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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Vertebrates > Mammals
"Wild Seas, Secret Shores of Africa" is an underwater journey around the African coast, richly portrayed in more than 145 photographs that draw the reader into a breathtakingly beautiful and sometimes strange underwater world. Offering a worthy and exciting alternative to the continent's more familiar terrestrial landscapes and wildlife, this photographic essay not only covers all major marine habitats, from kelp forests to coral reefs, but also features a wide range of marine species in action, from iconic apex predators such as great white and tiger sharks, whales and dolphins, to many of the lesser known but equally fascinating creatures such as jellyfish and starfish.The images in this book were chosen out of tens of thousands, for their ability to transport the viewer right into the heart of the ocean. Each photograph tells a story, unearths a bizarre marine creature or provides a detailed and fresh look at a familiar subject; together they make a resounding statement for marine conservation.
Since Darwin's time, comparative psychologists have searched for a good way to compare cognition in humans and nonhuman primates. In "Origins of Intelligence, " Sue Parker and Michael McKinney offer such a framework and make a strong case for using human development theory (both Piagetian and neo-Piagetian) to study the evolution of intelligence across primate species. Their approach is comprehensive, covering a broad range of social, symbolic, physical, and logical domains, which fall under the all-encompassing and much-debated term "intelligence." A widely held theory among developmental psychologists and social and biological anthropologists is that cognitive evolution in humans has occurred through juvenilization--the gradual accentuation and lengthening of childhood in the evolutionary process. In this work, however, Parker and McKinney argue instead that new stages were added at the end of cognitive development in our hominid ancestors, coining the term "adultification by terminal extension" to explain this process. Drawing evidence from scores of studies on monkeys, great apes, and human children, this book provides unique insights into ontogenetic constraints that have interacted with selective forces to shape the evolution of cognitive development in our lineage.
Previous experimental research has suggested that chimpanzees may understand some of the epitemological aspects of visual perception, such as how the perceptual act of seeing can have internal mental consequences for an individual's state of knowledge. Other research suggests that chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates may understand visual perception at a simpler level; that is, they may at least understand seeing as a mental event that subjectively anchors organisms to the external world. However, these results are ambiguous and are open to several interpretations. In this Monograph, we report the results of 15 studies that were conducted with chimpanzees and preschool children to explore their knowledge about visual perception.
Cynthia Moss has studied the elephants in Kenya's Amboseli National
Park for over twenty-seven years. Her long-term research has
revealed much of what we now know about these complex and
intelligent animals. Here she chronicles the lives of the members
of the T families led by matriarchs Teresia, Slit Ear, Torn Ear,
Tania, and Tuskless. With a new afterword catching up on the
families and covering current conservation issues, Moss's story
will continue to fascinate animal lovers.
The Chang Tang, the vast, remote Tibetan steppe, is home to a
unique assemblage of large mammals, including Tibetan antelope,
gazelle, argali sheep, wild ass, wild yak, wolves, snow leopards,
and others. Since 1985, George B. Schaller and his Chinese and
Tibetan co-workers have surveyed the flora and fauna of the Chang
Tang. Their research provides the first detailed look at the
natural history of one of the world's least known ecosystems.
Many marine mammals communicate by emitting sounds that pass
through water. Such sounds can be received across great distances
and can influence the behavior of these undersea creatures. In the
past few decades, the oceans have become increasingly noisy, as
underwater sounds from propellers, sonars, and other human
activities make it difficult for marine mammals to communicate.
This book discusses, among many other topics, just how well marine
mammals hear, how noisy the oceans have become, and what effects
these new sounds have on marine mammals. The baseline of ambient
noise, the sounds produced by machines and mammals, the sensitivity
of marine mammal hearing, and the reactions of marine mammals are
also examined.
