Conservationist Flannery draws on three decades of travel, research, and field work to craft a love letter to his native land and one of its most unique and beloved inhabitants: the kangaroo. Crisscrossing the continent, Flannery shows us how the destiny of this extraordinary creature is inseparable from the environment that created it. Along the way he uses encounters with ancient aboriginal cultures and eccentric fossil hunters, farmers and scientists, kangaroo advocates and kangaroo hunters, to explore how Australia's deserts and rainforests have shaped human responses to the continent--and how kangaroos have evolved to handle the resulting challenges. A synthesis of memoir, travel, natural history, and evolutionary science.--From publisher description.The acclaimed naturalist celebrates his native Australia and one of its most extraordinary creatures as he examines how the kangaroo both shapes and is shaped by its environment, looks at Australia's natural history, and traces the evolution of the kangaroo.of this extraordinary creature is inseparable from the environment that created it. Along the way he uses encounters with ancient aboriginal cultures and eccentric fossil hunters, farmers and scientists, kangaroo advocates and kangaroo hunters, to explore how Australia's deserts and rainforests have shaped human responses to the continent--and how kangaroos have evolved to handle the resulting challenges. A synthesis of memoir, travel, natural history, and evolutionary science.--From publisher description. Read Less