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The captivating and beautifully illustrated true story of snakes in
America. 125 million years ago on the floodplains of North America,
a burrowing lizard started down the long evolutionary path of
shedding its limbs. The 60-plus species of snakes found in Sean P.
Graham's American Snakes have this ancestral journey to thank for
their ubiquity, diversity, and beauty. Although many people fear
them, snakes are as much a part of America's rich natural heritage
as redwoods, bald eagles, and grizzly bears. Found from the vast
Okefenokee Swamp to high alpine meadows, from hardwood canopies to
the burning bottom of the Grand Canyon, these ultimate vertebrates
are ecologically pivotal predators and quintessential survivors. In
this revelatory and engaging meditation on American snakes, Graham,
a respected herpetologist and gifted writer, * explains the
everyday lives of American snakes, from their daily routines and
seasonal cycles to their love lives, hunting tactics, and defensive
repertoires * debunks harmful myths about snakes and explores their
relationship with humans * highlights the contribution of snakes to
the American wilderness * tells tales of "snake people"-important
snake biologists with inspiring careers Neither a typical field
guide nor an exhaustive reference, American Snakes is instead a
fascinating study of the suborder Serpentes. Brimming with
intriguing and unusual stories-of hognose snakes that roll over and
play dead, blindsnakes with tiny vestigial lungs, rainbow-hued
dipsadines, and wave-surfing sea-snakes-the text is interspersed
with scores of gorgeous full-color images of snakes, from the scary
to the sublime. This proud celebration of a diverse American
wildlife group will make every reader, no matter how skeptical,
into a genuine snake lover.
The first in-depth ecological treatment of one of the most
frequently visited National Battlefield parks in the country
Designated as a National Battlefield in 1917 and as a park in 1935,
the 2,965-acre Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park now
preserves far more than the military history and fallen soldiers it
was originally founded to commemorate. Located approximately 20
miles northwest of downtown Atlanta, Kennesaw Mountain rises 608
feet above the rolling hills and hardwood forests of the Georgia
Piedmont. Kennesaw Mountain's geology and topography create enough
of a distinctive ecosystem to make it a haven for flora and fauna
alike. As the tallest mountain in the metropolitan Atlanta area, it
is also a magnet for human visitors. Featuring 18 miles of
interpretive trails looping around and over the mountain, the park
is a popular destination for history buffs, outdoor recreationists,
and nature enthusiasts alike. Written for a diverse range of
readers and park visitors, Kennesaw: Natural History of a Southern
Mountain provides a comprehensive exploration of the entire park
punctuated with humor, colorful anecdotes, and striking photographs
of the landscape. Sean P. Graham begins with a brief summary of the
park's human history before transitioning to a discussion of the
mountain's natural history, including its unique geology,
vegetation, animals, and plant-animal interactions. Graham also
focuses on Kennesaw Mountain's most important ecological and
conservation attribute-its status as a globally important migratory
bird refuge. An insightful chapter on bird watching and the
region's migrating bird populations includes details on migratory
patterns, birding hot spots, and the mountain's significance as one
of these important areas. An epilogue revisits the battle by
describing how Union veterans pushed for establishment of the park
as a memorial, inadvertently creating a priceless biological
preserve in the process. Kennesaw: Natural History of a Southern
Mountain addresses the complex interactions and behaviors of
numerous species that live or migrate through the park, yet it is
written in a personal, lively, and entertaining style that will
appeal to all readers. In many cases the book synthesizes
information from the scientific literature, making this otherwise
arcane material accessible to the general public and
underscoring-and hopefully increasing public appreciation for-the
high biodiversity of life found in the Southeast.
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Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
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R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
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