Featuring 280 of Australia's most beautiful, unusual and commonly encountered lizard species, this lavishly illustrated guide provides a thorough introduction to the land of the lizard. Stunning photographs from Australia's top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, size, distribution, habits and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers the geography and climate of Australia, types of habitat, and details of orders and families. Also included is an all-important checklist of all of the lizards of Australia encompassing, for each species, its common and scientific name, which state it is present in and its IUCN Red List status.

Most wildlife books are designed to help you identify the animals you have seen. This book is different. In this new, user-friendly guide one British species is highlighted per page, and each account explains in accessible text how to find it, where to find it and how to ensure you have the most rewarding wildlife-watching experiences. Within the 'How to Find' section, author Marianne Taylor explains the best time to look for each species, its preferred habitat, and offers tips to help make your search easier or more productive. In 'Watching Tips' she advises on how to get the most from your encounter, how to observe the species at length and with luck witness its most fascinating behaviour. A colour panel indicates each species' geographical distribution on a map, including 'Super Sites' where the species is particularly abundant or regular. A calendar shows when each species is present or active in the UK to help you plan your visits to nature reserves. Colour photos serve as a reminder of each species' key identification features. In total, RSPB British Naturefinder features nearly 300 species, and it includes all British mammals, reptiles and amphibians, along with a carefully chosen selection of other British animals of interest, such as butterflies, moths, dragonflies, spiders and fishes.

Amphibians of Costa Rica is the first in-depth field guide to all 206 species of amphibians known to occur in Costa Rica or within walking distance of its borders. A diminutive nation with abundant natural wealth, the country is host to 146 species of frogs and toads. Frogs of gemlike beauty and dizzying variety abound: some species can fit on the end of a human finger; others would take two hands to hold. In the rainforests, you can find frogs capable of gliding from high in the treetops to the forest floor, some that carry their eggs or their tadpoles around on their back, and others that secrete glue-like substances from their skin that are capable of sticking shut the mouth of attacking snakes. Costa Rica is also home to fifty-three species of lungless salamanders, whose unique adaptations and abilities have allowed them to colonize habitats inaccessible to other amphibians. In addition to the spectacularly diverse salamanders, frogs, and toads found in the country, this guide includes the caecilians-bizarre and highly specialized creatures that somewhat resemble giant worms. Author, photographer, and conservation biologist Twan Leenders has been studying the herpetofauna of Central America for more than twenty years. Leenders and his team of researchers have traipsed the rainforests, dry forests, and swamps of Costa Rica-toting portable photo studios-to put together the richest collection of photographs of Costa Rican herpetofauna known to exist. In addition to hundreds of photographs, range maps, morphological illustrations, and precise descriptions of key field characteristics, Amphibians of Costa Rica offers a wealth of natural history information, describing prey and predators, breeding strategies, habitat, and conservation status.

From timid shrews to commonly seen rabbits, red deer to minke whales, and including the many species of bats, there are over 60 resident wild mammals in the UK or around its coasts. The aim of this book is to provide a brief account of these and also of some that are no longer here. They represent a diverse and sometimes surprising group.The essential illustrated guide for children and adults alike.

It's time to shun our perfectionist society and discover the beauty in everything! Ugly-Cute is an adorkable compilation of misunderstood, underappreciated species including well-known lovable uggos, like sun bears and pugs, as well as obscure weirdos, like the star-nosed mole and the aye-aye. Each chapter is dedicated to a different ugly-cute animal and the ways in which we can learn from them. Featuring: 1. Pink Fairy Armadillo 2. Aye Aye 3. Star-nosed Mole 4. Wombat 5. Sucker-footed Bat 6. Sun Bear 7. Tapir 8. Anteater 9. White-faced Saki Monkey 10. Yeti Crab 11. Pug 12. Axolotl Salamander 13. Proboscis Monkey 14. Aquatic Scrotum Frog 15. Emu 16. Blobfish 17. Hairless Cat and more!

