Insects have a greater impact on human lives and livelihoods than any other group of organisms. This guide will help you to identify insects that are frequently encountered, very striking or ecologically important in the region. Compact and easy-to-use, it features more than 400 of the interesting and diverse insect groups found in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Full-colour photographs of all featured species are accompanied by concise text giving key identification features for each group.

Here's a quick and quirky identification guide to animal dung or droppings.

Each animal group (carnivores, primates, antelope, rats and mice, reptiles, birds) is briefly introduced; but the main focus of this book is the photographs, mostly life-size. These images enable immediate identification of the animals responsible for the droppings. To confirm identity, summary tables give details of average width, length and typical contents of droppings (feathers, twigs, leaves, sand, etc.).

This should become a recommended reference for rangers and field guides in the region; and it will be of use to anyone with an interest in wildlife, and even to those who simply enjoy walking in the wild and observing the tracks and signs they encounter.

This photographic field guide to southern African birds comprises the biggest and most comprehensive collection of photographs of the region's birds in one volume.

It describes and illustrates all 958 bird species found in southern Africa, and an additional 17 species recorded from the Southern Ocean and associated islands, and Antarctica. Over 2 500 images show age and sex plumage variations, perched and in-flight birds, and colour morphs where relevant. authors.

Colour-coded distribution maps give resident and migratory status, and bird density. Annual seasonality bars show at a glance when species are present and when they breed. A-Z directory provides quick guide to locating groups. Group introductions provide additional clues to identification.

This comprehensive guide follows traditional species sequence. It brings a new dimension to bird identification in southern Africa and will prove indispensable in the field.

Ook in Afrikaans beskikbaar as Volledige Fotografiese Gids: Voëls Van Suider-Afrika.

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.

The Kruger National Park, one of the largest and best-known conservation areas in the world, supports a remarkable diversity of birds. This attractive and handy field guide lists more than 500 species that have been recorded here, and provides full-colour photographs, detailed distribution maps and succinct information on 400 of these – all the species that a visitor is likely to encounter in the park.

An informative introduction describes the park’s underlying geology, vegetation types, climate and rainfall, and how these dictate bird distributions within the area.

Pocket Guide: Wild Flowers of South Africa covers some 260 flowers representing all of the region’s major vegetation types:

- Accounts are conveniently organised by flower colour.

- Key ID features are supplied for each flower, as well as interesting facts.

- A photograph and distribution map accompany each species.

- Includes common and conspicuous plants as well as some alien species that are naturalized in the region.

This book showcases some of the region’s diverse, strikingly beautiful floral splendours.

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.

Orchids of South Africa is the first field guide to local orchids to be published in over 30 years, and presents the more than 450 orchid species found in the region, including Lesotho and Swaziland.

A comprehensive roundup of orchids in their natural habitat, the book features:

- multiple photos for each species

- distribution maps

- flowering time-bars

- succinct text, enabling sure identification of these fascinating plants.

An illustrated introduction discusses orchid structure, ecology and conservation status.

Informative, colourful and easy-to-use, Orchids of South Africa is the authoritative update enthusiasts have been waiting for.

Chameleons are fascinating creatures: they almost always evoke in people a strong response, be it delight, wonder or fear.

Chameleons of Southern Africa explores this interesting group of lizards and discusses their strange and unusual, sometimes unnerving, characteristics. It presents an overview of all types of chameleons (of which there are up to 160 species in total, worldwide), their history, geographic distribution (restricted mainly to Madagascar and Africa), reproduction, behaviour and their relationships to each other.

It also contains a clear identification guide to all southern African species - some 25 have been identified to date - together with distribution maps and colourful photographs of their many features and guises. For interested students, gardeners, naturalists and even just the curious, Chameleons of Southern Africa is an essential guide to these intriguing lizards.

This comprehensively updated and expanded edition of the region’s best-selling field guide to trees offers much, much more than the highly successful first edition. Fully updated text (including additional species entries) and distribution maps, numerous new photographs and a new 87-page section of full-tree photographs makes this well-loved guide even more indispensable in the field.

Southern Africa has a rich variety of tree species, with an estimated 2 100 indigenous species and more than 100 naturalised aliens. Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa describes and illustrates more than 1 000 of these, focusing on trees that are the most common and most likely to be encountered. Species are logically arranged in 43 groups based on easy-to-observe leaf and stem features, and each account is illustrated by full-colour photographs of the plant’s diagnostic parts. The text also touches on the practical uses of the plants.

The Reef Guide documents some 800 reef fishes and invertebrates found along the east and south coasts of southern Africa.

