Moffett, “the Indiana Jones of entomology,” takes us around the globe on a strange and colorful journey in search of the hidden world of ants. In tales from Nigeria, Indonesia, the Amazon, Australia, California, and elsewhere, Moffett recounts his entomological exploits and provides fascinating details on how ants live and how they dominate their ecosystems through strikingly human behaviors, yet at a different scale and a faster tempo. Moffett’s spectacular close-up photographs shrink us down to size, so that we can observe ants in familiar roles; warriors, builders, big-game hunters, and slave owners. We find them creating marketplaces and assembly lines and dealing with issues we think of as uniquely human—including hygiene, recycling, and warfare. Adventures among Ants introduces some of the world’s most awe-inspiring species and offers a startling new perspective on the limits of our own perception.• Ants are world-class road builders, handling traffic problems on thoroughfares that dwarf our highway systems in their complexity• Ants with the largest societies often deploy complicated military tactics• Some ants have evolved from hunter-gatherers into farmers, domesticating other insects and growing crops for food

    Thank you, Jonathan Balcombe, for reminding us of the infinite marvels of everyday creatures. --Sy Montgomery, Author of How to Be a Good CreatureFrom an expert in animal consciousness, a book that will turn the fly on the wall into the elephant in the room.For most of us, the only thing we know about flies is that they're annoying, and our usual reaction is to try to kill them. In Super Fly, the myth-busting biologist Jonathan Balcombe shows the order Diptera in all of its diversity, illustrating the essential role that flies play in every ecosystem in the world as pollinators, waste-disposers, predators, and food source; and how flies continue to reshape our understanding of evolution. Along the way, he reintroduces us to familiar foes like the fruit fly and mosquito, and gives us the chance to meet their lesser-known cousins like the Petroleum Fly (the only animal in the world that breeds in crude oil) and the Chocolate Midge (the sole pollinator of the Cacao tree). No matter your outlook on our tiny buzzing neighbors, Super Fly will change the way you look at flies forever.Jonathan Balcombe is the author of four books on animal sentience, including the New York Times bestselling What A Fish Knows, which was nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Award for Science Writing. He has worked for years as a researcher and educator with the Humane society to show us the consciousness of other creatures, and here he takes us to the farthest reaches of the animal kingdom.

    Little Brutus was destined to remain in captivity or, more likely, even euthanized due to overpopulation at the preserve. Anderson, already an expert in animal rescue and rehabilitation, just could not let that happen to Brutus, who looked like a "fuzzy Twinkie." From the beginning it was clear something special existed between the two. And so, Anderson built the Montana grizzly encounter in Bozeman, Montana, especially for Brutus, so that he, and others like him, could grow up "being a bear." And so the love story began.When together, Anderson and Brutus will wrestle, swim, play, and continue to act as advocates for grizzly protection and education, be it through documentaries like Expedition Grizzly, appearances on Oprah or Good Morning America, or in this inspiring book, which promises to be an intimate look into Anderson's relationship with Brutus and a call to action to protect these glorious animals and the natural world they live in.The Story of Brutus proves that love and friendship knows no bounds and that every care must be taken to protect one of nature's noblest creatures.

    A building cleared of every living thing by a band of tiny spiders. An infant insect eating its living prey from within, saving the vital organs for last. These are among the deadly feats of natural engineering you'll witness in The Red Hourglass, prize-winning author Gordon Grice's masterful, poetic, often dryly funny exploration of predators he has encountered around his rural Oklahoma home. Grice is a witty and intrepid guide through a world where mating ends in cannibalism, where killers possess toxins so lethal as to defy our ideas of a benevolent God, where spider remains, scattered like "the cast-off coats of untidy children," tell a quiet story of violent self-extermination. It's a world you'll recognize despite its exotic strangeness--the world in which we live. Unabashedly stepping into the mix, Grice abandons his role as objective observer with beguiling dark humor--collecting spiders and other vermin, decorating a tarantula's terrarium with dollhouse furniture, or forcing a battle between captive insects because he deems one "too stupid to live."Kill. Eat. Mate. Die. Charting the simple brutality of the lives of these predators, Grice's starkly graceful essays guide us toward startling truths about our own predatory nature. The Red Hourglass brings us face to fanged face with the inadequacy of our distinctions between normal and abnormal, dead and alive, innocent and evil.From the Hardcover edition.

