Venomous Animals of the World [Large Print]

by Steve Backshall

Book Overview

Venomous creatures such as snakes and spiders are the stuff of human nightmares. Yet toxins are a regular part of the animal world, an essential tool for hunting and defense. A surprising variety of insects, reptiles, and amphibians use venom in their daily lives, either to subdue their prey or to prevent falling victim to another predator. Precisely how many forms of wildlife are venomous is only now becoming clear. From the mighty King Cobra, which...

• Format: Hardcover
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801888336
• ISBN13: 9780801888335
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.9" x 12.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Every year people are attacked by animals whose bite carries poison that can cripple and kill.

Every year people are attacked by animals whose bite carries poison that can cripple and kill. While these creatures (including snakes, spiders, marine life, mammals, amphibians, frogs, birds, and centipedes) are justifiably to be feared and respected, they can also be inherently fascinating for the beauty, their lifestyle, and their contributions to the ecosystems and habitats where they dwell. A coffee table style book that is impressively illustrated throughout with full color photography, "Venomous Animals Of The World" by naturalist, adventure, wildlife expert, and conservationist Steve Backshall provides the non-specialist general reader with a descriptive account of more than sixty animals whose toxins are the most lethal and evolved in response to the need to both attack and defend within the animal kingdom. Informed and informative, "Venomous Animals Of The World" offers such observations as poisons being classified ingested toxins while venoms are injected toxins; the pharmaceutical industry has been able to use animal toxins as the basis for many beneficial drugs; and so much more. With the cited animals being presented and organized according to being found in Europe, North American, Latin America, Africa, Australasia, and Asia, and enhanced with a concluding chapter on 'The Future for Venomous Wildlife', a bibliography for further study, appendices, and an index, "Venomous Animals Of The World" is a welcome and recommended addition to school and community library Pets & Wildlife reference collections and Wildlife Studies supplemental reading lists.