Following on the success of Dennis King’s earlier two titles, this impressive new guide features 578 species of fish and includes sections on anemones, starfish, snails, crabs and shrimps.

Full-colour photographs and descriptive text for each species, along with useful and interesting information, make for easy identification. While focusing on southern Africa, the book is also applicable to the entire east coast of Africa, as well as the islands of the western Indian Ocean – Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, the Comoros and the Maldives.

Indispensable for divers, snorkelers and rock-pool enthusiasts, as well as fishermen and marine aquarists.

Frogs & Frogging in South Africa offers amateur froggers an accessible and practical introduction to frog identification.

This edition of the highly popular guide has been expertly revised and fully updated to reflect the latest advances in taxonomy and nomenclature.

It offers: all of the species in Africa south of latitude 22 °S; a section on frog biology and behaviour; how to photograph frogs and record their calls; how to attract frogs to your garden, and ideas for projects such as building a pond; the range of frog species to be found in different environmental niches; maps and colourful photographs with the updated accounts; a new key to the identification of tadpole genera; a CD with all 115 frog calls, which offer one of the best ways to find.

Here s a superb collection of in-your-face images of Africa s magnificent Big Five lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant.

Award-winning wildlife photographer Gerald Hinde has long been enthralled by these magnificent animals and has spent countless hours in the field, experiencing them in all their different moods and behaviors.

Big Five of Africa beautifully reproduces some of the more remarkable moments he has captured on film during his visits to the wildlife sanctuaries of southern and East Africa. Brief but informative text introduces each animal in turn, providing interesting insights into the nature of these formidable, yet compelling, creatures

Sasol First Field Guide to Wildlife of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the richly diverse wild life of the region - the more commonly seen spiders, scorpions, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. With the help of full-colour photographs and distribution maps, and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common animal species found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique feeding and breeding habits.

This edition of Newman's birds of Southern Africa at once updates a classic and pays tribute to one of the region's birding authors, the late Kenneth Newman.

With the support of Faansie Peacock, the author's daughter, Vanessa Newman, has thoroughly revised, updated and expanded this new edition to reflect the latest research, both in terms of text and illustrations. Covering all the birds recorded from the Antarctic to the Zambezi River, its range includes the birds from the southern seas as well as those of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique.

The format of Newman's birds has been preserved and subtly modernized. Colour coding of major bird groups and the characteristically bold cross-referencing between text and images have been retained. As always, large, accurate paintings of each species reflect the bird as it is seen in the field, and are now labeled with diagnostic features, in line with top guides round the world.

A revised introductory section takes readers step-by-step through how to use this latest edition of Newman's Birds of Southern Africa in the field.

Sasol Eerste Veldgids tot Roofvoëls van Suider-Afrika bied ’n fassinerende blik op die voellewe van die streek. Met behulp van volkleur-foto’s en -verspreidingskaarte, asook maklik leesbare teks, sal die beginner en ontluikende natuurliefhebber die meer algemene roofvoels in Suider- Afrika kan identifiseer, kan vasstel waar hulle leef, en meer te wete kom oor hul unieke vreet- en broeigewoontes.

Easy-to-use and compact, this is the perfect pocket ID guide to mammals of the region. It covers some 120 mammals, from the smallest (bats, sengis and shrews) to the largest (lion, rhinoceros and elephant), as well as marine species, such as seals, dolphins and whales. Clear, full-color photographs and distribution maps.

A must-have for tourists and nature-lovers alike.This authoritative guide offers concise information, clear images of each animal, distribution maps and illustrations of tracks and droppings. This colorfully illustrated guide offers concise information on key ID pointers, similar species, habitat, behavior, diet, reproduction, longevity, calls, occurrence and measurements. Clear images of each animal, distribution maps, silhouettes indicating size relative to humans and illustrations of tracks and droppings offerconcise yet detailed information enabling quick and easy mammal ID.

Animals are often heard before they are spotted, and this book serves as an excellent guide to help identify 76 creatures (mammals, birds, amphibians and insects), based primarily on their calls.

For each of the species listed, there is a full-colour photograph, distribution map and brief facts about its life history and behaviour.

Key features:

- An accompanying CD with 76 common animal calls

- Photographs and distribution maps for each species

- Interesting facts, including habitat, diet and time of calls

An invaluable resource for nature lovers of all ages, this CD and book will provide a new way of recognising the varied sounds of Africa's wild areas.

Southern Africa is without equal in terms of geology, a treasure trove of valuable minerals with a geological history dating back some 3 600 million years. In addition, the evolution of plants and animals, especially mammals and dinosaurs, is well preserved in the region, which also has among the best records of the origin of modern man.

