How Not to Be Eaten: The Insects Fight Back - Softcover

Waldbauer, Dr. Gilbert; Nardi, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520383001 ISBN 13: 9780520383005

Publisher: University of California Press, 2021

Synopsis

“At times this informative book turns wonderfully gross and lovely, reminding us that there’s an entire universe of largely unnoticed creatures all around us.”—Audubon

All animals must eat. But who eats who, and why, or why not? Because insects outnumber and collectively outweigh all other animals combined, they comprise the largest amount of animal food available for potential consumption. How do they avoid being eaten? From masterful disguises to physical and chemical lures and traps, predatory insects have devised ingenious and bizarre methods of finding food. Equally ingenious are the means of hiding, mimicry, escape, and defense waged by prospective prey in order to stay alive. This absorbing book demonstrates that the relationship between the eaten and the eater is a central—perhaps the central—aspect of what goes on in the community of organisms. By explaining the many ways in which insects avoid becoming a meal for a predator, and the ways in which predators evade their defensive strategies, Gilbert Waldbauer conveys an essential understanding of the unrelenting coevolutionary forces at work in the world around us.

About this title

About the Author

Gilbert Waldbauer is Professor Emeritus of Entomology at University of Illinois. He is the author of eight books, including Fireflies, Honey, and Silk (UC Press), A Walk around the Pond, and What Good Are Bugs?

Edition details

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520383001
• ISBN 13: 9780520383005
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 238