy Penguins
Swansea soil, soil from muttonbird nest and acrylic polymer on paper, 2004 12¼ × 9⅛ inches
310
