My First Book of Southern African Wildlife introduces the young reader to a selection of southern Africa's most commonly seen and fascinating wildlife species.

Divided into three sections, the title covers 58 mammals, 58 birds and 56 reptiles. Striking full-colour illustrations are accompanied by brief descriptions in four languages, and there are visual clues to diet, size and habitat of each creature.

This title will appeal to southern Africa's younger readers, and will foster an early interest in the natural world.

When the famous South African fish scientist Professor JLB Smith published Old Fourlegs - The Story of the Coelacanth in 1956 he created an international sensation. After all, this 400-million-year-old fish, known only from fossil remains, was thought to have become extinct around 66 million years ago! JLB Smith’s dramatic account of the discovery of the first and second coelacanths in 1938 and 1952 turned him into a cult figure and put South African science on the world map. His book was eventually published in six English editions and translated into nine foreign languages.

Mike Bruton’s The Annotated Old Fourlegs includes a facsimile reprint of the original book, to which he has added notes and images in the margins that provide an interesting and revealing commentary on Smith’s text, as well as new introductory and explanatory chapters that bring the coelacanth story up to date.

This fun, fold-out checklist illustrates 50 of the wild animalsand birds that you may encounter on a trip into one of southern Africa’s game reserves. Children will love lookingat the lively, full-colour illustrations, reading the interestingaccompanying facts, and ticking off each creature as they spot them in the wild.

Sasol First Field Guide to Frogs of Southern Africa is a fascinating guide to the frogs of the region.

Full-colour photographs, distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help the budding naturalist to identify the more common frog species that occur in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their behaviour and unusual features.

Why would a hippo chew on the carcass of a dead hippo? Why would a mongoose groom a warthog? Which antelope hunts?

Wild Ways brings together all the latest studies of the behaviour of southern Africa’s rich and accessible mammal fauna, describing not only what mammals do, but also the often surprising reasons why they do it, and covers species as diverse as fruit bats, pangolins, lions, rats and whales.

Well-established as an invaluable resource for visitors to parks and reserves, hikers, hunters, farmers and outdoor enthusiasts, this classic guide has now been thoroughly updated and revised, has a fresh, lively design, and is packed with new and engrossing detail.

Geological journeys - a traveller's guide to South Africa's rocks and landforms is an essential companion for car journeys. For those who wonder about the jaunty tilt of a mountain ahead, the unusual patterns of a road cutting, the colour and texture of the roadside soil, or the purpose of a distant minehead, this volume offers answers and explanations about features along all the major routes across South Africa, and some of the lesser, but geologically interesting, routes too.

Also included are the three main metropolitan areas – Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban – so that city residents can understand the geological features surrounding them. Using familiar landmarks to pinpoint sites and subtle phenomena, the authors bring to light our rich geological heritage, its likely roots and often tumultuous history.

Along the way, they also discuss the historical background, personalities and stories that relate to the landscape.

Sasol First Field Guide to Insects of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the insects of the region.

Full-colour photographs , distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help the budding naturalist to identify the more common insect groups that occur in southern Africa, discover where they occur, and learn about their behaviour and unusual features.

Keenly aware of the needless destruction of wildlife and vegetation which occurs all over the continent as a result of ever expanding population growth and the greedy, land hungry actions of man, the author brings together a collection of fables told by different African tribes that mirror the richness and diversity of Africa's wildlife. The stories bring home the message that we are all part of the great diversity of life and that it is up to us and future generations to preserve our natural heritage.

Another title in the ‘Quick Guide’ series, this compact little book is a handy identification guide to the surprising variety of nests built by southern African birds. Covering multiple species, it is arranged according to nest type - ground, woven, stick, cup, mud-pellet and
domed, as well as nests in tree holes, on water, on cliffs and in scrapes on the ground. It is packed with photographs and illustrations showing the ingenuity of the designs, the birds that built them, and the eggs that are laid in them. In pithy fashion, the text – matched to the photographs – describes:

• nesting site and nest structure
• building materials used to construct outer and inner layers
• nesting habits of the architects
• clutch size

A simple key to nest types on the inside front cover directs readers to the relevant section in the book.