Introduction to the Primates is a comprehensive but compact guide to the long evolutionary history of the world's prosimians, monkeys, and apes, and to the much shorter history of humankind's interactions with them, from our earliest recorded observations to the severe threats we now pose to their survival. Daris Swindler provides a detailed description of the major primate groups and their environments, from the smallest lemurs of Madagascar to the gorillas of central Africa. He compares and contrasts the primate species, looking at each with a specific anatomical focus. The range of diversity emerges as the particular characteristics of the species becomes increasingly distinct. Swindler also considers primate behavior and its close connections with environment and evolutionary differences. His account of 65 million years of successful adaptation and evolution demonstrates the drama of paleontology as evidence accrues and gaps in the history of primate evolution gradually close.
Primatology draws on theory and methods from diverse fields, including anatomy, anthropology, biology, ecology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology. The more than 500 species of primate range from tiny mouse lemurs to huge gorillas, and primatologists collect data in a variety of environments including in the field, research facilities, museums, sanctuaries, zoos, and from the literature. The variability in research interests, study animals and research sites means that there are no standard protocols for how to study primates. Nevertheless, asking good questions and designing appropriate studies to answer them are vital to produce high quality science. This accessible guide for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers explains how to develop a research question, formulate testable hypotheses and predictions, design and conduct a project and report the results. The focus is on research integrity and ethics throughout, and the book provides practical advice on overcoming common difficulties researchers face.
The True Story of a Friendship Between Man and WolfFirst published in 1974, this classic tale of friendship, courage, and the wild has captured hearts of all ages. In 1970, a young Indian who introduced himself as Gregory Tah-Kloma beached his canoe near the author's Babine Lake campsite in the backwoods of British Columbia. Night after night by the campfire, the young Indian told the remarkable story of his devotion to a pack of timber wolves and their legendary female leader: Náhani, "the one who shines." This extraordinary tale has touched many readers over the years with its moving portrayal of the friendship between Greg and Náhani. Certain names and locations have been altered, but the facts of Gregory Tah-Kloma's adventures with Náhani are as he told them to Robert Leslie. "A well-written story that is a delight to read."-Christian Science Monitor
Do chimpanzees have something akin to culture? Bringing together studies of behavioral variation within and among chimpanzees and bonobos --the sibling species of the genus "Pan"--this book provides the basis for answering this question. In "Chimpanzee Cultures," the world's leading authorities on chimpanzees and bonobos chronicle the animals' behaviors from one study site to the next, in both captive and wild groups, in laboratory and field settings.
Because carnivores are at the top of the food chain, their status is an important indicator of the health of the world ecosystem. They are intensely interesting to zoologists and uniquely intriguing to the general public. Devoted primarily to terrestrial carnivores, this volume focuses on such themes as carnivore reintroduction programs and the ethics of studying carnivores, drawing examples from a variety of species.
Of all the mammals, rodents are undoubtedly the most significant single group. With some 1500 species, they constitute an amazing 40 per cent of the world's known mammal population. They have colonized the whole planet - with the common house mouse now found on every continent including Antarctica. This latest title in the "Of the World" series describes the rodent families and their tremendously wide range of lifestyles - from the subterranean-dwelling blind mole rat to the spectacular flying squirrel, from the dam-building beaver to the largest present-day rodent, the giant capybara of South America. There are accounts of their many interactions with man, from being despised pests and carriers of disease to being of economic importance as "farmed" animals for fur production - or even as domestic pets. Full details are given of their evolution, classification and distribution, together with detailed descriptions of form and function, breeding and feeding habits. The text is enhanced throughout with distribution maps and over 100 color photographs. Despite the friendly images of rodents in the media, man has a generally unsympathetic view of most rodent species. This attitude has tended to mask the great danger of extinction which many species now face. This book details the need for conservation and describes the captive breeding programs now underway to ensure survival of this fascinating group of mammals whose adaptability for life on this planet is rivalled only by our own.