"Engrossing" (The Christian Science Monitor), "fascinating" (TimeOut New York), "delightfully nuanced" (Entertainment Weekly), "terrific" (New York Newsday), "inspiring" (Bust magazine). "You know a book is good when you actually welcome one of those howling days of wind and sleet that makes going out next to impossible" (The New York Times).
The Earth Moved has moved reviewers across the country. In witty, offbeat style, Amy Stewart takes us on a subterranean adventure and introduces us to our planet's most important gatekeeper: the humble earthworm. It's true that the earthworm is small, spineless, and blind, but its effect on the ecosystem is profound, moving Charles Darwin to devote his last years to studying its remarkable attributes and achievements.
With the august scientist as her inspiration, Stewart investigates the earthworm's astonishing realm, talks to oligochaetologists who have devoted their lives to unearthing the complex web of life beneath our feet, and observes the thousands of worms in her own garden. Stewart's "ease in gliding from worms to plants to humans will remind readers of John McPhee's essays on canoes, oranges, the geology of America" (Providence Journal). "Stewart's book paddles along in [Rachel] Carson's wake. Read her book and you'll start to see how the rhododendron bed in front of your house is a kind of Mars for frontier science" (The Boston Globe).

Packed full of facts and detailed illustrations, this updated new edition is an expert family reference guide to the animals that inhabit our world. From the smallest mouse to the largest whale, this book offers a detailed and thorough introduction to an array of reptiles, amphibians and mammals, exploring their habits and habitats. Beginning with a biological and evolutionary overview of the animal kingdom, the book examines a huge range of animal characteristics, such as anatomy, survival instincts and reproduction, and takes a closer look at what it means to be an amphibian, reptile or mammal. The second half describes animals from North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. Over 1000 illustrations, 800 distribution maps and information boxes detailing habitat, diet, size, life span and conservation status accompany the entries.

The world's third-largest island nation has a wide range of wildlife - there are over 450 species of mammals, 300 species of lizards, 110,000 species of insects, not to mention 800 species of bird. Eco-tourists, adventurers, and nature lovers will find Australian Wildlife to be the essential pocket-sized, folding guide to use as they travel. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. A map of prominent vegetation zones found in Australia has been included. Laminated for durability, this guide will conveniently fit into a pocket when you want to reach for your camera or binoculars.

A unique collection of concise but detailed information on 10,000 animals, plants, fungi and algae of the British Isles. Every species with an English common name is included. The compendium is in two parts. The first, smaller part, looks at various terms that people interested in natural history may come across. The second provides information on individual species or species groups, with entries on those with English (common) names, as well as selected families, orders, classes, etc. In the case of marine organisms, entries are given for intertidal and subtidal invertebrate species, and generally speaking for fish species that might be observed inshore. Indication is often given on distribution as well as whether a species is common, scarce or something in between. For some species a note is made of population size and trends. Comments are made where appropriate on etymology, both of the English name and the binomial. No other natural history dictionary or cognate publication relating to the British Isles is as comprehensive in taxonomic cover.

Think of deer and the image that pops into most American's minds is that of a white-tailed deer, the most common large mammal in North America. Most Europeans are more familiar with red deer. It may surprise many people to know that there are actually about 50 species of deer found throughout the world. Here, readers will find nontechnical, expert information about the wide range of diverse deer species.

Did you know that elk and caribou are deer? Or that the earliest fossils of deer are 15 to 20 million years old? Have you ever wondered whether deer swim, play, or see color? How do deer avoid predators and survive the winter? Do deer make good pets or carry contagious diseases? George A. Feldhamer and William J. McShea answer these and other intriguing questions about members of the deer family Cervidae.

From the diminutive pudu of South America that weighs 17 pounds to male moose that weigh close to 2,000 pounds, Feldhamer and McShea explore the biology, evolution, ecology, feeding habits, reproduction, and behavior of deer. They chronicle the relationships between humans and deer--both positive and negative--and discuss the challenges of deer conservation and management.

With vivid color photographs and an accessible and engaging question-and-answer format, this easy-to-read book is the go-to resource on deer. Nature lovers, hunters, and anyone curious about deer will find this fact-filled book both fascinating and full of surprises.

This is a very detailed, easy to use, guide to the Augrabies Falls National Park. It has 7 pages of detailed maps including the Dassie Trail and the Main Falls area. There are 64 colour photos covering 34 points of interest with a detailed description such as GPS position, plant identification, geology and meaning of place names. A further 6 pages with 23 colour photos and interesting information on the 5km interpretive Dassie Trail. 8 pages with 36 colour photos with interesting facts on some of the animals and birds found in the Park. Detailed information on the Augrabies Flat Lizard plus an index of names of animals and birds in English, Latin, Afrikaans and German.

