One morning in 2009, Maen, a guide at Komodo National Park in Indonesia, sat at his office desk. Suddenly, he saw something move. When he looked down, he couldn’t believe his eyes. “I saw the Komodo dragon under this table,” Maen said. He slowly drew back his legs from the venomous creature. In an instant, the animal lunged. Would Maen escape with his life? Learn all about venomous lizards in this engrossing new narrative nonfiction book for young readers. It’s packed with exciting wildlife encounters, cutting-edge science, and loads of info about venom and its deadly effects.
"This is the first comprehensive treatment of the biology of the Monstersauria in nearly 50 years, during which time our knowledge has increased dramatically. It gives the reader an unprecedented opportunity to understand the evolution, ecology, and behavior of gila monsters and beaded lizards, as well as insights into folklore, venom, and threats to the existence of these fabled animals."--William Cooper, Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne "Beck is the foremost authority on these animals and has published extensively on them. He provides a highly readable and fascinating summary of their biology."--Jonathan Campbell, author of Venomous Reptiles of Latin America
A tongue that can smell prey and sharp fangs that deliver deadly venom--some snakes are built to survive! Young readers will be fascinated to read about these deadly predators. Close-up photos and simple text make this book a great high-interest read and a useful resource for report writing.
Discover the amazing world of our cold-blooded friends in this book all about frogs and amphibians for kids. Embark on a fun, fact-filled dive into the world of frogs and amphibians with Everything You Need to Know About Frogs. Children will love to learn all the basics of reptile and amphibian anatomy in this beautiful and informative book on frogs. Packed with vibrant pictures and lots of fascinating facts, kids can enjoy learning all about a frog’s habitat and behavior. Discover how these amphibians survive in lakes and rivers, forests and deserts, and how these clever creatures have adapted to live in seemingly inhospitable habitats. Alongside, in between, and on top of all that, this riveting frog book also provides ideas for things to make, games to play, quizzes, and amazing facts to share with friends! Inside the pages of this frog book for children, you’ll find: A whole host of amphibians and reptiles including toads, snakes, lizards, salamanders, turtles, newts, tortoises and crocodiles. Close-ups, quizzes, and games with an exciting take on the amazing world of our cold-blooded friends. A look at these creatures from all angles – information on habitat and breeding habits, as well as oddities such as how to survive a crocodile’s attack, how a frog’s legs influenced Frankenstein, or how to play snakes and ladders. Children aged 7+ can learn all about frogs and amphibians from the very first page of this book, which combines little-known information with engaging text and an exciting design. Each page contains everything kids need to know, and everything they WANT to find out about frogs!. Complete the series This delightful frog book is part of the Everything You Need to Know series of educational books for children and also includes Everything You Need to Know About Snakes and Everything You Need to Know About Dinosaurs!
Animal Planet star and Emmy Award-winning host of YouTube's Brave Wilderness Coyote Peterson is back, and this time he's being BITTEN by some of Earth's wildest beasts in this full-color adventure, perfect for fans of The King of Sting and all animal enthusiasts. In The Beast of Bites, Coyote chronicles his most memorable--and painful--bites from his wildest animal encounters seen on the Brave Wilderness YouTube channel. Coyote faces everything from snapping turtle chomps to the horrific, venomous grasp of a giant desert centipede. Featuring photographic stills from episodes, original full-color illustrations, and packed with facts about nature's most misunderstood creatures, this is a dream book for any kid that loves animals, the great outdoors, and daringly dangerous adventures!
A thrilling tale of encounters with nature’s masters of biochemistry From the coasts of Indonesia to the rainforests of Peru, venomous animals are everywhere—and often lurking out of sight. Humans have feared them for centuries, long considering them the assassins and pariahs of the natural world. Now, in Venomous, the biologist Christie Wilcox investigates and illuminates the animals of our nightmares, arguing that they hold the keys to a deeper understanding of evolution, adaptation, and immunity. She reveals just how venoms function and what they do to the human body. With Wilcox as our guide, we encounter a jellyfish with tentacles covered in stinging cells that can kill humans in minutes; a two-inch caterpillar with toxic bristles that trigger hemorrhaging; and a stunning blue-ringed octopus capable of inducing total paralysis. How do these animals go about their deadly work? How did they develop such intricate, potent toxins? Wilcox takes us around the world and down to the cellular level to find out. Throughout her journey, Wilcox meets the intrepid scientists who risk their lives studying these lethal beasts, as well as “self-immunizers” who deliberately expose themselves to snakebites. Along the way, she puts her own life on the line, narrowly avoiding being envenomated herself. Drawing on her own research, Wilcox explains how venom scientists are untangling the mechanisms of some of our most devastating diseases, and reports on pharmacologists who are already exploiting venoms to produce lifesaving drugs. We discover that venomous creatures are in fact keystone species that play crucial roles in their ecosystems and ours—and for this alone, they ought to be protected and appreciated. Thrilling and surprising at every turn, Venomous will change everything you thought you knew about the planet’s most dangerous animals.
Reptiles of Costa Rica, the long-awaited companion to Amphibians of Costa Rica, is the first ever comprehensive field guide to the crocodilians, turtles, lizards, and snakes of Costa Rica. A popular destination for tourists and biologists because of its biodiversity, the country is particularly rich in reptile fauna, boasting 245 species. The sheer diversity in shapes, sizes, colors, and natural history traits of these animals is beautifully displayed in this book. Lizards range from minuscule dwarf geckos to dinosaur-like iguanids, and everything in between, while the country's snakes include tiny eyeless wormsnakes, massive boas, as well as twenty-three dangerously venomous species, which include the largest vipers in the world. Author, photographer, and conservation biologist Twan Leenders has been researching and documenting the herpetofauna of Costa Rica for nearly twenty-five years. His explorations have taken him to remote parts of Costa Rica that few people ever visit, journeys that usually find him hauling an array of photographic equipment to document his finds. In addition to including more than 1,000 photographs, detailed black and white scientific illustrations, and range maps, this book also features paintings of anole dewlaps, a key identification feature for that very complex group of lizards. This new field guide will enable the reader to identify all species, while also providing a wealth of information about natural history, predation, breeding strategies, habitat preferences, and conservation of Costa Rica's reptile fauna.
Fiona Donagh was asleep in her bed in New South Wales, Australia, when she felt something crawling up her body. She shook her leg, which turned out to be a big mistake. A frightened Australian funnel web spider plunged its fangs into her body, injecting her with toxic venom. Fiona developed a bright red rash and soon felt very ill. Would she get help in time? Learn all about venomous spiders in this engrossing new narrative nonfiction book for young readers. It’s packed with exciting wildlife encounters, cutting-edge science, and loads of info about venom and its deadly effects.
