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The Life of
The Life of Mammals
Of marsupials, mice and men. Evolution, and Sir David Attenborough's 23-year sequence of books and BBC television 'Life' films, have culminated in the mammals and the explosion of awareness and intelligence. In the very short period of 100 million years - a mere blink in evolutionary time - the first mammals have arrived at world dominance.
This came largely from hair and milk. Insulation and central heating made them adaptable to any surroundings. Care of the young led to learning and bigger brains. Otters, camels, lions, foxes and sheep, moles underground, whales at sea, bats in the air, polar bears, antelope, squirrels, mice, monkeys and man have exploited every habitat and every food source - the basis of this new narrative.
David Attenborough has also evolved. In his 50 years of planning, writing and making television programmes of the first quality, he has constantly deepened his and our understanding of life on earth. This new book and its accompanying series of remarkable films in many ways crown his work. Vision, enthusiasm and the ability to share knowledge in an enthralling way - the gifts of an outstanding teacher.
This came largely from hair and milk. Insulation and central heating made them adaptable to any surroundings. Care of the young led to learning and bigger brains. Otters, camels, lions, foxes and sheep, moles underground, whales at sea, bats in the air, polar bears, antelope, squirrels, mice, monkeys and man have exploited every habitat and every food source - the basis of this new narrative.
David Attenborough has also evolved. In his 50 years of planning, writing and making television programmes of the first quality, he has constantly deepened his and our understanding of life on earth. This new book and its accompanying series of remarkable films in many ways crown his work. Vision, enthusiasm and the ability to share knowledge in an enthralling way - the gifts of an outstanding teacher.
309 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
28 people are currently reading
2219 people want to read
About the author
David Attenborough
172 books2,734 followersSir David Frederick Attenborough is a naturalist and broadcaster, who is most well-known for writing and presenting the nine "Life" series, produced in conjunction with BBC's Natural History Unit. The series includes Life on Earth (1979), The Living Planet (1984), The Trials of Life (1990), Life in the Freezer (about Antarctica; 1993), The Private Life of Plants (1995), The Life of Birds (1998), The Life of Mammals (2002), Life in the Undergrowth (2005) and Life in Cold Blood (2008).
He is the younger brother of director and actor Richard Attenborough.
Photo credit: Wildscreen's photograph of David Attenborough at ARKive's launch in Bristol, England © May 2003
He is the younger brother of director and actor Richard Attenborough.
Photo credit: Wildscreen's photograph of David Attenborough at ARKive's launch in Bristol, England © May 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 23, 2011
Karen gives great gifts!!
She gave me this book along with a fox bookmark for my birthday last year, and it only took me about fifteen months to read through the book in its entirety! Here is my copy of the book and the bookmark:
I love this book so much!! and like most things I really love, I am terrible about bringing myself to enjoy them. Instead of just gulping it down I drag out my enjoyment, or think, "no, now is not the right time to dip into this book again, you'll enjoy it sometime more in the future." This method of prolonged gratification works ok with books, it doesn't work so well with other things, like food, that I have an awful tendency to never get around to enjoying before time has rendered it inedible.
Except for the last chapter and a half that I read today, I've gone back and read parts of this book multiple times. It's not the most in-depth foray into animals out there, but it's charming, interesting, and photograph after photograph is amazing.
The book is a companion to David Attenborough's documentary of the same name, and if you've seen the documentary, you have already seen and heard everything in this book, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment one bit. I could at any time go back and watch some of the episodes from the documentary on Netflix, or I could just dip into these pages to re-visit, say the story about the elephants who make the nighttime journey to caves to lick salt off the walls (I don't know why I like that particular story so much, but it was a highlight of the documentary for me).
So, I'm finally actually done with the book, but I'm sure I'll be leafing through the book again soon. Now I need to find another animal book to read for the next year and a half!
Thank you again, Karen!!
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! EVERYONE SHOULD GIVE YOU PRESENTS AND VOTES TODAY!!!
She gave me this book along with a fox bookmark for my birthday last year, and it only took me about fifteen months to read through the book in its entirety! Here is my copy of the book and the bookmark:
I love this book so much!! and like most things I really love, I am terrible about bringing myself to enjoy them. Instead of just gulping it down I drag out my enjoyment, or think, "no, now is not the right time to dip into this book again, you'll enjoy it sometime more in the future." This method of prolonged gratification works ok with books, it doesn't work so well with other things, like food, that I have an awful tendency to never get around to enjoying before time has rendered it inedible.