Sasol First Field Guide to Aloes of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the aloes of the region.

Full-colour photographs , distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help the budding naturalist to identify the more common aloes found in southern African gardens and landscapes, discover where they occur, and learn about their unique features.

This title focuses on the essentials of bird identification in East Africa by presenting those species that are most likely to be seen in accessible habitats throughout the region.

The text for each species highlights the diagnostic feature or combination of features that will enable the birdwatcher to most easily identify the bird.

For those species that are sexually dimorphic, have both breeding and non-breeding plumage, or in which the juvenile plumage differs markedly from that of the adult, more than one photograph has been included.

Thumbnail silhouettes aid the reader in quickly locating the correct group of birds, and for each species account a map shows the bird's distribution.

The ultimate compact, quick ID guide to southern and East African animal behaviour, and the latest in the popular series of 'quick guides' to wildlife.

This title:

- describes and explains the habits of the more commonly found mammals of southern and East Africa;

- matches concise text with action photographs that capture characteristic behaviour;

- serves as a companion volume to more detailed field guides;

- provides a quick reference and easy read for anyone interested in understanding wild animals and their sometimes baffling rituals.

Sasol First Field Guide to Gemstones of Southern Africa is a fascinating guide to the gemstones of the region. Full-colour photo graphs and easy-to-read text will help the beginner and budding naturalist to identify the more common gemstones that occur in southern Africa, discover where they are found, and learn about their unusual features.

Elephants have long been targeted by humans: not only are they killed for their ivory, but their extraordinary strength, intelligence and charisma have seen some of them captured, chained and effectively jailed for life.

Bully and Induna are two African elephants, both orphaned in organised culling operations and destined for lives in captivity. Growing up far apart and quite differently, Bully (a former animal film star) and the less fortunate Induna were both driven to react to their circumstances – Induna even killed one of his carers. Their individual situations reached a point where both were considered to be dangerous animals and were under threat of being put down.

This is the true story of their lives. Conservationist Richard Peirce presents their individual narratives and the twists and turns of their fortunes: the exploitation of these majestic but sensitive animals, how they each came to be trapped in unsuitable ‘employment’ and shunted about from one venue to the next, before finding one another – free at last – on a farm in southern Africa.

Giant Steps is a gripping story, full of drama, danger, sadness and ultimate rescue.

Fully revised, this new edition of the best-selling A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa is a comprehensive guide to more than 150 dangerous and common harmless snakes in the region.

Detailed species accounts, covering identification, behavior, reproduction and snake venom, are accompanied by full-color photographs, distribution maps, and information boxes highlighting diagnostic features. The book also introduces the reader to snake biology and behaviour; gives guidelines for keeping snakes in captivity; and provides information on the prevention and treatment of snakebite. New information based on recent discoveries and research data has been included, and the taxonomy has been brought in line with recent changes in the classification of species and subspecies.

A readable and user-friendly guide that will be invaluable to herpetologists, snake collectors, students, campers, hikers and gardeners, or anyone who may want to know more about these fascinating and widely misunderstood reptiles.

Children will enjoy hours of fun colouring in this selection of our most striking seashore life – more than 40 of the brightest, most fascinating, commonly known creatures and plants from our local shores.

In the middle of the book is a full-colour gallery of all the featured shore life, giving a clear guide as to which shade of crayon or paint to use when colouring in the outlined images throughout the book.

As they work through the book, budding artists and inquisitive children will also be able to pick up snippets of knowledge about the creatures, such as how the colourful sea anemone overpowers its prey; whether the sponge is an animal; how the starfish pulls its stomach outside of its body to eat; why the hermit crab's homes are all second-hand; and the bag of tricks used by that master of disguise, the octopus.