    Writer and angler David DiBenedetto followed this great migration -- the fall run -- for three months in the autumn of 2001.On the Run offers vivid portrayals of the zany and obsessive characters DiBenedetto met on his travels -- including the country's most daring fisherman, an underwater videographer who chucked his corporate job in favor of filming striped bass, and the reclusive angler who claims that catching the world-record striper in 1982 sent his life into a tailspin. Along his route, DiBenedetto also delves into the natural history and biology of this great game fish, and depicts the colorful cultures of the seaside communities where the striped bass reigns supreme.

    I was also a fraud, a liar and a cheat. Those lists of birds seen, ticked off like Don Juan’s conquests? A tissue of lies. One hundred and thirty species? More like 60. Dotterel, firecrest, smew? Give me a break.So when I revived my dormant mania early this year, I decided to right my childhood wrongs, even though they were born of good intentions. I would go birdwatching again. I would keep track of the birds I saw. I would not lie. To spice things up, and to guard against enthusiasm fatigue, I set myself a target. Six hundred and one bird species have been recorded in Britain. I would aim to see 200 of them in a year. A doddle, surely?Not so fast, man-cub.Half of the 601 are described as ‘rare’. One, the great auk, is extinct. That leaves 300. My friend Andrew is a proper and active birder. In his best year he clocked up 206. I’m neither proper nor active. What chance do I have? Slim to none. But I like a challenge.Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? is the story of that challenge. But it’s not just about birds. It’s about family, music, nostalgia; hearing the stories of strangers; the nature of obsession and obsession with nature. It’s about finding adventure in life when you twig it’s shorter than you thought; losing and regaining contact with the sights, sounds and smells of the natural world; the humiliation of being a professional musician who doesn’t recognise the song of a blue tit. It’s about the first time my parents heard me say ‘fuck’.It’s a book for anyone who has ever seen a small brown bird and wondered what it was, or tried to make sense of a world in which we can ask ‘What's that bird?’ and ‘What's for lunch?’ and get the same answer. It’s also a long overdue thank you letter to my parents.

    Uncovering the secrets of the honeybee one by one, Ellis shows how this small insect, with a collective significance so much greater than its individual size, can carry us through past and present to tell us more about ourselves than any other living creature.

    Includes: A key to insect groups. Mature and immature forms. How insects grow and develop and what they eatHow to find and observe them.Full color pictures, nontechnical language, and up-to-date range maps make this a gem of a guide for beginners at any age.

    The most user-friendly butterfly guide ever published, still handy and compact, now updated with the very latest information- Follows the latest classification, recognizing more than forty additional species- Includes four new color plates of Mexican-border rarities- More than 2,300 images of butterflies in natural poses- Pictorial table of contents- Convenient one-page index- Range maps on text pages

    The answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. She taste-tests rat bait, learns how to install a vulture effigy, and gets mugged by a macaque.Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to "problem" wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem—and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat.

    One of America's favorite nature-show hosts, Corwin demonstrates awe and respect for nature in a way that is both wildly funny and educational. In this beautiful book, illustrated with his own photographs, he reminisces about his at-times-perilous and often hilarious journeys as he explores the fantastic relationships among the diverse flora and fauna in four exotic ecosystems: the Sonoran Desert of Arizona; the Savannah of southeastern Africa; the Costa Rican rainforest; and the Llanos grassland in Venezuela. From a lizard that ejects a blood-like squirt from its eyes when in danger to perhaps the most bizarre turtle on the planet-we meet some wonderfully unique creatures and learn about their interdependence and competition in their natural habitats.

    Written by a prominent social work leader and trainer for social work licensing exams in the U.S., this guide is based on years of time-tested exam prep workshops conducted by the author. It mirrors the ASWB Masters’ "Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities” upon which the exam is based, as well as incorporates information from the DSM-5, which will be included in the exam starting in mid-2015. The guide is comprehensive yet focuses on the material most likely to be included on the exam, so that students can prioritize information as they study. A self-assessment section helps readers identify their strengths and weaknesses before they tackle the material. The author shares her extensive knowledge of the exam by providing useful test-taking strategies and tips for overcoming test anxiety. The 170-question practice test at the end of the guide (with explanations of the correct answers) mirrors the actual exam in both length and structure. Information covered includes human development, diversity, abuse and neglect, assessment and intervention planning, direct and indirect (micro and macro) practice, and professional values and ethics. This book will be a valuable asset for students and aspiring social workers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Key Features: Developed by a highly respected educator of social work licensure candidates Covers all the content areas on the examination, as well as new content added in 2015 Begins with a self-assessment section to help identify areas of strength and weakness Offers a wealth of test-taking tips and strategies to foster exam confidence Includes a practice test (with explanations of the correct answers) that mirrors the exam ASWB is a registered service mark of the Association of Social Work Boards, which neither sponsors nor endorses this product.

