A tour of the surprising world of the endangered Asian arowana, otherwise known as the "dragon fish," describes the violence, expense, cultural beliefs and sophisticated smuggling operations surrounding its illegal possession, tracing the author's years-long quest in search of surviving populations.

"From the editor of the nation's premier birding magazine, a no-nonsense, no-fluff quick guide to the birds you see every day. Of all the classic American pastimes, perhaps none is as widely accessible as watching birds. Our unusually vast, diverse environmental landscape supports fascinating species and variations exclusive to each region of the country. But while birders often spend their efforts in search of the rarest creatures, some of the most beautiful and intriguing birds are the ones that frequent our backyards (or nearby) daily. For that reason, where other, larger volumes focus on bird types that the casual observer is never likely to encounter, Western Birds concisely celebrates those species living under our very noses. Written by Bill Thompson III, the editor and co-publisher of Bird Watcher's Digest, this portable 5"x8" book contains the same variety of entertaining and informative entries that make Bird Watcher's Digest the nation's most popular birding magazine. Inside, you'll find profiles of the 55 most common birds in the West, complete with large color photos, gender-specific physical descriptions, nesting and feeding information, bird call particulars, and interesting stories about each species. Thompson also introduces the reader to the basics of bird watching: essential gear, bird-friendly food and plantings, housing tips, and observational techniques. This guide covers Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and western Texas. Look for our other backyard bird guides covering the Mid-Atlantic, South, Northeast, and Midwest regions of the United States"--

From the editor of the nation’s premier birding magazine, a no-nonsense, no-fluff quick guide to the birds you see every day. Of all the classic American pastimes, perhaps none is as widely accessible as watching birds. Our unusually vast, diverse environmental landscape supports fascinating species and variations exclusive to each region of the country. But while birders often spend their efforts in search of the rarest creatures, some of the most beautiful and intriguing birds are the ones that frequent our backyards (or nearby) daily. For that reason, where other, larger volumes focus on bird types that the casual observer is never likely to encounter, Mid-Atlantic Birds concisely celebrates those species living under our very noses. Written by Bill Thompson III, the editor and co-publisher of Bird Watcher’s Digest, this portable 5"x8" book contains the same variety of entertaining and informative entries that make Bird Watcher’s Digest the nation’s most popular birding magazine. Inside, you’ll find profiles of the 55 most common birds in the Mid-Atlantic, complete with large color photos, gender-specific physical descriptions, nesting and feeding information, bird call particulars, and interesting stories about each species. Thompson also introduces the reader to the basics of bird watching: essential gear, bird-friendly food and plantings, housing tips, and observational techniques. This guide covers Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Look for our other backyard bird guides covering the Midwest, South, Northeast, and West regions of the United States.

A visually stunning exploration of the mysteries of evolution focuses on the inherent winter survival tactics of animals, including flying squirrels, grizzly bears, torpid turtles, and even insects, revealing how these animals alter and adapt to a vast array of extraordinary conditions. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

A firsthand exploration of the extraordinary abilities and surprising, sometimes life-saving talents of “working dogs

Explores how human beings have become the dominant force shaping Earth's future by subduing three-quarters of the planet's surface, tinkering with nature, and altering the climate.

A photographic essay on the archipelago that was the genesis for Darwin's theory

In a series of essays giving careful consideration to the theory of evolution, Gould examines some of the more intriguing mysteries of the topic, studying the Piltdown Man hoax, the deceleration of earth's rotation, and other phenomena

In 1953, birding guru Roger Tory Peterson and noted British naturalist James Fisher set out on what became a legendary journey-a one hundred day trek over 30,000 miles around North America. They traveled from Newfoundland to Florida, deep into the heart of Mexico, through the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and into Alaska's Pribilof Islands. Two years later, Wild America, their classic account of the trip, was published. On the eve of that book's fiftieth anniversary, naturalist Scott Weidensaul retraces Peterson and Fisher's steps to tell the story of wild America today. How has the continent's natural landscape changed over the past fifty years? How have the wildlife, the rivers, and the rugged, untouched terrain fared? The journey takes Weidensaul to the coastal communities of Newfoundland, where he examines the devastating impact of the Atlantic cod fishery's collapse on the ecosystem; to Florida, where he charts the virtual extinction of the great wading bird colonies that Peterson and Fisher once documented; to the Mexican tropics of Xilitla, which have become a growing center of ecotourism since Fisher and Peterson's exposition. And perhaps most surprising of all, Weidensaul finds that much of what Peterson and Fisher discovered remains untouched by the industrial developments of the last fifty years. Poised to become a classic in its own right, Return to Wild America is a sweeping survey of the natural soul of North America today.

A guide to non-traditional sexual expression, presented in the form of answers to written letters, draws on the author's expertise in evolutionary biology and considers such topics as necrophilia, bestiality, sex changes, virgin births, and male pregnancy. 50,000 first printing.