The Encyclopedia of Animals

From big cats to great apes, from penguins to boa constrictors and from giraffes to termites, Animals is a celebration of the immense diversity of life on Earth, from all creatures great and small. Mammals, birds, insects, amphibians and reptiles are all featured in this full color encyclopedia.

Profiling more than 400 of the world's most fascinating species, Animals offers a comprehensive overview of creatures from every continent and climate, form the common seal to the leopard, from the filed hamster to the duck billed platypus, from the alpine salamander to the bombardier beetle, and from the kingfisher to the American alligator and the sea horse.

Featured animals are grouped by order, then within each order by family; each family section contains examples of the key species, which are illustrated with beautifully detailed, full color annotated artworks. For easy reference, each entry includes a table of information on scientific name, order and family, features, habitats, diet and breeding, as well as informative maps showing its distribution and detailed box features.

Packed full of information with more than 1200 color illustrations and more than 400 color photographs, Animals is guaranteed to appeal to any budding zoologist or animal enthusiast.

David Alderton has enjoyed a life long interest in wildlife and has traveled widely, studying a variety of creatures in their natural habitats throughout the world. Since graduating from Cambridge University, he has worked full time in this area. As an award winning specialist author about animals, his books have now sold over six million copies and have been published in 30 languages. David also takes part regularly in radio and television programs on wildlife topics, for the BBC, the Discovery Channel and other broadcasters, both as a participant and as a writer. He also runs his own popular website about pets and other animals at http://www.pethouseclub.com which launched in 2008.