Animal The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife

Product Description Unrivaled in its breadth and visual impact, this unique guide sets out to illustrate, describe, and explain the incredible range of creatures that make up the animal kingdom. Exceptional Coverage. This authoritative volume starts with a clear introduction to the animal world, examining the reasons for the apparently infinite variety of animal forms and major evolutionary developments. Animal anatomy, life cycles and the principles of classification are also explored. This is followed by a superbly illustrated survey of world habitats, showing how they have adapted to each environment, and the threats that face both wildlife and plants today. The main part of the book, an up-to-date and comprehensive animal catalog, looks in detail at each major group and provides fascinating profiles of over 2,000 individual species. Visually Breathtaking. Spectacular photographic portraits bring a vast array of animals vividly to life, with special features on well-known and important animals such as the Galapagos tortoise. Each species profile is supported by maps and symbols showing distribution and habitat, as well as key information on size, population, and conservation status, forming an invaluable reference database. Outstanding Reference. Clear, comprehensive, and thought provoking, the Smithsonian Animal is essential reading for wildlife enthusiasts of all ages and levels of experience. From Publishers Weekly Stunning photographs (e.g., of wolves snarling over a half-eaten meal or a falcon's perspective as it perches on a city roof) will elevate this book beyond a coffee-table or reference shelf existence. Every aspect of the book seizes attention. The first 80 pages clarify information on classification, habitats and behavior with charts, maps, photographs and illustrations. The remaining six chapters focus on numerous specific species and subspecies, divided into broad groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and invertebrates. Readers learn, for instance, that the curlew's long, curved beak is touch-sensitive for seeking out food hidden in mud and sand; plovers, on the other hand, though they share the curlew's habitat, have short bills for picking up food they can see. The editors provide endangered-species information at the end of each chapter. The varying size and shape of the photographs some cropped cleanly around their subject, some showing the interaction of the animal with its environment compel the reader onward, as do the assorted full-page spreads and action sequences (e.g., of a whale breaching). Text entries are both edifying and brief. But for its heft, this book is almost impossible to put down. (Oct.)Forecast: With so much visual and textual stimulus for both children and adults, this title is destined to become a staple in bookstores. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Compiled by an international team of over 70 zoologists, biologists, naturalists, and wildlife photographers under the editorship of science writer Burnie and Wilson, past president of the American Society of Mammalogists, this comprehensive, visually stunning encyclopedia of the animal kingdom should have wide appeal. The book is divided into three sections. The first is a general introduction to animals and their lives. The second looks at animal habitats, describing each habitat in terms of its climate, plant life, and the animals found there. The main part of the book profiles over 2000 species of animals, from the familiar to the extremely rare, and includes some newly recognized species. This section is divided into chapters according to the current general consensus on how animal groups should be classified and includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Each individual listing gives the animal's range, habitat, size, and social unit and includes a full-color illustration and descriptive paragraph. Each chapter conclu