From vast termite mounds that outstrip our own skyscrapers, to elaborate birds nests, delicate shells, and deadly spiders' traps, the constructions of the animal world can amaze and at times humble our own engineering and technology. Mike Hansell reveals the biology behind animal architecture - showing how small brains have evolved to produce complex and beautiful structures.

The natural history museum is a place where the line between "high" and "low" culture effectively vanishes--where our awe of nature, our taste for the bizarre, and our thirst for knowledge all blend happily together. But as Stephen Asma shows in Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads, there is more going on in these great institutions than just smart fun. Asma takes us on a wide-ranging tour of natural history museums in New York and Chicago, London and Paris, interviewing curators, scientists, and exhibit designers, and providing a wealth of fascinating observations. We learn how the first museums were little more than high-toned side shows, with such garish exhibits as the pickled head of Peter the Great's lover. In contrast, today's museums are hot-beds of serious science, funding major research in such fields as anthropology and archaeology. "Rich in detail, lucid explanation, telling anecdotes, and fascinating characters.... Asma has rendered a fascinating and credible account of how natural history museums are conceived and presented. It's the kind of book that will not only engage a wide and diverse readership, but it should, best of all, send them flocking to see how we look at nature and ourselves in those fabulous legacies of the curiosity cabinet."--The Boston Herald.

First published in 2007. This work was composed under the direction of the author, Dr Bernard Heuvelmans, President of the International Society of Cryptozoology, before his death in 2001. The contents have been drawn from his various works, including unpublished manuscripts, as well as his scientific articles.

A monumental and beautiful guide to Earth's wildlife and natural history--its rocks, minerals, animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms--this landmark of reference publishing has been extended and updated. In the 11 years since this book was released, thousands of new species have been identified, and new revelations have redrawn the tree of life. Already featuring galleries of more than 5,000 species, The Natural History Book now includes discoveries such as the olinguito (the "kitty bear" of the Andean cloud forest) and the painted mannakin of Peru. It takes advantage of the first living observations of the giant squid and the deep-sea anglerfish. And it has reorganized the groups of living things to reflect the latest scientific understanding. All this ensures that this, the only ebook to offer a complete visual survey of all kingdoms of life, remains the benchmark of illustrated natural history references. Written by a worldwide team of natural history experts, The Natural History Book is the perfect addition to every family bookshelf, as well as an ideal gift for any nature lover. From granites to grapevines, from microbes to mammals, The Natural History Book is the ultimate celebration of the diversity of the natural world.

Learn the alphabet with twenty-six favorite animal friends.

Drawing on the latest research in archaeozoology, archaeology, and molecular biology, Animals as Domesticates traces the history of the domestication of animals around the world. From the llamas of South America and the turkeys of North America, to the cattle of India and the Australian dingo, this fascinating book explores the history of the complex relationships between humans and their domestic animals. With expert insight into the biological and cultural processes of domestication, Clutton-Brock suggests how the human instinct for nurturing may have transformed relationships between predator and prey, and she explains how animals have become companions, livestock, and laborers. The changing face of domestication is traced from the spread of the earliest livestock around the Neolithic Old World through ancient Egypt, the Greek and Roman empires, South East Asia, and up to the modern industrial age.

See the animal kingdom in all its glory, from jellyfish to polar bears, with up-close details of their unique features from head to toe. Filled with magnificent photographs that were specially commissioned for this book and cannot be seen anywhere else. Written in association with the Natural History Museum. This visual reference book starts with the question "what is an animal?" and takes you through the animal kingdom - mammals, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures. It uses a unique head to toe approach that showcases in spectacular detail special features such as the flight feathers of a parrot, the antenna of a moth, or the tentacles of coral. This visual encyclopedia is filled with clear and fascinating information on everything about the social lives of animals. Read exciting stories, like how animals communicate, defend their territories, and attract mates. Learn how evolution has helped wildlife to adapt to their unique environments, whether it is the ability to live in difficult habitats, adjust to specific diets or how they work physically. Humans have drawn and painted animals for thousands of years. The Science of Animals has included some of these, such as early rock art that depicts our awe of the animal kingdom, or natural history artworks such as the ones commissioned by the Mughal Courts in the 1600s. Dramatic Wildlife Photography Spectacular, never seen before, photographs that will bring you close to many of the world's most captivating and intriguing inhabitants. This book offers an extraordinary introduction to the animal world by taking you through chapters that details their diversity. Go from head to toe in The Science of Animals: - The animal kingdom - Shape and size - Skeletons - Skins, coats, and armour - Senses - Mouth and jaws - Legs, arms, tentacles, and tails - Fins, flippers, and paddles - Wings and parachutes - Eggs and offspring