The Life of Mammals - Hardcover

David Attenborough

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691113246 ISBN 13: 9780691113241

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2002

Synopsis

From the under-snow tunnels of Arctic lemmings to the egg nests of the bizarre Australian echidna, from the Pacific waters inhabited by sea otters and whales to the subways of major cities, this extraordinary and attractive book brings us into the homes and lives of some of earth's most fascinating animals.

Published in conjunction with a ten-part television series that will air on the Discovery Channel, The Life of Mammals brings us nose-to-nose with mammals in all of their beauty and immense variety. Renowned naturalist, writer, and filmmaker David Attenborough treks across every continent and kind of terrain to introduce us to such unusual and evolutionarily successful creatures as the Patagonian opossum, the Canadian pygmy shrew, the Alpine marmot, and the Malaysian sun bear. We meet slow-moving algae-covered sloths. We enter a pack of African wild dogs, seeing how their division of labor enables them to provide protection and food to pups, mothers, and old dogs. We learn about the navigation systems of bats and find out why Borneo's colugo is a superior glider to a flying squirrel. Along the way, Attenborough considers how evolution has shaped mammalian habits, leading herbivorous sea cows to take to the water and humans to commence agriculture.

Containing more than 200 spectacular color photographs, this is a book that will gratify anyone intrigued by the natural world and the animals that inhabit it. Informative, utterly absorbing, and classic Attenborough, it represents natural history at its finest.

About this title

About the Author:

David Attenborough was born in 1926 and educated at Cambridge. He started making television documentaries in the 1950s, produced the series Zoo Quest, and made some of television's first black-and-white nature films before being promoted to senior management at the BBC. In the 1970s, Attenborough returned to filmmaking and has subsequently produced some of the most famous wildlife documentaries ever made, most notably his Life series. He was knighted in 1985 and now lives near London. He is the author of The Life of Birds, The Private Life of Plants, and Life on Air (all Princeton).

From Booklist:

The veteran natural history author and filmmaker (The Private Life of Plants, The Life of Birds) now turns his attention to the order of mammals. Published to coincide with a television series to air on the Discovery Channel, the book's 10 chapters mirror the series' 10 episodes. The most diverse of the vertebrates, mammals include the largest animals on earth (blue whales), animals that fly (bats), and animals that can eat almost any type of food. The author makes sense of this diversity by dividing mammals into easily understandable groups and explaining how evolution has shaped the lives of each of these groups of mammals. Attenborough discusses what makes a mammal a mammal, then goes on to discuss the varying lifestyles of mammalian species. Heavily illustrated with beautiful photographs and enlivened by Attenborough's friendly, informative writing style, this is a terrific introduction to the wonders of our hairy, milk-producing relatives. Nancy Bent
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About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0691113246
• ISBN 13: 9780691113241
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320