Mark O'Shea - Böcker

Updated to reflect the most recent species classifications, a second edition of the beautifully illustrated and beloved guide to 600 members of the suborder Serpentes.  For millennia, humans have regarded snakes with an exceptional combination of fascination and revulsion. Some people recoil in fear at the very suggestion of these creatures, while others happily keep them as pets. Snakes can convey both beauty and menace in a single tongue flick, and so these creatures have held a special place in our cultures. Yet, for as many meanings as we attribute to snakes—from fertility and birth to sin and death—the real-life species represent an even wider array of wonders.Now in a new edition, reflecting the most recent species classifications, The Book of Snakes presents 600 species of snakes from around the world, covering roughly one in seven of all snake species. It will bring greater understanding of a group of reptiles that have existed for more than 160 million years and that now inhabit every continent except Antarctica, as well as two of the great oceans.This volume pairs spectacular photos with easy-to-digest text. It is the first book on these creatures that combines a broad, worldwide sample with full-color, life-size accounts. Entries include close-ups of the snake’s head and a section of the snake at actual size. The detailed images allow readers to examine the intricate scale patterns and rainbow of colors as well as special features like a cobra’s hood or a rattlesnake’s rattle. The text is written for laypeople and includes a glossary of frequently used terms. Herpetologists and herpetoculturists alike will delight in this collection, and even those with a more cautious stance on snakes will find themselves drawn in by the wild diversity of the suborder Serpentes.

An up-to-date, beautifully illustrated, and beloved guide to six hundred of the world’s most fascinating frogs.  With almost nine thousand known species, frogs display a stunning array of forms and behaviors. A single gram of the toxin produced by the skin of the Golden Poison Frog can kill one hundred thousand people. Male Darwin’s Frogs carry their tadpoles in their vocal sacs for sixty days before coughing them out into the world. And the Wood Frogs of North America freeze every winter, reanimating in the spring.The Book of Frogs documents the diversity and magnificence of all these anurans and many more. Readers meet six hundred of nature’s most fascinating frogs, with each entry including a distribution map, illustrations, species identification, natural history, and conservation status. Color photos show the frogs at their actual size—from Papua New Guinea’s diminutive Paedophryne amauensis, smaller than a coin, to Cameroon’s colossal Goliath Frog, heavier than some dogs. Written by experts Mark O’Shea and Tim Halliday and containing updated information on one hundred species and nearly twenty new entries, this revised edition will enthrall both veteran researchers and amateur herpetologists.As frogs increasingly make headlines for their troubling worldwide decline, The Book of Frogs brings readers face to face with six hundred astonishingly unique and irreplaceable species that display a diverse array of adaptations to habitats that are ever changing.

A lavishly illustrated overview of the world’s lizardsLizards are one of nature’s great success stories: survivors from the time of the dinosaurs, they have taken advantage of almost every habitat on earth, from tropical rainforest to Arctic tundra and even our homes. From chameleons and skinks to geckos and iguanas, there are close to 7,000 species of lizards around the world. This expert guide explores their extraordinary diversity and adaptations.Lizards of the World features an in-depth introduction covering the evolution, anatomy, and lifestyle of lizards, followed by profiles of species from every family, accompanied by stunning color photographs. This invaluable guide highlights the enormous range of habitats, appearance, and activity among lizards. Many thrive in extreme conditions, and have adapted to keep cool, warm, or hydrated. Some can protect themselves by changing color to blend in with their surroundings, while others have fringed toes enabling them to run across sand, or can parachute out of a predator’s reach. Covering diet and reproduction as well as defense strategies and conservation, Lizards of the World showcases the unique natural history and beauty of these remarkable creatures.More than 200 detailed photographic images80+ lizard families and subfamiliesExploration of lizard biology, behavior, habits, and distributionBroad coverage and in-depth treatment by a world-renowned herpetologist

A gorgeously illustrated guide to the incredible diversity of snakes around the worldSnakes are found on every continent except Antarctica and have evolved to occupy a vast range of habitats, from mountains to oceans and deserts to rain forests. Snakes of the World explores their extraordinary diversity, with an in-depth introduction covering anatomy, behavior, habitats, reproduction, conservation, and other essential topics. This expert guide also includes profiles of some of the approximately 4,000 species of snakes, featuring examples from every family and subfamily.Each family profile highlights the remarkable appearance, characteristics, and lifestyle of notable snake species. Covering how snakes use venom or constriction to subdue their prey, how a snake’s appearance can aid camouflage or boast of its killing capacity, and how habitat destruction is jeopardizing the future of many species, Snakes of the World is an invaluable guide to these fascinating reptiles.Features more than 200 stunning color photographsPresents species profiles with a commentary, distribution map, and table of informationIncludes examples from every snake family and subfamily

A richly illustrated guide to the world’s frogs that includes species from every familyWith more than 7,600 known species, frogs exhibit an extraordinary range of forms and behaviors, from those that produce toxins so deadly that they could kill a human many times over to those that can survive being frozen in ice. Frogs of the World is an essential guide to this astonishingly diverse group of animals. An in-depth introduction covers everything from the origins and evolution of frogs to their life cycles and defense strategies. Beautiful illustrations accompany profiles of species from each family, shedding invaluable light on the enormous range of appearance, habitats, and behavior of these marvelous creatures.Features hundreds of stunning color photographsCovers taxonomy, anatomy, locomotion, reproduction, diet, and moreDiscusses the conservation of the world’s frogsAn invaluable resource for herpetologists, naturalists, and anyone interested in amphibians

A fascinating guide to the hidden world of snakes, crocodiles, alligators, lizards, turtles, spiders, beetles, bugs, butterflies, moths, bees and ants. More than 1500 fabulous wildlife photographs and illustrations provide a stunning close-up view of survival in the wild. Exciting and accessible information provides an insight into every aspect of reptile and insect life and behaviour

This title helps you discover the astonishing world of chameleons, geckos, iguanas and more, with over 190 pictures. You can explore the extraordinary natural history of lizards. You can learn about their survival tactics in the wild, such as the toughened skin of the rough-scaled plated lizard and the bloodthirsty appetite of the Komodo dragon. You can see how some species regrow their tails after losing them to predators, while others change appearance to blend in with their surroundings. Mark O'Shea, a renowned reptile expert and adventurer, takes you on location with him around the world and gives tips on how to go lizard-watching yourself. It is packed with over 190 exciting images, many of them taken in the field by the author himself. It is ideal for home or school use by 8- to 12-year-olds. Find out why lizards are more numerous and successful than any other group of reptiles and trace their evolution - from dinosaurs, pterosaurs and ichthyosaurs to the rich diversity of species in existence today. On the way, you will witness some amazing tactics for survival, such as how lizards' bodies and watertight skins work so that they can live on minimal amounts of food and water.Meet the 'Jesus lizard' that walks on water, the glider that sails through the air from tree to tree, and the horned lizard of Texas that shoots blood from its eyes.