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Loading... Trickiest!: 19 Sneaky Animalsby Steve Jenkins
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Trickiest! introduces readers to some of the slyest animals on the planet. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)591.47Natural sciences and mathematics Zoology Specific topics in natural history of animals Morphology; Comparative anatomy; Homologies Motory organsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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My favorite tricky animal might be the fork-tailed drongo, a Machiavellian bird that cries out when it spots a predator as a warning to other animals—but sometimes does it just to steal a worm dropped in fright. I also loved the imitative animals, such as the satanic leaf-tailed gecko, which looks uncannily like a curly dried leaf complete with a tail that's veiny, ragged, and torn-looking.
Although Jenkins' illustrations are beautiful, some of them can't capture the details that make many of these animals so breathtakingly unique (the above-cited gecko is one of several animals you really have to see photos of to fully appreciate). Readers who investigate further on Google Images will be rewarded. But we do get a good sense of the animals' general appearance, size, and habitat. Each chapter features a globe image that shows where the animal lives, and there's a nifty visual aid showing the animal next to a silhouette of a tiny human hand for scale.
The book ends with a useful diagram breaking down the different types of adaptations and which animals use them. The back matter includes a glossary and bibliography (which, amusingly, includes two of Jenkins' own books). The copyright page at the back gives interesting facts about the design of the book, such as the fonts used and the unique style of illustration, which was done in torn- and cut-paper collage. ( )