    Building on the concepts taught in the best-selling book Running With Curves, Why You're Not Too Fat to Run and the Skinny on How to Start Today, Jill Angie gives you everything you need to finish your first race—and feel great about it—including a step-by-step training plan that takes into account all the challenges of being an overweight athlete in a size-six world.Where other training plans fail you, this book steps in and gets you to the finish line with ease, bringing out your inner runner girl and showing you that you're capable of so much more than you ever thought possible.This book is for anyone who wants to complete their first 5K. That means you don’t even have to be a runner right now. As long as you can walk for 3 miles, you will be able to do a 5K in two months. I promise. Also, this book is designed to train you to finish that 5K in a way that feels good to you, both mentally and physically. That means you can walk, run, skip, or even disco dance your way across the finish line. Now, if you’ve already done a 5K (or two… or five), this doesn’t mean you won’t get anything out of this book. Just the opposite, in fact. There is a truckload of helpful information here that will help you take your 5K performance to the next level.Praise for Not Your Average 5KJill Angie has created a 5K training plan that not only gets you to the finish line but addresses the #1 reason that many new (and experienced) runners face when taking on new challenges. Mindset. In this easy to follow program, Jill walks you through exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to get rid of self doubt, fear and anxiety known as your "inner mean girl" so that you finish strong, confident, and proud. Whether you struggle with the physical aspects, mental aspects, both or neither, this guide will have you totally prepared on race day. —Steve Carmichael, running coach and host of The RunBuzz podcast, www.RunBuzz.com"Not Your Average 5K is a highly readable and engaging book that will have you BELIEVING you can do a 5K in eight weeks and provides a roadmap with plans to accomplish it. It is authentic, thorough, and motivational from start to finish! We highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to do their first 5K." —Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano of Run The Edge, www.RunTheEdge.com

    It feels creative and satisfying and will set you up for a lifetime of good habits, no matter the age you are starting from. My wish for this book is that it encourages you to think about money in a way that makes you feel in control, uplifted and inspired to steer yourself towards a joyous and prosperous future. I want to share my contagious beliefs that dealing with your money can be fun and exciting. I know many women have a fractious relationship with their finances and can often be quite scared of dealing with things. I have felt that way in the past too. I do hope you will join me in this journey because it feels so much better to have a good relationship with your money than not. I love the saying Look after your money, and your money will look after you. It does not have to be scary, and you do not have to worry about becoming greedy if you focus on your finances; all that will happen is that this important area of your life will feel happier, freer and more bountiful. It is a glorious feeling and it is well within your reach. I hope that by the end of this book you will be eager and enthusiastic about your own finances, in fact, I am sure you will. ~~ Fiona Ferris Contents: Introduction How I became interested in personal finance About this book Chapter 1. Start from the beginning What do you believe about money? Make your finances fun and enjoyable Simplify your life Chapter 2. Be savvy and a good steward of your money Living well on a moderate income Add up what your vice is costing you Try out cheaper options ‘The free part’ Cap limits in your life Decide for yourself what you splurge and save on Spend more time at home Make your own meals most of the time Do not be afraid to ask for gifts Slim down your magazine choices Chapter 3. Live like a millionaire now and feel rich every day Do not wait to be rich to feel good Use your good things Surround yourself with beauty Keep only what your future self would have in her beautiful home Visit five-star luxury and soak it in Replace broken items with quality, cherish the rest Feel luxurious in budget-friendly ways Curate your wardrobe Cultivate an expensive-looking personal style Have an elegant personal demeanour ‘Expensive’ décor on a budget Chapter 4. See how you rich are already Know where your finances are at Speak positively about your finances Cultivate a happy and relaxed feeling around money Contentment as a financial tool Think beyond a purchase to its exit Chapter 5. Inspire yourself to a wealthy future Keep your vibration high Share your dreams with your other half Commit to being debt-free Take inspiration from expensive stores Read inspirational money books and find fun ways to educate yourself Think as if you were creating your own personal brand Have role models Chapter 6.

    Featuring 50 common North American birds, such as the White-Breasted Butt Nugget and the Goddamned Canada Goose (or White-Breasted Nuthatch and Canada Goose for the layperson), Matt Kracht identifies all the idiots in your backyard and details exactly why they suck with ink drawings. Each entry is accompanied by facts about a bird's (annoying) call, its (dumb) migratory pattern, its (downright tacky) markings, and more.The essential guide to all things wings with migratory maps, tips for birding, musings on the avian population, and the ethics of birdwatching.