Except for the last chapter and a half that I read today, I've gone back and read parts of this book multiple times. It's not the most in-depth foray into animals out there, but it's charming, interesting, and photograph after photograph is amazing.
The book is a companion to David Attenborough's documentary of the same name, and if you've seen the documentary, you have already seen and heard everything in this book, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment one bit. I could at any time go back and watch some of the episodes from the documentary on Netflix, or I could just dip into these pages to re-visit, say the story about the elephants who make the nighttime journey to caves to lick salt off the walls (I don't know why I like that particular story so much, but it was a highlight of the documentary for me).
So, I'm finally actually done with the book, but I'm sure I'll be leafing through the book again soon. Now I need to find another animal book to read for the next year and a half!
Thank you again, Karen!!
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! EVERYONE SHOULD GIVE YOU PRESENTS AND VOTES TODAY!!!
November 20, 2007
The Life of Mammals is not a difficult book. It took me two days to read it in my spare time, despite its 300+ pages and large size. It is extraordinarily rich in photographs: almost one for every two pages. It is very well-written and gosh, it's such a relief to find a book on animals that doesn't use complex scientific language!
It begins with a chapter titled, "A Winning Design", and discusses the origin and characteristics of mammals, followed by a pattern that will continue for the rest of the book: the introduction of a kind of animal, followed by information on it and possibly an anecdote, among other things.
From the start it is absolutely wonderful and fascinating, introducing the habits and appearance of the echidna, which to my astonishment is an ancient egg-laying mammal that resembles a hedgehog. This leads to the platypus and we sort of carry on from there, spending at most three pages on any one species, but usually only about 1/2 a page. As you can image, quite a lot of startling habits and new creatures are introduced!
The only complaint I have I will address now, and that's that every animal is described as if it's new to us. This is cool for things like the African civet or Eastern quoll, but it is kind of annoying for well-known animals like leopards, wolves and pandas. However it is only mildly annoying since there's something new to be learned about everything.
My favorite characteristics of this book were the occasional discussions of evolution - the REASON behind an animal having a certain intelligence or design, etc.; the very easy-to-follow organization (beginning with chapters like "Chisellers" or "Meat-Eaters" but later branching into things like "The Opportunists" and "The Social Climbers); naturally the plethora of photographs; and the abundance of great descriptions of behaviors. Also quite fun was the way the author talks as if he saw all of this stuff himself. At one point he was describing how a person by themselves simply cannot pull a certain animal off a branch...as soon as you get one leg free, it grabs with another. I had to wonder, "Did you TRY it??"
The Life of Mammals ends with too many pages on monkeys for my tastes, but I was really thrilled with the final chapter on Earth's most complex animals: us!
Attenborough approaches human beings as if they were just another mammal, describing not us city-dwelling peoples (just as he does not describe the housecat but the wild cat) but tribal and ancient peoples. I was really fascinated by the explanations for why WE are built like we are. Altogether it's a fun, quite informative, and easy read that anyone from age 12 to 100 could enjoy.
Lastly: an excerpt, as example (and because this is crazy):
"The European stoat is not a large animal, only about a foot long from the tip of its nose to the end of its slim, sinuous, softly-furred body. It is brown above and cream beneath, with a short four-inch-long black-tipped tail. It weighs only about a tenth as much as a rabbit. Yet it hunts them. Crouching in the long grass, it creeps close to unsuspecting victim sitting not far from its burrow. Once within range, the stoat deliberately shows itself. It starts to dance, leaping up and down apparently chasing its own tail. It somersaults. It bounces up again and makes a back flip. The rabbit, maybe only a couple of yards or so away, is transfixed. It stops nibbling and stares with bulging eyes at this extraordinary performance. Suddenly the stoat bursts out from the grass, stabs its teeth into the back of the rabbit's neck smashing the rear end of its skull. The rabbit's legs twitch for a few moments. Then it slumps motionless. It is dead and the stoat begins the laborious business of hauling the great slack body back to its burrow."
