Madagascar Wildlife
Madagascar Wildlife

Author: Nick Garbutt and Daniel Austin

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2023-08-15

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 180469097X

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This new, fifth edition of Bradt’s Madagascar Wildlife, first published over 25 years ago, celebrates the unique fauna of this remarkable Indian Ocean island. Written by naturalist tour-leaders and Madagascar experts, and aimed at visitors and natural-history enthusiasts alike, this guide has been thoroughly updated to reflect both the latest discoveries – on an island where new species for science are continuously discovered – and the latest developments at the country’s top wildlife-tourism locations. Wildlife is the key draw for English-speaking visitors to Madagascar. Enjoying nature couldn’t be more different to continental Africa. Rather than going out on safari to see the Big Five from the safety of a jeep, in Madagascar you approach wildlife on rainforest strolls, without fear of encountering dangerous snakes or angry elephants. From its endearing lemurs and comical chameleons to the endemic birds and bizarre insects, this is the only guide to showcase the whole range of Madagascar’s captivating wildlife. It features lively descriptions of animals and their behaviour – perfect for the interested layman – complemented by 280 sumptuous colour photographs. A 'Habitats and Hotspots' chapter details the island’s various ecosystems and presents concise information on where best to see fascinating species, helping readers choose which parks and reserves to visit – from Masoala and Ranomafana to Ifaty and Berenty. An incredible 90% of Madagascar’s plants and animals are unique to the world’s oldest island. Accordingly, this guide also tells the story of how Madagascar came to be so different from the rest of the world, and why evolution took a different tangent to create such an extraordinary and unparalleled array of creatures. Read about Madagascar’s remarkable chameleon diversity: half the world’s species occur here, including the smallest and largest. And prepare to be astonished by an orchid with a ridiculously long nectary tube that prompted Charles Darwin to correctly predict that there would be a moth that had evolved an equally absurd 30-cm-long tongue to reach it. As a practical guide to help you plan your dream wildlife trip to this special destination, Bradt’s Madagascar Wildlife is readable, user-friendly and inspiring; as a souvenir, it’s unbeatable.

Madagascar Wildlife
Madagascar Wildlife

Author: Nick Garbutt

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2023-08-15

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 180469228X

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"This new, fifth edition of Bradt's Madagascar Wildlife, first published over 25 years ago, celebrates the unique fauna of this remarkable Indian Ocean island. Written by naturalist tour leaders and Madagascar experts, and aimed at visitors and natural-history enthusiasts alike, this guide has been thoroughly updated to reflect both the latest discoveries - on an island where new species for science are continuously discovered - and the latest developments at the country's top wildlife-tourism locations. Wildlife is the key draw for English-speaking visitors to Madagascar. Enjoying nature couldn't be more different to continental Africa. Rather than going out on safari to see the Big Five from the safety of a jeep, in Madagascar you approach wildlife on rainforest strolls, without fear of encountering dangerous snakes or angry elephants. From its endearing lemurs and comical chameleons to the endemic birds and bizarre insects, this is the only guide to showcase the whole range of Madagascar's captivating wildlife. It features lively descriptions of animals and their behaviour - perfect for the interested layman - complemented by 280 sumptuous colour photographs. A 'Habitats and Hotspots' chapter details the island's various ecosystems and presents concise information on where best to see fascinating species, helping readers choose which parks and reserves to visit - from Masoala and Ranomafana to Ifaty and Berenty. An incredible 90% of Madagascar's plants and animals are unique to the world's oldest island. Accordingly, this guide also tells the story of how Madagascar came to be so different from the rest of the world, and why evolution took a different tangent to create such an extraordinary and unparalleled array of creatures. Read about Madagascar's remarkable chameleon diversity: half the world's species occur here, including the smallest and largest. And prepare to be astonished by an orchid with a ridiculously long nectary tube that prompted Charles Darwin to correctly predict that there would be a moth that had evolved an equally absurd 30cm-long tongue to reach it. As a practical guide to help you plan your dream wildlife trip to this special destination, Bradt's Madagascar Wildlife is readable, user-friendly and inspiring; as a souvenir, it's unbeatable."

