A unique and practical guide to these amazing creatures covering the behavior, biology, and characteristics of individual species. Includes full-color identification of all 66 species having permanent breeding status in North America.

In a Sub-Saharan African country vulnerable to the whims of its dyslexic and tyrannical ruler, a young man named Abdulmoneim Ghoriesh, enrols in the countrys famed university, laden with the scars of a recent family tragedy. On his first night on campus, as he falls asleep on the lawn, Abdul has barely nodded off before he is jolted awake by hundreds of frogs croaking in eerie unison. And so begins Abduls satirical campus journey with five other desperately poor yet immensely motivated students, collectively known as Les Misrables. As the nation chokes under the haze of dictatorship, campus residents must endure the theocratic chauvinism of a students union controlled by radical Islamists. Trapped in the labyrinths of political repression, religious dogmatism and the horrors of final exams, the skeptical and talented Les Misrables cultivate an extraordinary capacity for transforming despair into dark and hilarious tall tales. Amid the turbulent chaos of their existence, the six survive an uprising against the dyslexic tyrant while achieving academic distinction. Even so, a gruesome murder of a friend casts insufferable sorrow at the end of a remarkable odyssey. The General and the Frogs is a tale of the incredible power of humour and of the triumph of the human spirit at a time lived most dangerously.

The authoritative information and advice you need, illustrated throughout with full-color photographs--now revised and redesigned to be even more reader-friendly! Frogs and toads are perennial favorite pets. They include easy-to-care for breeds and intriguing, exotic varieties. For both first-time pet owners and life-long hobbyists, frogs and toads can make fascinating pets, but it is essential to learn how to care for them properly. With colorful photos, charts, and tables, this guide covers the basics, including: * Choosing your frog or toad * Creating and maintaining your pet's new habitat * Feeding and caring for your frog or toad * Keeping your pet healthy You'll also learn about the varieties of frogs and toads, and about their existence in the wild.

Vampire bats that regurgitate blood for roosting buddies. Mosquitoes that filch honeydew droplets from ants. Reptiles that enforce chastity on their lovers with copulatory plugs. Capuchin monkeys that use millipede secretions as mosquito repellent. The natural world is full of unusual relationships, and negotiation between life-forms striving to survive is evolution at its most diverse, entertaining, and awe-inspiring. Picking up where her highly popular Headless Males Make Great Lovers left off, tropical field biologist Marty Crump takes us on another voyage of discovery into the world of unusual natural histories, this time focusing on extraordinary interactions involving animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. Sexy Orchids Make Lousy Lovers& Other Unusual Relationships illuminates the ceaseless give-and-take between species. Occasionally, both interacting parties benefit, like when hornbills and dwarf mongooses hunt together for food. Other times, like when mites ride in hummingbirds’ nostrils to reach their next meal of nectar, one individual benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. But sometimes one individual benefits at the expense of the other; you need only recall your last sinus infection to understand how that works. Throughout, Crump brings her trademark spunk and zest to these stories of intimate exchange. She introduces readers to penguins that babysit, pseudoscorpions that ride and mate under the wings of giant harlequin beetles, and parasitic fungi that bend insects to their will. A lively companion to Crump’s earlier work, Sexy Orchids Make Lousy Lovers& Other Unusual Relationships captures the bizarre and befuddling aspects of the behavior of animals, plants, and microbes. After this entertaining romp through the world of natural relationships, you’ll never look at an orchid the same way again.

To his legions of readers, Gene Logsdon is best known as the Contrary Farmer. This is Logsdon's ode to the watery microcosms all around, from the half-acre farm pond to the suburban garden pool. Readers looking for hands-on experience will find plenty of pond-keeping do's and don'ts.