It begins with a chapter titled, "A Winning Design", and discusses the origin and characteristics of mammals, followed by a pattern that will continue for the rest of the book: the introduction of a kind of animal, followed by information on it and possibly an anecdote, among other things.
From the start it is absolutely wonderful and fascinating, introducing the habits and appearance of the echidna, which to my astonishment is an ancient egg-laying mammal that resembles a hedgehog. This leads to the platypus and we sort of carry on from there, spending at most three pages on any one species, but usually only about 1/2 a page. As you can image, quite a lot of startling habits and new creatures are introduced!
The only complaint I have I will address now, and that's that every animal is described as if it's new to us. This is cool for things like the African civet or Eastern quoll, but it is kind of annoying for well-known animals like leopards, wolves and pandas. However it is only mildly annoying since there's something new to be learned about everything.
My favorite characteristics of this book were the occasional discussions of evolution - the REASON behind an animal having a certain intelligence or design, etc.; the very easy-to-follow organization (beginning with chapters like "Chisellers" or "Meat-Eaters" but later branching into things like "The Opportunists" and "The Social Climbers); naturally the plethora of photographs; and the abundance of great descriptions of behaviors. Also quite fun was the way the author talks as if he saw all of this stuff himself. At one point he was describing how a person by themselves simply cannot pull a certain animal off a branch...as soon as you get one leg free, it grabs with another. I had to wonder, "Did you TRY it??"
The Life of Mammals ends with too many pages on monkeys for my tastes, but I was really thrilled with the final chapter on Earth's most complex animals: us!
Attenborough approaches human beings as if they were just another mammal, describing not us city-dwelling peoples (just as he does not describe the housecat but the wild cat) but tribal and ancient peoples. I was really fascinated by the explanations for why WE are built like we are. Altogether it's a fun, quite informative, and easy read that anyone from age 12 to 100 could enjoy.
Lastly: an excerpt, as example (and because this is crazy):
"The European stoat is not a large animal, only about a foot long from the tip of its nose to the end of its slim, sinuous, softly-furred body. It is brown above and cream beneath, with a short four-inch-long black-tipped tail. It weighs only about a tenth as much as a rabbit. Yet it hunts them. Crouching in the long grass, it creeps close to unsuspecting victim sitting not far from its burrow. Once within range, the stoat deliberately shows itself. It starts to dance, leaping up and down apparently chasing its own tail. It somersaults. It bounces up again and makes a back flip. The rabbit, maybe only a couple of yards or so away, is transfixed. It stops nibbling and stares with bulging eyes at this extraordinary performance. Suddenly the stoat bursts out from the grass, stabs its teeth into the back of the rabbit's neck smashing the rear end of its skull. The rabbit's legs twitch for a few moments. Then it slumps motionless. It is dead and the stoat begins the laborious business of hauling the great slack body back to its burrow."
June 19, 2015
This is a thorough and comprehensive look at the evolution of mammals and how this has controlled their diet and visa-versa. Each chapter looks at a different mammal group showing the interconnections between them, their diet and their surroundings. As ever Attenborough manages to make sure that no reader is left behind on this epic journey through the world of mammals, including us as animals too (hate to break it to ya, but we are). Not to mention plenty of amazing photographs throughout to show just what each section is talking about, and to fully illustrate the diversity of this awesome group of animals.
March 22, 2007
Of all the people I've never met and would like to meet, David Attenborough is probably my all-time favorite. The pictures in this book are incredible (the BBC series even better). I immediately decided to buy this after seeing the photo of the pygmy anteater on page 217. It's amazing.
July 9, 2008
Of course I'm going to pick up a book with an Amur tiger on the cover...
I have not seen the 10 episode Discovery Channel series that goes along with this book, but let me tell you, the book stands on its own. The most diverse of the vertebrates, mammals include the largest animals on earth (blue whales), animals that fly (bats), and animals that can eat almost any type of food. The author makes sense of this diversity by dividing mammals into easily understandable groups and explaining how evolution has shaped the lives of each of these groups of mammals. Attenborough discusses what makes a mammal a mammal, then goes on to discuss the varying lifestyles of mammalian species.
The text itself is very easy to read. The writing style is engaging and informative, and no previous knowledge of biology or zoology is needed to understand this book. Attenborough caters to a very broad audience, and does not try to confuse the reader with lots of scientific terminology. The Life of Mammals would be very good reading for anyone interested in animals and mammals in general.