Butterfly Biology Systems
Butterfly Biology Systems

Author: Roger L.H. Dennis

Publisher: CABI

Published: 2020-10-07

Total Pages: 540

ISBN-13: 1789243572

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In Butterfly Biology Systems Roger Dennis explores key topics and contentious issues in butterfly biology, specifically those in life history and behaviour. Uniquely, using a systems approach, the book focuses on the degree of integration and feedback between components and elements affecting each issue, as well as the links between different issues. The book comprises four sections. The first two sections introduce the reader to principles and approaches for investigating complex relationships, and provide a platform of knowledge on butterfly biology. The final two sections deal in turn with life history and behaviour, covering key issues affecting different stages of development from eggs to adults.

Fossil Arachnids
Fossil Arachnids

Author: Jason A. Dunlop

Publisher: Siri Scientific Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0956779549

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Fossil arachnids date back more than 400 million years to the Silurian period, making them one of the first animal groups to appear in terrestrial ecosystems. This book provides information on what the arachnids are and their relationships to one another.

Fossil Insects
Fossil Insects

Author: David Penney

Publisher: Siri Scientific Press

Published: 2014-07-31

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 095745306X

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Palaeoentomology represents the interface between two huge scientific disciplines: palaeontology – the study of fossils, and entomology – the study of insects. However, fossils rarely feature extensively in books on insects, and likewise, insects rarely feature in books about fossils. Similarly, college or university palaeontology courses rarely have an entomological component and entomology courses do not usually consider the fossil record of insects in any detail. This is not due to a lack of insect fossils. The fossil record of insects is incredibly diverse in terms of taxonomic scope, age range (Devonian to Recent), mode of preservation (amber and rock) and geographical distribution (fossil insects have been recorded from all continents, including Antarctica). In this book the authors aim to help bridge the palaeontology–entomology gap by providing a broadly accessible introduction to some of the best preserved fossil insects from a wide range of deposits from around the globe, many of which are beautifully illustrated by colour photographs. Also covered are insect behaviour and ecology in the fossil record, sub-fossil insects, trace fossils and insect species longevity. Just as insects are useful as ecological indicators today, the same can be expected to be true of the past. Such applications of the insect fossil record are briefly discussed. It is hoped that this book will encourage a few future researchers to enter the fascinating realm of palaeoentomology and to this end there is a section on how to become a palaeoentomologist. However, it is aimed at a much broader audience – those with an interest in fossils and/or insects in general, who will no doubt marvel at the diversity and excellent preservation of the fossils illustrated.

Fossil Spiders
Fossil Spiders

Author: David Penney

Publisher: Siri Scientific Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 0955863651

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Compared to insects, fossil spiders have received only scant attention in the literature. Previously, the only works available were numerous scientific papers, many published in foreign languages. Most of these are basic descriptive taxonomic works, with very few considering broader biological concepts. Despite a significant increase in the discovery and description of fossil spiders within the last quarter Century this void remained unfilled. Thus, this short monograph aims to achieve several objectives. Firstly, to provide general and up to date background information on the overall importance and diversity of fossils spiders, including an indication of those groups for which the taxonomy is spurious and in need of reassessment. Secondly, to discuss the techniques available for working with fossil spiders and some of the problems encountered by palaeoarachnologists, including bias and limitations of the spider fossil record. Thirdly, the overall evolutionary history of spiders is summarized in the form of an evolutionary tree, which is subsequently used to address key issues of broad interest, such as origins, diversifications and extinctions, including the effects of mass extinctions and predator-prey co-radiations. Finally, the contribution that fossil data can make to understanding the past and present biogeography of the order is considered. This book should be of interest to both amateur and professional arachnologists and palaeontologists and will also serve as a general palaeontological reference work for neonologists studying extant spiders.

World Butterflies
World Butterflies

Author: Bernard D'Abrera

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9780947352462

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This book is a handy guide to the identification of the True Butterflies (Papilionoidea) of the world at least to genus level. It is a condensed version of the Concise Atlas of Butterflies of the World (published in 2001). All known butterfly families are represented. An introductory section contains information about the biology of the butterfly, life history, migration, distribution, insect diseases, classification, aberrations and more. The main part of the book consists of 144 plates with more than 6400 accurate colour illustrations at approximately 60% of natural size. At least one species for most of the known genera is shown. The most up-to date taxonomy was used in the brief, authoritative text that accompanies each plate, showing the number of known species in the genus and the distributions of the species. The book is arranged according to 5 faunal regions, and follows as closely as possible the taxonomic sequences within those faunal regions.