The best-selling animal advocate Temple Grandin offers the most exciting exploration of how animals feel since The Hidden Life of Dogs.
In her groundbreaking and best-selling book Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin drew on her own experience with autism as well as her distinguished career as an animal scientist to deliver extraordinary insights into how animals think, act, and feel. Now she builds on those insights to show us how to give our animals the best and happiest life--on their terms, not ours.
It's usually easy to pinpoint the cause of physical pain in animals, but to know what is causing them emotional distress is much harder. rawing on the latest research and her own work, Grandin identifies the core emotional needs of animals. Then she explains how to fulfill them for dogs and cats, horses, farm animals, and zoo animals.Whether it's how to make the healthiest environment for the dog you must leave alone most of the day, how to keep pigs from being bored, or how to know if the lion pacing in the zoo is miserable or just exercising, Grandin teaches us to challenge our assumptions about animal contentment and honor our bond with our fellow creatures.
Animals Make Us Human is the culmination of almost thirty years of research, experimentation, and experience.
This is essential reading for anyone who's ever owned, cared for, or simply cared about an animal.

When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, his common sense told him to refuse. But he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them. In order to save their lives, Anthony took them in. In the years that followed he became a part of their family. And as he battled to create a bond with the elephants, he came to realize that they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty, and freedom. Set against the background of life on an African game reserve, "The Elephant Whisperer" is a heart-warming, exciting, funny, and sometimes sad account of Anthony's experiences with these huge yet sympathetic creatures.

Artist Kristin Llamas (her real name) has been drawing adorably odd portraits of llamas for years. Inspired by a name and her affection for these delightfully expressive animals, she creates detailed, personality-rich portraits in her realistic and humorous black-and-white style. The results are charming and funny, raising the question, which llama are you? Some mornings are Claire mornings. Allyn, we know just how you feel.... This smile of a gift book collects 60 of Llamas's most amusing and endearing portraits, pairing them with biographical quips and jewel-tone color washes to capture these llamas' quirky inner lives, and our own.

Coastal regions around the world have become increasingly crowded, intensively developed, and severely exploited. Hundreds of millions of people living in these low-lying areas are subject to short-term coastal hazards such as cyclones, hurricanes, and destruction due to El Nino, and are also exposed to the long-term threat of global sea-level rise. These massive concentrations of people expose often-fragile coastal environments to the runoff and pollution from municipal, industrial, and agricultural sources as well as the impacts of resource exploitation and a wide range of other human impacts. Can environmental impacts be reduced or mitigated and can coastal regions adapt to natural hazards? Coasts in Crisis is a comprehensive assessment of the impacts that the human population is having on the coastal zone globally and the diverse ways in which coastal hazards impact human settlement and development. Gary Griggs provides a concise overview of the individual hazards, risks, and issues threatening the coastal zone.

The Secret Lives of Animals is the perfect mix of field guide know-how and armchair entertainment. In addition to the standard field guide notes and range maps, the meat of the book will offer up "spark moments" in nature-something fascinating or memorable that catches your attention and sets you on a path of lifelong learning. The Secret Lives of Animals will feature more than 100 North American animals and over 1,000 tidbits in a fun, colorful, illustrated format.

This is a collection of exceptional images from past years of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition - the most famous and prestigious event of its kind in the world. Each portrait captures an intimate moment and reveals the character of both the individual and often of the species itself. Such images require both photographic skill and an intimacy with the subject that comes from spending long periods in the field. They have been taken by more than 50 award-winning photographers worldwide representing more than 20 countries.

Big cats such as lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars fascinate us like few other creatures. They are enduring symbols of natural majesty and power. Yet despite the magnetic appeal of the big cats, their origins and evolutionary history remain poorly understood-and human activity threatens to put an end to the big cats' glory. On the Prowl is a fully illustrated and approachable guide to the evolution of the big cats and what it portends for their conservation today. Mark Hallett and John M. Harris trace the origins of these iconic carnivores, venturing down the evolutionary pathways that produced the diversity of big cat species that have walked the earth. They place the evolution and paleobiology of these species in the context of ancient ecosystems and climates, explaining what made big cats such efficient predators and analyzing their competition with other animals. Hallett and Harris pay close attention to human impact, from the evidence of cave paintings and analysis of ancient extinctions up to present-day crises. Their engaging and carefully documented account is brought to life through Hallett's detailed, vivid illustrations, based on the most recent research by leading paleontologists. Offering a fresh look at the rise of these majestic animals, On the Prowl also makes a powerful case for renewed efforts to protect big cats and their habitats before it is too late.