Greenwood Guides to the Animal World - Clive Roots


Domestication investigates the animal behavioral trait with which we are most familiar -- how various species of animals have, over the last few millenia, become useful members of human societies. Each chapter examines a particular type of domestication, and includes accounts of of exemplary species that examines their biology, their domestication history, the results of domestication on their shape, size, color and physiology, and their comparative behavior - before and after domestication. Domestication is highly illustrated with both color and black and white illustrations.  

Domestication examines a wide variety of domesticated animals:
# Taming the Wolf -- how pre-modern humans domesticated the animals that now share our homes and households
# Changing Nature -- the new domesticated animals of the 20th century -- monkeys bred for the pet trade, llamas hybridised with alpacas for greater pet appeal and woolier coats, the production of fennec foxes, albino hedgehogs and mutant hairless guinea pigs
# Conservation by Domestication -- how zoos attempt to maintain species purity in breeding, which results in some form of domestication
# Feral Animals -- the fate of domesticated animals that become re-established in the wild, such as feral pigs, feral cats, and wild horses.



Hibernation examines those animals that cannot migrate and are forced to remain in a habitat that is inhospitable and consequently sleep deeply for weeks or months. Known as hibernation for winter sleep and estivation for its summer equivalent, this unique trait involves many special behaviors -- how do such animals prepare for sleep? where do they sleep? how do they store energy? how do they wake up? The book provides a thorough guide, perfect for research papers in biology classes, for understanding the behavior and biodiversity of a fascinating and unusual group of animals.  

Hibernation provides thorough coverage of the animals that have this unusual behavior, including:
# Mammals of the temperate zones, such as the ground hog and prairie dog, that can raise their temperature when in danger of freezing
# In contrast, the cold-blooded fish, amphibians, and reptiles that have no control over their body temperature, and therefore cannot raise it to avoid being frozen
# The northern bears that are the only animals to raise their young while hibernating
# The animals that live in semi-arid regions which must burrow into sand or mud and encase themselves in a waterproof membrane to avoid drying out. Beautifully illustrated, with numerous color images, Hibernation provides copious material for understanding these unusual animals.



Flightless Birds covers the loss of flight in birds, both permanently after years of evolution, and temporarily as a result of unusual molting behavior, and those species that are in various stages of losing their flight. The book provides a thorough guide, perfect for research papers in biology classes, for understanding the behavior and biodiversity of a fascinating and unusual group of animals.  

Flightless Birds includes sections on the major groups of flightless birds:
# Rarities whose ancient ancestors were on the continents when they broke away millions of years ago, and who survived despite competing with mammals
# Birds that were marooned on islands in the ocean, where food was plentiful and predators absent
# Penguins, which evolved alongside seas teeming with food and had no need to fly, and the special case of New Zealand's many flightless species which evolved in a predator-free paradise but could not cope with the settlers and their alien animals
# The many species which have become extinct within historic times Beautifully illustrated, with numerous color photos, Flightless Birds provides copious material for understanding these unusual animals.



Nocturnal Animals examines how such animals live and explains their highly developed senses that enable them to survive in the dark, as well as their behavior and adaptations to avoid sunlight and predators during the day. The book provides a thorough guide, perfect for research papers in biology classes, for understanding the behavior and biodiversity of a fascinating and unusual group of animals.  

Nocturnal Animals provides an in-depth discussion of the behaviors of this fascinating group of animals. For example:
# Snakes have special senses - their flicking tongues bring scent particles to an organ in the mouth, and rattlesnakes have special heat-sensing pits that locate a small rodent by its body warmth.
# The highly developed sight of tree-living frogs allow them to jump from branch to branch in the dark
# Owls can locate a mouse in complete darkness because of their accute hearing
# Bats send out high frequency signals - some species actually through their noses - and hear the returning echoes in time to fly through a forest at full speed
Beautifully illustrated, with numerous color images, Nocturnal Animalsprovides copious material for understanding these unusual animals.