Most people think of small insects fluttering harmlessly around lights when they think of moths. However, there are some moths with a sinister secret. They use their barbed tongues to poke animals in the eyes and drink their tears. Different species like different animals’ tears, such as elephants or birds. Readers will discover all sorts of disgusting facts about moths. You will never look at a moth the same way again!
Most people think of small insects fluttering harmlessly around lights when they think of moths. However, there are some moths with a sinister secret. They use their barbed tongues to poke animals in the eyes and drink their tears. Different species like different animals’ tears, such as elephants or birds. Readers will discover all sorts of disgusting facts about moths. You will never look at a moth the same way again!
The first professionally researched miscellany guide to the animal kingdom, packed with fascinating and bizarre facts_ Did you know that the male flour beetle is the only animal which can mate and impregnate a female he has never met?_ That virgin male butterflies make better lovers than more experienced ones?_ Or that rats can learn the difference between Dutch and Japanese?Why Do Moths Drink Elephants' Tears? is an entertaining and addictive collection of eclectic insights and unusual facts, detailing the wondrous diversity of animal life that surrounds us.
A richly illustrated look at the natural history of moths Moths are among the most underappreciated insects on the planet, yet they make up the majority of some 180,000 known species of Lepidoptera. Filled with striking images, The Lives of Moths looks at the remarkable world of these amazing and beautiful creatures. While butterflies may get more press than moths, Andrei Sourakov and Rachel Warren Chadd reveal that the lopsided attention is unjust. Moths evolved long before butterflies, and their importance cannot be overestimated. From the tiniest leaf miners to exotic hawk moths that are two hundred to three hundred times larger, these creatures are often crucial pollinators of flowers, including many that bloom at night or in twilight. The authors show that moths and their larvae are the main food source for thousands of animal species, and interact with other insect, plant, and vertebrate communities in ecosystems around the world, from tropical forests and alpine meadows to deserts and wetlands. The authors also explore such topics as evolution, life cycles, methods of communication, and links to humans. A feast of remarkable facts and details, The Lives of Moths will appeal to insect lovers everywhere.
Leeches are parasites that feed off the blood of many animals, including people. Living in freshwater, salt water, and even on land, these bloodsuckers are always looking for their next meal. Find out about the many kinds of leeches, their anatomy, habitats, and favorite meals. A fact spread highlights some of the more disgusting features of leeches.
Everybody knows that flies are disgusting. They spend their days eating animal waste, also known as poop, as well as garbage and rotting flesh, and spreading diseases as they go. Readers will find out about the many species of flies, their life cycle, habitats, and anatomy, and why they eat disgusting foods such as poop.
A New York Times Notable Book Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award A personal, lyrical narrative about storytelling and empathy, from the author of Orwell's Roses Apricots. Her mother's disintegrating memory. An invitation to Iceland. Illness. These are Rebecca Solnit's raw materials, but The Faraway Nearby goes beyond her own life, as she spirals out into the stories she heard and read—from fairy tales to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein—that helped her navigate her difficult passge. Solnit takes us into the lives of others—an arctic cannibal, the young Che Guevara among the leprosy afflicted, a blues musician, an Icelandic artist and her labyrinth—to understand warmth and coldness, kindness and imagination, decay and transformation, making art and making self. This captivating, exquisitely written exploration of the forces that connect us and the way we tell our stories is a tour de force of association, a marvelous Russian doll of a book that is a fitting companion to Solnit's much-loved A Field Guide to Getting Lost.
Everything you ever wanted to know about bugs Help your child unearth all the best facts about the bug world; they'll discover which insect fires acid from its abdomen, whether all bugs have brains and what makes a flea flee. Through far-out facts and eye-popping pictures they'll discover how insects see, hear, taste, smell and feel their way around. Find out what happens during the extraordinary process called metamorphosis and meet the good, the bad and the ugly of the bug world. From spiders who think they are insects to the stick that's not a stick, introduce your child to the fastest, deadliest, friendliest, weirdest and most amazing insects on Earth.