"Of the more than 49,000 species of spider worldwide, some 4,000 are in North America. Spiders of North America explores more than 500 of the most common and interesting spiders found in this region of the world. This richly illustrated guide begins with an overview of spiders--what they are exactly, how they can be found, how they develop, and why they are important. The book features information on all the major spider guilds: sensing web weavers,...
"Birds are today's most diverse tetrapod group, but they have a rich and complex evolutionary history that extends far beyond their modern radiation. Appearing during the Jurassic more than 160 million years ago, they took to the skies and evolved into myriad forms. This comprehensive and up-to-date illustrated field guide covers the staggering diversity of avialans--modern birds and their closest fossil relatives--that lived from the origin of the...
"Carnivores are among the most spectacular creatures in the natural world, and also the most feared. Carnivores of the World is the first comprehensive field guide to all 245 terrestrial species of true carnivores, from the majestic polar bear and predatory wild cats to the tiny least weasel. This user-friendly illustrated guide features 86 color plates by acclaimed wildlife artist Priscilla Barrett that depict every species and numerous subspecies,...
Dragonflies and damselflies are often called birdwatchers' insects. Large, brightly colored, active in the daytime, and displaying complex and interesting behaviors, they have existed since the days of the dinosaurs, and they continue to flourish. Their ancestors were the biggest insects ever, and they still impress us with their size, the largest bigger than a small hummingbird. There are more than 6,000 odonate species known at present, and you...
"Honorable Mention for the 2009 National Outdoor Book Award in Nature Guidebooks" Dennis Paulson's books include Shorebirds of North America (Princeton) and Alaska: The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide. Now retired, he was director of the Slater Museum of Natural History at the University of Puget Sound.
Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West is the first fully illustrated field guide to all 348 species of dragonflies and damselflies in western North...
Garden Insects of North America is the most comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the common insects and mites affecting yard and garden plants in North America. In a manner no previous book has come close to achieving, through full-color photos and concise, clear, scientifically accurate text, it describes the vast majority of species associated with shade trees and shrubs, turfgrass, flowers and ornamental plants, vegetables, and fruits--1,420...
"Covering 20 species recognized since 2002 and including 13 new color plates, this fully revised edition of Mammals of North America illustrates all 462 known mammal species in the United States and Canada - each in beautiful color and accurate detail. With a more up-to-date species list than any other guide, improved facing-page descriptions, easier-to-read distribution maps, updated common and scientific names, and track and scat illustrations,...
A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds provides a thorough, species-by-species guide to the breeding biology of the birds of North America. Some 670 breeding species are described in full, covering the birds of a vast area, from the Arctic to the southern boundary of the continental United States. The main text presents complete basic information on the breeding cycle of each species, summarized in a natural sequence: nest...
"Unearth a treasure trove of knowledge about the rocks and minerals beneath our feet--from their formation to collecting them. Make identification easy and accurate with this compact visual guide, packed with photographs and details on formation, distinguishing features, and much more. Over 600 high-quality photographs capture the unique characteristics, colors, and attributes of more than 500 rocks and minerals. Each specimen's entry includes annotated...
Contains a illustrated guide to sharks, arranged by species, and includes information size, habitat, behavior, and biology. Includes geographic distribution maps.
"With more than 1,000 photographs, Snakes of Australia illustrates and describes in detail all 240 of the continent's species and subspecies--from file snakes, pythons, colubrids, and natricids to elapids, marine elapids, homalopsids, and blind snakes. Features introductions to each family, species descriptions, type locations, distribution maps, and quick-identification keys to each family and genera; Covers English and scientific names, appearance,...
"In this newly updated and expanded edition of their classic work, Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion illuminate the night sky as never before, providing novice stargazers and professional astronomers alike with the most informative, user-friendly, comprehensive, and authoritative celestial field guide available. The product of a thirty-year collaboration between one of the world's leading astronomy writers and the world's foremost celestial mapmaker, Stars...
A highly visual introduction explains the basic concepts of astronomy and gives advice on the best methods and equipment for observation, including binoculars and telescopes. Each of the planets in the Solar System is described and illustrated in detail, with images taken from space probes as well as from the ground, showing them as you can expect to see them. More than 160 star charts were made especially for this book by the Royal Greenwich Observatory....
World-renowned dinosaur illustrator and researcher Gregory Paul provides comprehensive visual and textual coverage of the great Mesozoic animals that gave rise to the living dinosaurs, the birds. Paul presents thorough descriptions of more than 735 dinosaur species and features more than 600 color and black-and-white images, including unique skeletal drawings, "life" studies, and scenic views.
"This group of animals comprises a complex of disparate groups including the dolphin/shark-like ichthyosaurs, manatee-like placodonts, long- and short-necked plesiosaurs, the mososaur lizards, marine turtles, and crocodilians. Sea reptile paleontology is a very active field in terms of new discoveries and research, so the guide is highly topical. For example, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the long-standing assumption that prehistoric oceanic...
After the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, mammals became the dominant terrestrial life form on our planet. Roaming the earth were spectacular beasts such as saber-toothed cats, giant mastodonts, immense ground sloths, and gigantic giraffe-like rhinoceroses. This book is an illustrated field guide to the lost world of these prehistoric creatures. It covers all the main groups of fossil mammals, discussing taxonomy and evolutionary...
