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Weird Nature: An Astonishing Exploration of Nature's Strangest Behavior
The companion book to the six-part Discovery Channel series, Weird Nature is an astonishing exploration of nature's strangest behavior. The ingenuity of all kinds of animals is celebrated including the flying dragon or draco whose membrane wings resemble early designs for aircraft wings, spiny lobsters in Florida who form a "mass conga line" when moving to deeper waters and the Wallace tree frog whose large webbed hands and feet allow it to glide as far forward as it drops vertically. These animals and many more are featured in this revealing and often amusing look at nature.
Chapters Fantastic feeding -- the many different ways nature finds food for fuel including worms that eat themselves. Devious defenses -- to avoid being eaten, animals have developed an array of defenses including porcupine fish that inflate into spiny balls and mantis shrimps with a punch that can knock a hole in glass. Marvelous motion -- ingenious ways of moving around including flattened snakes and flying fish. Extraordinary equipment -- tools for enhancing animal lives like the Mallee fowl that has a thermometer in its bill. Strange structures -- the bizarre assortment of animal created buildings like the palm leaf tents made by fruit bats and the Namib spider that builds a Stonehenge circle around its burrow. Weird and weirder -- social interactions including courtship and mating.
Chapters Fantastic feeding -- the many different ways nature finds food for fuel including worms that eat themselves. Devious defenses -- to avoid being eaten, animals have developed an array of defenses including porcupine fish that inflate into spiny balls and mantis shrimps with a punch that can knock a hole in glass. Marvelous motion -- ingenious ways of moving around including flattened snakes and flying fish. Extraordinary equipment -- tools for enhancing animal lives like the Mallee fowl that has a thermometer in its bill. Strange structures -- the bizarre assortment of animal created buildings like the palm leaf tents made by fruit bats and the Namib spider that builds a Stonehenge circle around its burrow. Weird and weirder -- social interactions including courtship and mating.
- GenresNonfictionNature
168 pages, Hardcover
First published March 2, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 1, 2008
This is a beautiful, beautiful book full of gorgeous color photos of animals doing really strange things. It is really fascinating and highly recommended for nature and animal lovers.
My favorite chapters were "Bizarre Breeding" and "Peculiar Potions" (all about animals ingesting mind-altering substances).
Good stuff and suitable for kids.
My favorite chapters were "Bizarre Breeding" and "Peculiar Potions" (all about animals ingesting mind-altering substances).
Good stuff and suitable for kids.
February 10, 2021
"Holy cow!" tone and nonzero misinformation. There's flimsy evidence that mermaids are based on dugongs, the candiru-urethra thing is an urban legend, the sawfish's saw is "used like a chainsaw"?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews