What's that bushy-tailed animal scampering up a tree? It's a gray fox--the only canine that is as comfortable in a tree as it is on the ground. Mother foxes make their dens inside fallen logs or high off the ground in hollow trees. Inside the den, the mother gives birth to her tiny, helpless kits. As the kits get bigger and stronger, they wrestle with one another and pounce on their mother's tail, gaining the skills they need to become great hunters. In this coming-of-age introduction to gray foxes, readers will see how these pups learn how to catch prey and live as adult foxes. The lively text, colorful pages, and exquisite photos are sure to delight and engage emergent readers.

Discover the hidden world of the fox, as beautifully revealed by an acclaimed ecologist who has studied foxes for two decades across four continents “An ode to this familiar yet mysterious creature. … The sight of foxes can lift Brand's prose into poetry. ... By turns lyrical, salty, funny and scholarly.” —New York Times Book Review The fox. For thousands of years myth and folklore have celebrated its cunning intelligence. Today the red fox is the nature’s most populous carnivore, its dancing orange tail a common sight in backyards. Yet who is this wild neighbor, truly? How do we negotiate this uneasy new chapter of an ancient relationship? Join British ecologist Adele Brand on a journey to discover the surprising secrets of the fabled fox, the familiar yet enigmatic creature that has adapted to the human world with astonishing—some say, unsettling—success. Brand has studied foxes for twenty years across four continents—from the Yucatán rainforest to India’s remote Thar Desert, from subarctic Canada to metropolitan London. Her observations have convinced her that the fox is arguably the most modern of all wildlife, uniquely suited to survival in the rapidly expanding urban/wild interface. Blending cutting-edge science, cultural anthropology, and intimate personal storytelling drawn from her own remarkable fieldwork, The Hidden World of the Fox is Brand’s rich and revelatory portrait of the extraordinary animal she has devoted her life to understanding.

The most complete and user-friendly photographic field guide to the world’s canids This stunningly illustrated and easy-to-use field guide covers every species of the world’s canids, from the Gray Wolf of North America to the dholes of Asia, from African jackals to the South American Bush Dog. It features more than 150 superb color plates depicting every kind of canid and detailed facing-page species accounts that describe key identification features, morphology, distribution, subspeciation, habitat, and conservation status in the wild. The book also includes distribution maps and tips on where to observe each species, making Canids of the World the most comprehensive and user-friendly guide to these intriguing and spectacular mammals. Covers every species and subspecies of canid Features more than 150 color plates with more than 600 photos from around the globe Depicts species in similar poses for quick and easy comparisons Describes key identification features, habitat, behavior, reproduction, and much more Draws on the latest taxonomic research Includes distribution maps and tips on where to observe each species The ideal field companion and a delight for armchair naturalists

"The book celebrates the intrinsic worth of all plants and animals in order to motivate people in a unified effort to preserve the Earth's rich array of life forms."--Cover.

A comprehensive reference on vertebrate species that can cause economic damage or become nuisance pests. Reviews all vertebrate species that come into conflict with human interests in North America. Includes agricultural, commercial, industrial, and residential pest problems and recommends solutions; emphasizes prevention; outlines and explains all currently registered and recommended control methods and materials. Contains dozens of chapters written by various authors. Figures.

Intended for laymen and students. Contains 54 "Species Accounts" : a line drawing, range map, description, habitat, behaviors, movement, reproduction, and predators for each mammal.

"Simple text and full-color photography introduce beginning readers to red foxes. Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through third grade"--

Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs—they are foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in breeding ever undertaken—imagine speeding up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time in order to witness the process of domestication. This is the extraordinary, untold story of this remarkable undertaking. Most accounts of the natural evolution of wolves place it over a span of about 15,000 years, but within a decade, Belyaev and Trut’s fox breeding experiments had resulted in puppy-like foxes with floppy ears, piebald spots, and curly tails. Along with these physical changes came genetic and behavioral changes, as well. The foxes were bred using selection criteria for tameness, and with each generation, they became increasingly interested in human companionship. Trut has been there the whole time, and has been the lead scientist on this work since Belyaev’s death in 1985, and with Lee Dugatkin, biologist and science writer, she tells the story of the adventure, science, politics, and love behind it all. In How to Tame a Fox, Dugatkin and Trut take us inside this path-breaking experiment in the midst of the brutal winters of Siberia to reveal how scientific history is made and continues to be made today. To date, fifty-six generations of foxes have been domesticated, and we continue to learn significant lessons from them about the genetic and behavioral evolution of domesticated animals. How to Tame a Fox offers an incredible tale of scientists at work, while also celebrating the deep attachments that have brought humans and animals together throughout time.

From reviews of previous editions: “This is the standard reference about Texas mammals.” —Wildlife Activist “A must for anyone seriously interested in the wildlife of Texas.” —Texas Outdoor Writers Association News “[This book] easily fills the role of both a field guide and a desk reference, and is written in a style that appeals to the professional biologist and amateur naturalist alike. . . . [It] should prove useful to anyone with an interest in the mammal fauna of Texas or the southern Great Plains.” —Prairie Naturalist The Mammals of Texas has been the standard reference since the first edition was coauthored by William B. Davis and Walter P. Taylor in 1947. Revised several times over the succeeding decades, it remains the most authoritative source of information on the mammalian wildlife of Texas, with physical descriptions and life histories for 202 species, abundant photographs and drawings, and distribution maps. In this new edition, David J. Schmidly is joined by one of the most active researchers on Texas mammals, Robert D. Bradley, to provide a thorough update of the taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of all species of wild mammals that inhabit Texas today. Using the most recent advances in molecular biology and in wildlife ecology and management, the authors include the most current information about the scientific nomenclature, taxonomy, and identification of species, while also covering significant advances in natural history and conservation.

Find out what a gray wolf has in common with a red fox or an African lion. Discover what sets a gray wolf apart from a manatee or a giant panda. Readers will compare and contrast key traits of gray wolves—their appearance, behavior, habitat, and life cycle—to traits of other mammals. Charts and sidebars support key ideas and provide details. Through gathering information about similarities and differences, readers will make connections and draw conclusions about what makes this animal a mammal and how mammals are alike and different from each other.