Examines animals that feed on blood, including mosquitoes, vampire bats, lice, leeches, lampreys, and fleas, and looks at their anatomy, behavior, and interactions with people.

"Describes a variety of popular monsters, including real-life accounts that inspire the legends behind the creatures"--Provided by publisher.

"Facts and information about parasites and other creatures of the animals world"--

“A witty, scientifically accurate, and often intensely creepy exploration of sanguivorous creatures.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Bill Schutt turns whatever fear and disgust you may feel towards nature’s vampires into a healthy respect for evolution’s power to fill every conceivable niche.”—Carl Zimmer, author of Parasite Rex and Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life For centuries, blood feeders have inhabited our nightmares and horror stories, as well as the shadowy realms of scientific knowledge. In Dark Banquet, zoologist Bill Schutt takes us on a fascinating voyage into the world of some of nature’s strangest creatures—the sanguivores. Using a sharp eye and mordant wit, Schutt makes a remarkably persuasive case that blood feeders, from bats to bedbugs, are as deserving of our curiosity as warmer and fuzzier species are—and that many of them are even worthy of conservation. Examining the substance that sustains nature’s vampires, Schutt reveals just how little we actually knew about blood until well into the twentieth century. We revisit George Washington on his deathbed to learn how ideas about blood and the supposedly therapeutic value of bloodletting, first devised by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, survived into relatively modern times. Dark Banquet details our dangerous and sometimes deadly encounters with ticks, chiggers, and mites (the ­latter implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder—currently devastating honey bees worldwide). Then there are the truly weird—vampire finches. And if you thought piranha were scary, some people believe that the candiru (or willy fish) is the best reason to avoid swimming in the Amazon. Enlightening and alarming, Dark Banquet peers into a part of the natural world to which we are, through our blood, inextricably linked.

Illustrations and simple text teach young readers about blood and the circulatory system.

Cordelia and her twin sister don't realize the mother who left them soon after their birth bequeathed them a dark bloodline. They're half vampire. Although human in most respects, they possess certain psychic gifts. A friend of their late father's, Karl, also a vampire, has been watching over their family for generations in honor of his love for their distant ancestor. When her sister is kidnapped and Cordelia must beg for help from Karl, she learns the truth about his vampirism and her own heritage. In the process, she and Karl form a blood bond that leads to deeper intimacy than either one could have anticipated.

The long tradition of vampire myths can be scary to a lot of people. But for birds that evolved on the harsh Galapagos Islands, drinking blood is necessary. That doesn’t make vampire finches and hood mockingbirds any less creepy! Readers learn about the healthy treat blood can be for some kinds of birds as well as how they came to use it as a source of nutrition. Full-color photographs introduce these bloodthirsty birds, and fact boxes provide additional science information to enhance the main content.

Explore how your body works through interactive augmented reality experiences! From how scabs form to why blood gushes from a big cut, these augmented reality experiences have plenty of "Oh, gross!" moments. Through close-up pictures, interactive augmented reality experiences, and lots of disgusting facts, you’ll learn all about the gross science behind your body’s functions.

We all know “there’s no such thing as monsters,” but our imaginations tell us otherwise. From the mythical beasts of ancient Greece to the hormonal vampires of the Twilight saga, monsters have captivated us for millennia. Matt Kaplan, a noted science journalist and monster-myth enthusiast, employs an entertaining mix of cutting-edge research and a love of lore to explore the history behind these fantastical fictions and our hardwired obsession with things that go bump in the night. Ranging across history, Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite tackles the enduring questions that arise on the frontier between fantasy and reality. What caused ancient Minoans to create the tale of the Minotaur and its subterranean maze? Did dragons really exist? What inspired the creation of vampires and werewolves, and why are we so drawn to them? With the eye of a journalist and the voice of a storyteller, Kaplan takes readers to the forefront of science, where our favorite figures of horror may find real-life validation. Does the legendary Kraken, a squid of epic proportions, really roam the deep? Are we close to making Jurassic Park a reality by replicating a dinosaur from fossilized DNA? As our fears evolve, so do our monsters, and Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite charts the rise of the ultimate beasts, humans themselves.

Mysteries and Science is for kids 9 and up. It takes a look at weird things from abracadabra to zombies. What does science have to say about things like astrology, Bigfoot, dowsing, ESP, ghosts, and monsters? These and other similar topics are covered here, including predictions of the end of the world, palm reading, and vampires. In all, Science and Mysteries takes you on a journey through fifty chapters. Some chapters deal with weird things, some deal with how scientists think and what kinds of tools they use to investigate things. We may not always agree with scientists, but they make us think. And thinking is always a good thing.