Describes some of the deadliest animals on the planet, as well as what makes them so dangerous.

Illustrated book for children about sharks, wolves and wild dogs, crocodiles, wild felines, and poisonous creatures.

Come face-to-face with 150 of the world's scariest killer creatures, from the lion and great white shark to the tarantula, anaconda snake, golden eagle, vampire bat, and even the fierce ant! The ebook profiles every kind of animal--mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, insects, and arachnids. Chapters are arranged according to how these dangerous predators kill. Do they use jaws and claws, venom, stings, traps, tricks and cunning, or mass invasion? With more than 200 spectacular photos in the ebook, every page has a stunning image of the animal in action, with data files giving a visual e-guide to its size, distribution, diet, and habitat, as well as a rating of its "scare factor." Each profile features bite-size text that will appeal to all readers. Discover key facts about how the animal lives (is it solitary or a pack animal?), intriguing anatomy (the platypus is famously one of the few venomous mammals, but did you know that the venom comes from the hind leg on the males only?), and of course, their method of attack (such as chasing prey to exhaustion, launching an ambush, or paralyzing with poison). Further fascinating facts can also be found in the reference section, including deadly defense, family trees, toxins, and prehistoric deadly creatures that are no more.

Come face to face with the world's top predators. Discover the strangest facts, read incredible information and get up-close to teeth, fur, fins, claws and feelers. Internet links on every page guide you to fascinating information about these killer creatures.

Photographs and text provide information about a wide variety of the deadliest, scariest, and most fierce killer creatures you've ever seen! ..."--Cover back.

Lions and scorpions and lethal little jellyfish, oh my! Kids will sink their teeth into this fascinating look at nature's fiercest creatures.

What are the world's deadliest animals? The Australian Taipan, the box jellyfish, the mosquito? This lively new book is a fascinating and illuminating journey through the dangers of the animal world - from underwater killers, such as sharks and alligators, to killer creatures of the air, such as wasps and hornets. Discover how bacteria and viruses take their place in the line-up of microscopic killer creatures, and how some animals are less deadly than you think (coconuts, for example, are deadlier than sharks!) And the most deadly creature of them all? You may be very surprised!

In this illuminating and evocative exploration of the origin and function of storytelling, the author goes beyond the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, arguing that mythmaking evolved as a cultural survival strategy for coping with the constant fear of being killed and eaten by predators. Beginning nearly two million years ago in the Pleistocene era, the first stories, Trout argues, functioned as alarm calls, warning fellow group members about the carnivores lurking in the surroundings. At the earliest period, before the development of language, these rudimentary "stories" would have been acted out. When language appeared with the evolution of the ancestral human brain, stories were recited, memorized, and much later written down as the often bone-chilling myths that have survived to this day. This book takes the reader through the landscape of world mythology to show how our more recent ancestors created myths that portrayed animal predators in four basic ways: as monsters, as gods, as benefactors, and as role models. Each incarnation is a variation of the fear-management technique that enabled early humans not only to survive but to overcome their potentially incapacitating fear of predators. In the final chapter, Trout explores the ways in which our visceral fear of predators is played out in the movies, where both animal and human predators serve to probe and revitalize our capacity to detect and survive danger. Anyone with an interest in mythology, archaeology, folk tales, and the origins of contemporary storytelling will find this book an exciting and provocative exploration into the natural and psychological forces that shaped human culture and gave rise to storytelling and mythmaking.