RSPB Spotlight Snakes
RSPB Spotlight Snakes

Author: Jules Howard

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2020-05-28

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 147297168X

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RSPB Spotlight: Snakes is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos, and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist. Snakes are superbly secretive reptiles, celebrated by many for their highly tuned senses and their complex and mysterious seasonal behaviours. Though some people may be fearful of them, these important reptiles play a crucial role in many habitats. And an encounter with any one of our native snake species is an experience worth cherishing. In Spotlight Snakes, Jules Howard takes readers on a journey through the ecology and lifestyle of Britain's three native snake species: the Barred Grass Snake, the Smooth Snake and our only venomous snake species, the Adder. As well as uncovering their unique hunting styles and courtship rituals, he delves into the myths and legends at the heart of humankind's widespread and sometimes troublesome fascination with these animals. He also charts the conservation challenges our native snakes face in the modern age and explores the solutions conservationists are employing to help these extraordinary predators remain a vital part of British ecosystems for generations to come. The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviour of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour photographs and informative expert text.

RSPB Spotlight Snakes
RSPB Spotlight Snakes

Author: Jules Howard

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2020-05-28

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1472971671

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Snakes are superbly secretive reptiles, celebrated by many for their highly tuned senses and their complex and mysterious seasonal behaviours. Though some people may be fearful of them, these important reptiles play a crucial role in many habitats. And an encounter with any one of our native snake species is an experience worth cherishing. In Spotlight Snakes, Jules Howard takes readers on a journey through the ecology and lifestyle of Britain's three native snake species: the Barred Grass Snake, the Smooth Snake and our only venomous snake species, the Adder. As well as uncovering their unique hunting styles and courtship rituals, he delves into the myths and legends at the heart of humankind's widespread and sometimes troublesome fascination with these animals. He also charts the conservation challenges our native snakes face in the modern age and explores the solutions conservationists are employing to help these extraordinary predators remain a vital part of British ecosystems for generations to come. The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviour of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour photographs and informative expert text.

RSPB Spotlight: Eagles
RSPB Spotlight: Eagles

Author: Mike Unwin

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-07-28

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 1472943716

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The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviours of our favourite animals with eye-catching, colour photography and informative expert text. Eagles are among the most impressive hunters of the animal world. Their predatory prowess and flying skills have imbued them with a romance and mystique that runs deep in our culture and has elevated them to emblems of freedom and power across the globe. At the same time, however, people have long seen eagles as competitors. Reviled by farmers and gamekeepers as snatchers of livestock, many species have been driven into decline by persecution and disturbance. Two species of eagle occur in Britain - among 60 worldwide - and are the focus of this book. The regal Golden Eagle is the definitive 'true' eagle and occurs in wilderness areas across the northern hemisphere; the even larger White-tailed Eagle, reintroduced to the UK after historic extinction, belongs to the separate 'sea eagles' genus. These two spectacular birds are both very rare – confined largely to the remote Scottish Highlands – and a sighting of either is one of the UK's most exciting and sought-after wildlife experiences. This highly readable study looks separately at both UK eagles, exploring how each is adapted as an apex predator in its own environment, and explores the relationship between the two. Separate chapters cover all aspects of the birds' biology and lifestyle, from defending their vast territories to raising their young. Fascinating secrets are revealed, including the brutal truth behind 'Cain and Abel' syndrome. The book also takes a look at other eagles around the world, placing the two UK species within this broader context. Finally, it examines the complex relationship that humans have enjoyed with eagles since time immemorial, spanning both culture and conservation, and offers expert tips on where and how you can watch these magnificent birds for yourself.

The Dangerous Snakes of Africa
The Dangerous Snakes of Africa

Author: Steve Spawls

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2020-04-16

Total Pages: 602

ISBN-13: 1472960270

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The definitive reference guide to all of Africa's venomous snakes, written by two internationally acclaimed herpetologists. Africa is a true hotspot for snake diversity, with several hundred species. Unfortunately, a scared snake or one that is trodden on may bite, and some species have venom that can prove fatal. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa is an indispensable guide to these reptiles. It covers all 137 dangerous snake species in Africa, along with another 70 species that are easily confused with them. All are described, with each account looking in detail at their identification, habitat and distribution, behaviour and venom, as well as how to treat bites and a selection of photographs, accompanied by an accurate range map. Introductory sections cover the major snake groups, their venom characteristics, how to avoid snake bites and first-aid advice. This comprehensive book is an essential tool for all naturalists, conservationists, educators, field workers and medical personnel throughout Africa.

Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-East Asia
Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-East Asia

Author: Indraneil Das

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2015-06-18

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 1472920589

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South-East Asia is home to one of the most diverse reptile faunas on Earth. A Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-East Asia is the first comprehensive guide to the snakes, lizards, crocodiles, tortoises and turtles of the region. Covering more than 1000 species and subspecies in thorough detail, this field guide provides authoritative, up-to-date information on identification, habitat, behaviour, subspecies, distribution and status. The informative text explains the behaviour and morphology of reptiles, as well as how to measure and identify species according to scale counts and other anatomical features. South-East Asia is one of the most important ecotourism destinations in the world, with an expanding local market as wildlife conservation assumes greater prominence locally. This guide is essential reading for anyone interested in the wildlife of the region - wildlife enthusiasts, students, conservation planners and specialists alike.

