Bears: Their Life And Behavior: A PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES - Hardcover

Ashworth, William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517584980 ISBN 13: 9780517584989

Publisher: Crown, 1992

Synopsis

Bears are unique. Although they are the world's largest carnivores, their diet is primarily vegetarian. They combine immense physical power with one of the keenest intelligences in the animal kingdom. They refuse to knuckle under to any kind of human domination. That is why we are tremendously fascinated by bears and tremendously fearful of them.

Bears: Their Life and Behavior is a superb photographic study by Art Wolfe, one of the world's foremost nature photographers. He vividly portrays in their wilderness retreats and typical habitats all of the three North American bear species -- brown (grizzly) bears, black bears, and polar bears -- over 170 of his stunning photographs of bears in action: working and playing, food gathering, romping, fighting, and courting. There is an awe-inspiring close-up portrait of an Alaskan grizzly gaping at the camera. A brown bear catches salmon. A grizzly shows its speed chasing squirrels. Black bear cubs huddle against a tree. A polar bear feeds on kelp. A polar bear crosses an iced-over lagoon. Standing to full height on its hind legs, a polar bear checks out an intruder.

William Ashworth has written an enlightening text based on exhaustive research and a working life spent primarily in bear country. In an introductory chapter he explores the human fascination with bears and their highly distinctive anatomy and physiology. Then he covers in great detail the three specific North American bear species -- where each one lives, their migration patterns, their summer and winter ranges, their habitat requirements, and the unpredictability of bear behavior and the reasons to be wary of them. Finally, he discusses bear management and conservation.

This fantastically spectacular full-color book will thrill every nature enthusiast and lover of the great outdoors.

Art Wolfe's photographs have appeared in National Wildlife, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Audubon, and Life magazines. His exclusive photographs enrich such books as Owls: Their Life and Behavior, Alakshak, The Kingdom and Light on the Land, and The Imagery of Art Wolfe. He lives in Seattle, Washington

About this title

About the Author

William Ashworth is a leading environmentalist and the author of six other books on natural resources and environmental politics, including The Wallowas: Coming of Age in the Wilderness, Nor Any Drop to Drink, and The Late, Great Lakes. He is currently secretary of the Sierra Club's Oregon chapter and lives in Ashland, Oregon.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A photographic delight. Clear, closeup pictures with full sentence captions entice browsers to delve into the narration as Wolfe describes the behavior, habitats, anatomy, and physiology of the three North Amerian bear species. The introductory chapter concentrates on the folklore associated with them, and the concluding section centers on ecological concerns. The author is chatty, but easily understood. Chapter titles are very broad, and there are few dividing subject subdivisions. --Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA At A Glance Books in familiar series, titles that seem areself-explanatory, new editions of YA stand-bys, and ephemeral paperbacks with broad YA appeal.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Crown
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0517584980
• ISBN 13: 9780517584989
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 209