The story of earth and life provides an insight into this remarkable history – how southern Africa's mineral deposits were formed, how its life evolved and how its landscape was shaped. Along the way readers will be enthralled by accounts of the Big Bang that marked the beginning of time and matter, by drifting and colliding continents, folding and fracturing rocks, meteors colliding with the Earth, volcanic eruptions, and the start of life. Other topics include why South Africa is so rich in minerals, how glacial deposits came to be found in the Karoo, why dinosaurs became extinct, how mammals developed from reptiles, and how closely humans are related to the apes.

The answers to many such questions can be found in this title. Anyone interested in the landscape and ecosystems in which we live will be intrigued by this title.

Sasol Eerste Veldgids tot die Paddas van Suider-Afrika is ’n interessante gids tot die paddas van die streek. Volkleurfoto’s, verspreidingskaarte en verstaanbare teks sal nuwelinge en aspirantnatuurkenners help om die algemeenste paddaspesies in Suider-Afrika uit te ken, te ontdek waar hulle voorkom en te leer van hul unieke gedrag en buitengewone eienskappe.

This guide to the mammals of Botswana offers a detailed roundup of more than 80 animals – with maps, travel information and a photographic field guide in a single, handy volume. It covers the six major mammal groups: non-ruminants, ruminants, carnivores, non-carnivorous small mammals, rodents and shrews, and bats – in colour-coded sections for quick reference, and with animal names in seven languages.

An initial section examines mammal anatomy, physiology and behaviour, supported by photographs and illustrations and containing fascinating information on skull muscles, dentition, locomotion, senses, reproduction, digestion and thermoregulation.

The field guide section treats one animal per page, with interesting text about their habits, behaviour, communication, social structures, etc, supported by photographs, distribution maps, and images of skulls, horns, tracks and droppings to ensure quick and easy ID. Pictorial keys at the start of each mammal group help readers navigate within the section.

Packed with interesting facts, photographs and maps, this is an essential guide to Botswana's rich mammal legacy.

Fully revised and updated, Filmer’s spiders: an identification guide to Southern Africa features all 63 families of spider that occur in this region. A fresh layout, full-colour photographs throughout – many of them new – and diagrams of diagnostic features make this a quick and easy guide for use in the field. The spiders are grouped into web-living, ground-living and plant-Iiving species to aid identification.

Each family is described in terms of the spiders' lifestyle, habitat, size, behaviour and poison potential, and the best collecting methods are given in each case. For those species whose poison is potentially harmful to man, the effects and recommended treatment of bites are discussed.

This handy format book will appeal to anybody wishing to gain insight into the daily lives of spiders.

Common Wild Flowers of Table Mountain has proved tovbe a valuable guide for flower-lovers, hikers and mountainvclimbers who wish to know more about the flowers theyvencounter on their outings. Now expanded to take in the expansive Silvermine reserve, and generally updated for the entire area, this new edition will appeal to an even wider market.

It offers:

- Flowers grouped according to colour to enable quick ID

- Some 260 flowers that can be seen along the way

- Clear photographs and concise, informative text for each species.

- A variety of walking routes that crisscross the mountain and reserve, plotted on accompanying route maps

For anyone with an interest in identifying the flowers of the mountain and reserve, this will be an indispensable guide.

The book presents 50 of the most recognizable and geologically interesting sites around South Africa, including some of palaeontological or historical renown and some of mining interest. The diverse selection includes sites such as Chapman’s Peak, Howick Falls, Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens, Mapungubwe, Tswaing Meteorite Crater and the Fraserburg Fossil Surface.

Each site is unpacked to reveal:

- key features

- geological heritage

- landscape and rock formations

- topics of local or historical interest

- things to see and do at the site and in the surrounding area.

Maps and GPS pointers make the sites easy to find, and some of the more complicated features are explained by means of simplified diagrams.

Nearly 1,000 colour images illustrate South Africa’s remarkable geology and bring the topic vividly to life, making the book suitable for armchair travel too.

First published in 1986, Smithers' mammals is an authoritative and popular guide to the mammals of Southern Africa. This revised and updated edition incorporates the latest information brought to light by molecular genetics, while remaining accessible to the layperson and handy in the field. Each entry includes an in-depth species description; notes on habitat, behaviour, diet and conservation status; accurate illustrations and spoor drawings; and a distribution map.

The title also details the whales, dolphins and seals seen along our coast.

This highly regarded field guide will appeal to general readers and wildlife enthusiasts, as well as to specialists in the field of mammals.