From learning about the navigation methods of bats and the special habits of meat eaters to understanding the natural history of water mammals, this book provides a focus which contrasts environments and evolutionary processes, and makes for an important and innovative guide. Heavily illustrated with beautiful photographs, this is a terrific introduction to the wonders of our hairy, milk-producing relatives.
I have not seen the 10 episode Discovery Channel series that goes along with this book, but let me tell you, the book stands on its own. The most diverse of the vertebrates, mammals include the largest animals on earth (blue whales), animals that fly (bats), and animals that can eat almost any type of food. The author makes sense of this diversity by dividing mammals into easily understandable groups and explaining how evolution has shaped the lives of each of these groups of mammals. Attenborough discusses what makes a mammal a mammal, then goes on to discuss the varying lifestyles of mammalian species.
The text itself is very easy to read. The writing style is engaging and informative, and no previous knowledge of biology or zoology is needed to understand this book. Attenborough caters to a very broad audience, and does not try to confuse the reader with lots of scientific terminology. The Life of Mammals would be very good reading for anyone interested in animals and mammals in general.
From learning about the navigation methods of bats and the special habits of meat eaters to understanding the natural history of water mammals, this book provides a focus which contrasts environments and evolutionary processes, and makes for an important and innovative guide. Heavily illustrated with beautiful photographs, this is a terrific introduction to the wonders of our hairy, milk-producing relatives.
April 22, 2011
A book based on the TV documentary series by David Attenborough, it was a must have. And i wasn't disappointed. Easy to read and the beautiful pictures make it simple for children and enjoyable for anyone who likes or is interested in knowing anything about animals.
August 7, 2019
What is there to say. It's David Attenborough. That should say enough. The man is a cornerstone for those in my generation that got an interest in natural history.
February 22, 2015
Une inconditionnelle de Sir David Attenborough. Excellent comme a son habitude.
February 28, 2013
Gorgeous. Wonderful.
June 18, 2012
This beautiful book is filled with universal knowledge and understanding on Marsupials, mice and men which is brought vividly to life with the most stunning photographs. It is an explosion of awareness and intelligence that has been culminated through David Attenborough’s twenty three year sequence of books and BBC television ‘life’ films, that cannot fail to astonish and blow you away. This book and its accompanying series of remarkable films contain vision, enthusiasm, passion and the ability for the author to share his knowledge in a most enthralling way that presents itself to the reader as a gift from an outstanding teacher. As an animal lover I fell in love instantly with this book which has a tremendous amount of information crammed into one small single volume, that was truly inspired and so intriguing that I was completely captivated by it. David Attenborough is a natural historian who doesn’t just inform you on the world but rather he takes you on the most exciting journey of discovery where you can literally see, smell and hear what he is describing in a most vivid way that demonstrated such energy; created by the writer’s passion and enthusiasm. From the young being born, how they adapt to life around them and evolution, this book contains everything that you will need to know on such dominating creatures on planet Earth. Otters, Camels, Lions, Foxes and Sheep, Moles underground, Wales at sea, Bats in the air etcetera and man have exploited every habitat and every food source hence being the basis for this new narrative. This is such a great book by one of the most influential, admired and best-liked figures in English television, who loves to travel the world looking at the natural world surrounding us and trying to understand it. This has to be a must have book for any animal lover, that opens a door onto the world around us and as you step through I guarantee that you will be completely shocked, stunned and blown away by what you read about in a whole new light that goes into so much detail as to empower those readers who love wildlife and who are proud of our planet. A remarkable book by a completely remarkable man, and one that I intend to re-read again and again thus taking a trip of discovery and enlightenment.
August 7, 2016
Attenborough, a highly acclaimed TV documentary presenter and naturalist, lets his findings, and those of experts all around the world, flourish in this book on mammals - a written version of his nature documentary series with the same title. From the great blue whale to the tiny pygmy shrew, Attenborough's book covers many corners of mammals' lives (individually and collectively): adaptation, reproduction, social and foraging behaviour, evolution and more. Ultimately, we are led to question not only the history of our species but also the impact we have on the vitality of the future for all life on earth.
May 3, 2020
Great book on mammals. A must read for nature lovers.
