This fascinating reference book delves into the origins of the vernacular and scientific names of sharks, rays, skates and chimeras. Each entry offers a concise biography, revealing the hidden stories and facts behind each species' name. Full of interesting facts and humorous titbits, the authors' extensive research and detective work has made ......
Conor Mark Jameson has spent most of his life exploring the natural environment and communicating his enthusiasm for it to family, friends and, more recently, readers of a range of newspapers and magazines. Shrewdunnit brings together the best of these dispatches, alongside unpublished essays, in a poetic and evocative journal that inspires and ......
A natural and cultural history of the oft-reviled slug, exploring the important role of these exquisite molluscs within ecosystems, their evolution and our complex relationship with them. Whether we are fascinated or repelled by them, few of us are indifferent to slugs. In evolutionary terms, they are among the most successful animals on the ......
The snails found living on rocky sea shores are among the most rewarding invertebrate animals to study. Species such as dog-whelks, topshells and winkles are easy to find, capture, identify, measure and mark. This book provides a key to common species, background ecology, an overview of rocky shore habitats and the techniques required for anyone ......
This stunning photographic guide covers more than 190 snake species found across peninsular Thailand, including Phuket island and other popular tourist destinations. Each species description contains essential identification information, with a special focus on how to differentiate dangerous snakes from their harmless lookalikes. There is detailed ......
The social calls of bats are an area about which relatively little is known, with more research still required to expand our understanding. However, these calls are increasingly recognised as a useful aid to identification: they appear to be species specific and are indicative of behaviour - as in territorial activity of males during the mating ......
Bats are fascinating mammals about which we still have much to learn. As well as using ultrasonic echolocation calls for orientation and while foraging, they also have a complex array of vocalisations for communication. These are known as social calls and are an essential component of their colonial lifestyle. This book brings together the ......
In Britain and Ireland there are about ten times more species of solitary bee than bumblebee and honeybee combined, yet the solitary bees tend to be ignored and we know much less about them. They are a fascinating, attractive and diverse group that can be found easily in a wide range of habitats, both urban and rural, and they are important as ......
This Naturalists' Handbook aims to attract more people to the study of solitary wasps by describing the ecology, distribution and natural history of these insects, including all relevant research in one convenient volume. Contents include an overview of the natural history of the solitary wasp, guidelines on identification, and advice on ......