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Overview
A kaleidoscope of magnificent photographs details the astonishing diversity of evolutionary adaptation among animales and plants.
Several million species inhabit the earth, survivors of more than three billion years of evolution. The plants and animals that have avoided extinction have had to adapt to a variety of harsh conditions.
Packed with sumptuous photographs, Surviving presents the most striking examples of these incredible artists of survival, including:
- The crab spider, which changes color to hide from its prey.
- The gecko that clings to a vertical rock with feet that have developed tiny suction cups.
- Emperor penguins, which work shifts with their mate, cradling their precious egg between their legs to protect it from the bitter Antarctic cold.
- The Portuguese man of war that drifts harmlessly on the waves until it is attacked, whereupon the sting from its tentacles paralyzes the attacker.
Surviving provides fascinating explanations of how species have adapted to survive the challenges and complexities of an ever-changing ecosystem.
Synopsis
A kaleidoscope of magnificent photographs details the astonishing diversity of evolutionary adaptation among animales and plants.
Editorials
Booklist
This is a magnificent picture book, a coffee-table eye-catcher of foot-square and larger close-ups... [A] gorgeous and intelligent album.— Ray Olson
Reference and Research Book News
Minelli (zoology, U. of Padua, Italy) and co-author Mannucci (an author and illustrator who writes about natural history) have assembled an eye-catching collection of images. This is an abundantly illustrated large format book--11.5 x 11.75"--originally published in Italy (Magnus Edizioni, 2008). The bleed-off-the-page full-page or double-page photos are dazzling depictions of animals. These images are accompanied by paragraph-long captions written in a lively style, offering nuggets of information about animal behavior as illustrated in the photos. Text consists of a foreword and then introductions to the sections, which address the themes of hunger, love, attacks, extremes, and change.The Globe and Mail Gift Books Feature
A tantalizing introduction to Darwin, with more than 90 gorgeous photos of creatures ranging strange and wondrous to quite familiar. Each of five sections is introduced with an overview of the millennia of evolution and the complexity of nature. The imperatives of adaptation are laid out: hunger, reproduction, defence against attack, extreme environments and weather. The book offers a quiet hope, noting that life on Earth has endured five mass extinctions, most dramatically 250 million years ago (long before the dinosaurs), when barely 10 per cent of species survived.Booklist -
This is a magnificent picture book, a coffee-table eye-catcher of foot-square and larger close-ups of animals ranging from jellyfish to chimps. The color is rich and true...and the two-page-spread images (24 by 12 inches) of such things as a fully unfurled peacock's tail and penguins enfolded by hallucinatorily curvy iceberg are genuine jaw-droppers. The texts prefacing the book's five sections...are scientific and informative, and the captions mostly follow suit.... [A] gorgeous and intelligent album.Book Details
Published
October 1, 2009
Publisher
Firefly Books, Limited
Pages
200
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781554075201