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Information About

Lyall Watson




He has served as director of the Johannesburg , South Africa zoo, an expedition leader to various locales, a writer and producer for the BBC , and Seychelles commissioner for the International Whaling Commission .

Watson lives and writes in Ireland and New Mexico .


EDUCATION


Born in South Africa, Lyall had an early fascination for nature in the surrounding bush, learning from Zulu and !Kung bushmen. Lyall attended boarding school in Cape Town , and in 1958 earned degrees in botany and zoology before securing an apprenticeship in Palaentology under Raymond Dart , leading on to anthropological studies in Germany and the Netherlands . He has additional degrees in chemistry, geology, marine biology and ecology, indicating a broad range of interests. Lyall earned a doctor of philosophy degree in ethology under Desmond Morris at London Zoo .


WRITING CAREER


Lyall Watson began writing his first book, '' Omnivore '' during the early 1960s while under the supervision of Desmond Morris at London Zoo , and has written more than 20 others. His writing style is enthusiastic and exciting as he introduces scientific theories that gradually make the unbelievable very real and acceptable.


BIBLIOGRAPHY


  • ''Omnivore: The Role of Food in Human Evolution'' (1972)

  • ''Supernature: A Natural History of the Supernatural'' (1973)

  • ''The Biology of Death: A Matter of Life and Death'' (1974)

  • ''The Romeo Error'' (1974)

  • ''Gifts of Unknown Things: An Indonesian Adventure'' (1976)

  • ''Lifetide: a Biology of the Unconscious'' (1979)

  • ''Whales of the World: A Field Guide to the Cetaceans'' (1981)

  • ''Lightning Bird: An African Adventure'' (1982)

  • ''Heaven's Breath: A Natural History of the Wind'' (1984)

  • ''Bali Entranced: A Celebration of Ritual'' (1985) - published in Japanese only

  • ''Dreams of Dragons: Essays on the Edge of Natural History'' (1986)

  • ''Beyond Supernature: A New Natural History of the Supernatural'' (1986)

  • ''The Water Planet: A Celebration of the Wonder of Water'' (1988)

  • ''Neophilia: The Tradition of the New'' (1989)

  • ''Sumo: A Guide to Sumo Wrestling'' (1989)

  • ''The Nature of Things: The Strange Behaviour of Inanimate Objects'' (1990)

  • ''Lasting Nostalgia: Essays Out of Africa'' (1992) - publishes in Japanese only

  • ''Turtle Islands: Ritual in Indonesia'' (1995)

  • ''Dark Nature: A Natural History of Evil'' (1995)

  • ''Monsoon: Essays on the Indian Ocean'' (1996) - published in Japanese only

  • ''Lost Cradle: A Collection of Dialogues'' (1997) - published in Japanese only

  • ''Warriors, Warthogs, and Wisdom: Growing up in Africa'' (1997)

  • ''Jacobson's Organ and the Remarkable Nature of Smell'' (2000)

  • ''Elephantoms: Tracking the Elephant'' (2002)

  • ''The Whole Hog: Exploring the Extraordinary Potential of Pigs'' (2004)