Snails are definitely peculiar animals. They travel around on one foot with a spiral shell to protect them and leave a trail of slime as they go. Ew! Readers will find out why snails have this important adaptation, one that even helps them hang upside down. Vivid photographs of snails in action in the wild will help readers understand why some things we think are gross about animals are actually integral to their survival.
Tells of one woman's foray into home farming using the space available in her yard, in an attempt to produce seventy-five percent of all of the food that her family consumed in a year.
Following the trails of Hawai‘i’s snails to explore the simultaneously biological and cultural significance of extinction. In this time of extinctions, the humble snail rarely gets a mention. And yet snails are disappearing faster than any other species. In A World in a Shell, Thom van Dooren offers a collection of snail stories from Hawai‘i—once home to more than 750 species of land snails, almost two-thirds of which are now gone. Following snail trails through forests, laboratories, museums, and even a military training facility, and meeting with scientists and Native Hawaiians, van Dooren explores ongoing processes of ecological and cultural loss as they are woven through with possibilities for hope, care, mourning, and resilience. Van Dooren recounts the fascinating history of snail decline in the Hawaiian Islands: from deforestation for agriculture, timber, and more, through the nineteenth century shell collecting mania of missionary settlers, and on to the contemporary impacts of introduced predators. Along the way he asks how both snail loss and conservation efforts have been tangled up with larger processes of colonization, militarization, and globalization. These snail stories provide a potent window into ongoing global process of environmental and cultural change, including the largely unnoticed disappearance of countless snails, insects, and other less charismatic species. Ultimately, van Dooren seeks to cultivate a sense of wonder and appreciation for our damaged planet, revealing the world of possibilities and relationships that lies coiled within a snail’s shell.
Birds do it, and bees do it, so do all animals, some of them in weird and wonderful ways. Quirks & Quarks' latest book explores the more bizarre behaviours of more than 100 creatures, from barnacles to Panda bears. The tiny spider that has to tear off one of its two huge sex organs just to be able to get around; the sea slug that produces a powerful love drug and mates with both males and females; the bedbug that stabs its penis into the female's abdomen — the range of animal sexual practices is mind-boggling. And it's not only reproduction that has them doing very strange things. There's a beetle that shoots a stream of boiling hot, toxic liquid when it's threatened; a lizard that can run on water; a shrimp that explodes its prey. Quirks & Quarks' latest guide is much more than a catalogue of peculiar practices, it's an engrossing look at the astonishing behaviours different animals have evolved in order to survive and reproduce. With an introduction by Bob McDonald, host of Quirks & Quarks.
Bedridden and suffering from a neurological disorder, the author recounts the profound effect on her life caused by a gift of a snail in a potted plant and shares the lessons learned from her new companion about her the meaning of her life and the life of the small creature.
Australia's native land snails are an often-overlooked invertebrate group that forms a significant part of terrestrial biodiversity, with an estimated 2500 species present in Australia today. A Guide to Land Snails of Australia is an overview of Australia's native and introduced land snail faunas, offering a greater understanding of their role in the natural environment. The book presents clear diagnostic features of live snails and their shells, and is richly illustrated with a broad range of Australia's native snail, semi-slug and slug species. Comprehensive coverage is also included of the many exotic species introduced to Australia. In a unique bioregional approach, the reader is taken on a trek through some of Australia's spectacular regional landscapes, highlighting their endemic and special snail faunas. This section is supplemented with key localities where species can be found.
Cosmeceuticals and Active Cosmetics discusses the science of nearly two dozen cosmeceuticals used today. This third edition provides ample evidence on specific cosmeceutical substances, their classes of use, skin conditions for which they are used, and points of interest arising from other considerations, such as toxicology and manufacturing. The book discusses both cosmetic and therapeutic uses of cosmeceuticals for various conditions including rosacea, dry skin, alopecia, eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, purpura, and vitiligo. Active ingredients in the following products are discussed: caffeine, curcumin, green tea, Rhodiola rosea, milk thistle, and more. Also covered are topical peptides and proteins, amino acids and derivatives, antioxidants, vitamins E and C, niacinamide, botanical extracts, and biomarine actives. Providing ample scientific references, this book is an excellent guide to understanding the science behind the use of cosmeceuticals to treat a variety of dermatological conditions.