The Book of Frogs
The Book of Frogs

Author: Tim Halliday

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2016-01-29

Total Pages: 657

ISBN-13: 022618479X

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“A huge, beautiful compendium of 600 frogs from around the world, from the famed poison-arrow variety on up to the intriguingly named plaintive rain frog.” —Wired With over 7,000 known species, frogs display a stunning array of forms and behaviors. A single gram of the toxin produced by the skin of the Golden Poison Frog can kill 100,000 people. Male Darwin’s Frogs carry their tadpoles in their vocal sacs for sixty days before coughing them out into the world. The Wood Frogs of North America freeze every winter, reanimating in the spring from the glucose and urea that prevent cell collapse. The Book of Frogs commemorates the diversity and magnificence of all of these creatures, and many more. Six hundred of nature’s most fascinating frog species are displayed, with each entry including a distribution map, sketches of the frogs, species identification, natural history, and conservation status. Life-size color photos show the frogs at their actual size—including the colossal seven-pound Goliath Frog. Accessibly written by expert Tim Halliday and containing the most up-to-date information, The Book of Frogs will captivate both veteran researchers and amateur herpetologists. As frogs increasingly make headlines for their troubling worldwide decline, the importance of these fascinating creatures to their ecosystems remains underappreciated. The Book of Frogs brings readers face to face with six hundred astonishingly unique and irreplaceable species that display a diverse array of adaptations to habitats that are under threat of destruction throughout the world. “If you are a serious (and I mean serious) fan of the frog, you are in for a real treat.” —Boing Boing

Wild Dog Dreaming
Wild Dog Dreaming

Author: Deborah Bird Rose

Publisher: University of Virginia Press

Published: 2011-03-04

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 081393091X

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We are living in the midst of the Earth's sixth great extinction event, the first one caused by a single species: our own. In Wild Dog Dreaming, Deborah Bird Rose explores what constitutes an ethical relationship with nonhuman others in this era of loss. She asks, Who are we, as a species? How do we fit into the Earth's systems? Amidst so much change, how do we find our way into new stories to guide us? Rose explores these questions in the form of a dialogue between science and the humanities. Drawing on her conversations with Aboriginal people, for whom questions of extinction are up-close and very personal, Rose develops a mode of exposition that is dialogical, philosophical, and open-ended. An inspiration for Rose--and a touchstone throughout her book--is the endangered dingo of Australia. The dingo is not the first animal to face extinction, but its story is particularly disturbing because the threat to its future is being actively engineered by humans. The brazenness with which the dingo is being wiped out sheds valuable, and chilling, light on the likely fate of countless other animal and plant species. "People save what they love," observed Michael Soul , the great conservation biologist. We must ask whether we, as humans, are capable of loving--and therefore capable of caring for--the animals and plants that are disappearing in a cascade of extinctions. Wild Dog Dreaming engages this question, and the result is a bold account of the entangled ethics of love, contingency, and desire.

Reptiles of Victoria
Reptiles of Victoria

Author: Peter Robertson

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2014-03-01

Total Pages: 442

ISBN-13: 1486310001

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Victoria's reptiles are not often encountered by urban dwellers, with many species now threatened. You may have glimpsed a skink darting into the undergrowth, a snake slithering along a walking path or a blue-tongued lizard sunning itself near your garden shed. Yet the turtles, skinks, geckos, goannas, snakes and other reptiles that call Victoria home are fascinating and important members of urban and rural ecosystems. Reptiles of Victoria is the first regional guide to all reptiles known to occur in Victoria. It contains keys and illustrated descriptions to allow identification of the 123 native, introduced and vagrant reptile species and describes their biology, ecology, distributions and the habitats in which they live. It also indicates the level of risk that the venomous snakes pose to humans and includes a brief section on first aid for snake bites. Natural history enthusiasts and professional and amateur herpetologists will find this an essential guide.

RSPB Spotlight Ducks and Geese
RSPB Spotlight Ducks and Geese

Author: Marianne Taylor

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2020-05-28

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1472971663

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RSPB Spotlight: Ducks and Geese is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist. This will be a detailed 'biography' of ducks and geese that breed in or regularly visit the UK – covering 30 species in all. It will include chapters on the evolution of ducks and geese, their place in the natural world, their anatomy and physiology, various feeding methods, spectacular courtship displays and diverse breeding behaviour. Marianne Taylor will reveal their often epic migrations and examine their social interactions with their own and other species, including their unusual readiness to hybridise. She will also detail their relationships with humankind over the centuries, including their presence in folklore and literature and their role in our lives as both prey and pets. She will also explore their presence as feral and sometimes invasive species outside their natural ranges, and their current status within their native wild ranges as the group includes several species recently recognised as being of global conservation concern.