The battle of the sexes can be explained at its deepest level, writes Meredith Small, as a war of different mating strategies. In her intriguing and provocative book about females and sex, Small concentrates on primates - the prosimians, monkeys, and apes, whose ancestry we share - to show how females have evolved to be highly sexual creatures. Using nonhuman female primates as a gauge, she describes the sexual and reproductive strategies of our nearest cousins to demonstrate that just as males are strategists in the reproductive game, females also search for good partners, enjoy sex, and keep their own reproductive interests in mind. Female Choices opens with the evolution of sexual reproduction and of males and females as distinct forms. Small then introduces primates and gives a detailed history of the average female's life cycle. After devoting chapters to sexuality, reproduction, and sexual selection theory - the theory behind female mate choice - she discusses what female primates actually do. Drawing on her own firsthand observation of nonhuman primates, she shows that some are highly "promiscuous, " others prefer several unfamiliar males, and some apparently make no choices at all. The behavior of the undiscriminating females often affects the evolution of relationships between the sexes and can influence the social structure of a species. In a final chapter on human behavior, Small maintains that the human pair-bond is a tenuous compromise made by the two sexes to bring up highly dependent infants. But, she writes, because both sexes also have a "natural" tendency to seek out other partners, that bond is always at risk. Small insists that female choice is not necessarily sexualselection, but is nonetheless important to female fitness. Sure to provoke controversy, her book will add a new twist to an exciting field of research while offering significant clues as to the origins of our own sexuality.
In "The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog," John L. Hoogland draws on
sixteen years of research at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota,
in the United States to provide this account of prairie dog social
behavior. Through comparisons with more than 300 other animal
species, he offers new insights into basic theory in behavioral
ecology and sociobiology.
Designed to enable newcomers to electrophysiology to choose appropriate preparations and techniques for in vitro studies in vertebrate neurobiology. Emphasizes techniques involving the glass micropipette and other recently developed methods, supplementing easy-to-follow instructions with illustrative schemes, examples of original records, photomicrographs, key word listings, comprehensive reference tables and a list of suppliers and key equipment and reagents.
Introduce students to one of nature's most endearing animals and inspire learning across the curriculum with a delightful diversity of activities focusing on bears. Polar bears, black bears, brown bears, giant panda bears, sun bears, sloth bears, teddy bears, and others are brought together for an exciting learning adventure in this wonderful resource for educators and their students. Innovative, ready-to-use instructional units in science and social studies employ a multitude of hands-on activities that help students explore life science and develop whole language concepts, historical anecdotes, recipes, songs, a bibliography of resources, and more offer unique and stimulating experiences that you and your students will treasure for a lifetime.
This critical review of behavior patterns in nonhuman primates is
an excellent study of the importance of female roles in different
social groups and their significance in the evolution of human
social life.
Cheney and Seyfarth enter the minds of vervet monkeys and other
primates to explore the nature of primate intelligence and the
evolution of cognition.
Among the most widespread and abundant of the world's larger mammals, deer have been a source of endless fascination for humans beings. Yet over the centuries we have hunted them for sport and for their meat, hides, and antlers, and pursued them as destructive pests.In this richly informative and engagingly written book, Rory Putnam captures the astonishing diversity in habitat, diet, social organization, and behavior of the world's 40 species of deer, and tells what is known about their biology and natural history. Rather than simply assembling species-by-species data, he compares and contrasts the characteristics of the various species and accounts for their similiarities and differences in reference to the environments they have come to colonize.After discussing the origins of deer, Putnam describes the species of modern deer and their evolutionary relationships. He considers aspects of their physiology, ecology, and behavior, drawing particular attention to the ecology of habitat use, diet and digestive physiology, and social organization and behavior. He covers the life histories of the different species, population dynamics, and the interactions of deer with other animals.Devoting a whole chapter to an essay on antlers, he ends with an enlightening and entertaining analysis of the relations between deer and humans.Generously illustrated with stunning color and black-and-white photographs, as well as many line drawings and figures, this book will both reward the amateur naturalist and please the professional biologist."
"This book is timely, and it provides a well-researched, compact entry to this literature." Animal Behaviour Communication in the Chiroptera reviews the available information about communication in chiroptera including brilliant suggestions on the relationship of bat communication to the general subject of communication."
"The Deer and the Tiger" is Schaller's detailed account of the
ecology and behavior of Bengal tigers and four species of the
hoofed mammals on which they prey, based on his observations in
India's Kanha National Park.
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