Attenborough writes clearly, concisely, and with logical segues from animal to animal inside each chapter and from chapter to chapter. You will not only be amazed by the fun facts and dazzled by the images but also get a general idea of the mammalian class: Small mammal appeared at the time of dinosaurs. They started as insect hunters. Then their teeth evolved and rodents appeared. They ate little other than nuts and fruits. They were followed by plant eaters. Not until 30M yr ago did the first omnivore appear. Then he talked about specialized diets (e.g., Pandas), marine mammals, tree dwellers, and primates.
Attenborough writes clearly, concisely, and with logical segues from animal to animal inside each chapter and from chapter to chapter. You will not only be amazed by the fun facts and dazzled by the images but also get a general idea of the mammalian class: Small mammal appeared at the time of dinosaurs. They started as insect hunters. Then their teeth evolved and rodents appeared. They ate little other than nuts and fruits. They were followed by plant eaters. Not until 30M yr ago did the first omnivore appear. Then he talked about specialized diets (e.g., Pandas), marine mammals, tree dwellers, and primates.
February 2, 2014
This is my first Attenborough book which was a really interesting read, although some chapters more than others. The facts about why mammals get big, hairy, get big ears, smaller noses, go different colours, lose their limbs or change shape because of the food they eat and the environment they live in is very detailed without being academic. The piece about how humans had an amphibious stage in our evolution was particularly extraordinary. Well worth reading, although not ideal for the train as it's too big and the amount of photos in it suggests you're reading a picture book!
September 2, 2014
The Life of Mammals by David Attenborough (BBC Books 2002)(599). David Attenborough’s years of work have led to this study of mammals. Evolution has bestowed the highest mental functioning to mammals; the author studies what this has wrought. My rating: 7/10, finished 2003.
April 9, 2015
David Attenborough's books never cease to satisfy I watched the companion TV series for this book many years ago but only received the book a a present last year. Very detailed with wonderful photos. Highly recommended.
March 6, 2017
Great book if you love learning about animals. Attenborough discusses mammals, categorized by their diets, and gives a lot of interesting details in this book. Also has really beautiful photographs of most of the mammals about which he writes.
January 19, 2009
This is a really great book to help teach children about mammals. I used this book to help make a lesson plan.
March 23, 2012
Easy read, but interesting great animals
October 14, 2012
Great book. Great pictures. Easy read. You can visualize how the animals evolved.
May 1, 2014
Beautiful book, amazing pictures, amazing facts
November 8, 2013
David Attenborough at his usual best.
December 14, 2014
Spectacular
January 1, 2015
A beautiful book!
October 25, 2017
This author knows his stuff, if you like animals, are curious about animals or already know the author's other works, grab this special book.
December 8, 2017
a tale of wonders from the legendary and archetypal naturalist-explorer Sir David Attenborough. it is very informative
May 14, 2019
I learned so much about obscure mammals that I had never heard of. Definitely a very interesting book.
October 21, 2024
More quality literature from David Attenborough but not quite The Life of Birds
July 29, 2020
I've read Life On Earth, The Living Planet and Life Of Birds fairly recently and rather loved them all. Life of Mammals is obviously of the same ilk, same format hardback book, about 300 pages with lots of wonderful colour photos and plenty of well-written text. Essentially, the 10 chapters chart the rise of the mammals since prehistoric times with shrews, echidnas, platypuses, moving on through all the other herbivores, insectivores, carnivores, omnivores, onto monkeys and ending with humans, mirroring the TV series. No stone is left unturned, and no one creature is dwelt upon for more than a few paragraphs, so this makes for brisk reading. The style is intelligent mainstream - always accessible, but there will be a few words new to many people. While I understand this, I wish it had been just that little more academic and higher-brow, but that's probably because I've read the other books already and am particularly interested in the subject. As a standalone book, it's near perfect. 4.75/5
November 14, 2022
De teksten over welke verschillende miereneters er zijn met hun eigen gewoontes tot de water zoogdieren en de apensoorten met hun merkwaardige gezichten zijn boeiend om te lezen en de bijhorende foto’s maken dit een 5 sterren boek , laat je verwonderen door de dieren die een band hebben met melk , en tegelijkertijd ook respect voor hun eigen soortelijke manier van (over) leven
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews