What happens when a deadly assassin bug takes on a lightning-fast ogre-faced spider? Fascinating photos and dynamic descriptions will give young bug lovers an up-close look at these cunning predators to learn about their natural weapons, defenses, and abilities. Readers can then cheer on their favorite as these bugs battle for victory.

What happens when a lightning-fast praying mantis stares down a hungry giant hornet? Fascinating photos and dynamic descriptions will give young bug lovers an up-close look at these cunning predators to learn about their natural weapons, defenses, and abilities. Readers can then cheer on their favorite as these bugs battle for victory.

What happens when a huge tarantula faces a dangerous tarantula hawk? Fascinating photos and dynamic descriptions will give young readers an up-close look at these huge bugs to learn about their natural weapons, defenses, and abilities. Young bug lovers can then cheer for their favorite as these mortal enemies battle for victory.

An encounter with a spider will never be the same again … This warm-hearted book offers fascinating science and captivating storytelling to persuade readers to fall in love with—or at least tolerate—these eight-legged wonders. Eight-Legged Wonders unveils the remarkable lives of one of the most misunderstood and maligned creatures on the planet: the spider. With over 50,000 species, spiders play vital roles in our ecosystems and the vast majority are harmless to humans. With this in mind, shouldn’t we at least try to set aside our creepy-crawly associations, and cultivate a deeper appreciation for these truly wonderful beings? Eight-Legged Wonders helps us do just that. In this affectionate and surprisingly giddy ode to spiders, James O’Hanlon, a scientist and spider expert, introduces spiders that we may never have noticed before, including spiders that cosplay as ants, balloon through the air, and scuba-dive. He describes the peacock spider's colorful dances and the Portia jumping spider's cunning hunting techniques. He dispels bite concerns, highlights groundbreaking research using spiders for human benefit, and aims to shift perceptions, ultimately revealing spiders as truly remarkable beings worthy of our admiration.

Discusses some of the wildest, craziest bugs in some crazy categories.

The number of species that make up insects, arachnids, and myriapoda (centipedes and millipedes) is uncountable and has evolved to fill every possible ecological niche. This visual encyclopedia is a fascinating and informative study of these tiny and amazing creatures. Written by two brothers who have devoted their careers to investigating bugs and insects, this book even features a species never before documented.

Describes the habits and habitats of extreme animals around the world including the peregrine falcon, hammerhead shark, and deep-sea anglerfish.

How did human beings acquire imaginations that can conjure up untrue possibilities? How did the Universe become self-aware? In The Runes of Evolution, Simon Conway Morris revitalizes the study of evolution from the perspective of convergence, providing us with compelling new evidence to support the mounting scientific view that the history of life is far more predictable than once thought. A leading evolutionary biologist at the University of Cambridge, Conway Morris came into international prominence for his work on the Cambrian explosion (especially fossils of the Burgess Shale) and evolutionary convergence, which is the process whereby organisms not closely related (not monophyletic), independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. In The Runes of Evolution, he illustrates how the ubiquity of convergence hints at an underlying framework whereby many outcomes, not least brains and intelligence, are virtually guaranteed on any Earth-like planet. Conway Morris also emphasizes how much of the complexity of advanced biological systems is inherent in microbial forms. By casting a wider net, The Runes of Evolution explores many neglected evolutionary questions. Some are remarkably general. Why, for example, are convergences such as parasitism, carnivory, and nitrogen fixation in plants concentrated in particular taxonomic hot spots? Why do certain groups have a particular propensity to evolve toward particular states? Some questions lead to unexpected evolutionary insights: If bees sleep (as they do), do they dream? Why is that insect copulating with an orchid? Why have sponges evolved a system of fiber optics? What do mantis shrimps and submarines have in common? If dinosaurs had not gone extinct what would have happened next? Will a saber-toothed cat ever re-evolve? Cona Morris observes: “Even amongst the mammals, let alone the entire tree of life, humans represent one minute twig of a vast (and largely fossilized) arborescence. Every living species is a linear descendant of an immense string of now-vanished ancestors, but evolution itself is the very reverse of linear. Rather it is endlessly exploratory, probing the vast spaces of biological hyperspace. Indeed this book is a celebration of how our world is (and was) populated by a riot of forms, a coruscating tapestry of life.” The Runes of Evolution is the most definitive synthesis of evolutionary convergence to be published to date.

Awesome! Believe It or Not!T Awesome Collection: * Awesome Animals * Bizarre Bug's * Blasts from the Past * World's Weirdest Gadgets Where else can you find kooky critters, creepy crawlers, hard-to-believe histories, and goofy gizmos? Just how much do you know about the world's wackiest facts? Find out by taking the quizzes and tricky Ripley's "Brain Busters" throughout this book. Prepare to be astounded by what you discover inside!

Splendidly illustrated from nature, this encyclopedia describes with rigour and grace some of the most complex and bizarre behaviours in the animal world.