Great White sharks, attracted by an offshore seal colony, have brought success to the adjacent fishing village of Gansbaai along the southern African coast. A flourishing shark cage diving industry has sprung up, bringing jobs and money, and so benefiting almost the entire community. Tourists come from far and near to experience the thrill of a real-life brush with the legendary ‘Jaws’. Shark Town, as it has become known, is booming. Then one day, the sharks disappear. Slowly at first, but with gathering momentum, the word spreads: cage diving off Gansbaai can no longer promise the thrill of an encounter. The crowds thin, the boats remain at their moorings, and the once bustling community waits as their livelihoods tail off. Entrepreneurs and scientists alike are baffled.

But it’s not long before shark carcasses start washing up on the beaches. These, together with some coincidental sightings of another apex predator in the vicinity, are the first leads to the possible causes and culprits. Against the clamour and thrill of the cage-diving season in full swing, Richard Peirce visits the unfolding drama and explores what’s behind these strange events.

Sasol First Field Guide to Sharks, Whales and Dolphins of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the sea creatures of the region. With the help of full-colour photographs or illustrations, distribution maps, and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common shark, whale and dolphin species found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique feeding and breeding habits.

Sasol First Field Guide to Spiders & Scorpions of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the arachnids of the region. Through full-colour photographs and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common species found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique habits.

This first book of birds introduces children to the birds most commonly seen in gardens and wildlife areas in East Africa. The 58 birds are featured in full colour illustrations, with visual cues to each birds size, the food it eats, its nest and the footprint it leaves behind. This lively approach will appeal to young readers, as well as to learners of all ages who wish to improve their knowledge of other languages.

In this series, traditional African fables about elephants, hippos, lions and other animals of the African bush are combined with factual information about them and their conservation. Keenly aware of the needless destruction of wildlife and vegetation which occurs all over the continent as a result of ever expanding population growth and the greedy, land hungry actions of man, the author brings together a collection of fables told by different African tribes that mirror the richness and diversity of Africa's wildlife. The stories bring home the message that we are all part of the great diversity of life and that it is up to us and future generations to preserve our natural heritage.

More than 1 000 mammal species occur in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. These creatures vary in size from the massive elephant to the tiniest bats, shrews and mice. A Photographic Guide to Mammals of Southern, Central and East Africa was compiled with a view to easing identification of many of the larger and more conspicuous mammals in the region, as well as some of the smaller and more unusual ones.

This compact, easy-to-use guide features:

- 152 of the region's mammal species

- key identification features showing how to differentiate between similar species

- distribution maps and a list of major parks and reserves indicating where species are likely to be seen

- quick reference key on inside cover

- thumbnail silhouettes of each family group for quick identification

This new revised edition is an ideal pocket-sized travelling companion for nature lovers and visitors to nature reserves and wildlife areas.

This practical guide to animal tracking is a one-of-its-kind manual, based on information developed with the help of southern Africa’s few remaining traditional trackers and their centuries-old wisdom in the field.

It presents the more concrete and obvious wildlife signs for some 160 animals and teams them with a host of seemingly unrelated details to give a comprehensive picture of recent – and not-so-recent – traffic through the bush.

Simple, bulleted text guides readers through the key points and teaches the broad-based observational skills required to detect and interpret messages; multiple photographs, some annotated, along with accurate track drawings for all the animals, offer a clear visual guide too.

Rich in detail, accurate, and with an instructive introduction, this guide to the region’s animal tracks and signs is every tracker’s go-to manual.

A game reserve is not only ideal for viewing animals but it's also an excellent location from which to study the stars. Stargazing from Game Reserves in Southern Africa is a lively introduction to the night skies, offering visitors to game reserves and nature parks (in fact, any out-of-town location) the opportunity to turn their binoculars skyward after dark, and to make sense of the myriad stars and recognise some of the patterns they form. The author takes readers on a celestial 'game drive', directing them towards the 'Big Five' constellations of the night sky. He provides clear steps for novice star-watchers to navigate the skies, track the planets, and even spot the moons of Jupiter and possibly the crescent of Venus. No prior knowledge of astronomy is needed to enjoy these introductory excursions into the night skies. Expertly illustrated with colour photographs, wildlife artwork, line drawings and 12 star maps, this book is a welcome addition to the collection of any outdoor enthusiast.