A companion to the unique traveling exhibit--one of the most popular ever at museums throughout the nation--pays long-overdue homage to the fascinating frog.
With richly colorful photos and compelling, informative descriptions, John and Deborah Behler have carefully crafted a wonderful tribute to the amazingly complex frog. With decades of expertise in conservation, the Behlers are unequaled in their ability to capture the wild and ever-changing world of these amphibians--all 5,000 species. They reveal an unexpected diversity of form, lifestyle, and ecology, and take readers on a magical journey that makes vibrantly clear why these creatures are so important. Breathtaking and brilliant images show tadpoles in water and on leaves; a many-hued variety of frogs (bright blue, golden yellow and black, red and turquoise) in their environment; African sand frogs and chirping frogs; Oriental fire-bellied frogs; and tiny three-toed toadlets--among the smallest that exist. It's a vision not to be missed.
Frogs--those tailless, hopping amphibians with which most of us are familiar. But what makes a frog a frog? The Behlers, writing team and conservationists, have written an homage to the close to 5,000 species of frogs. They range in size from Africa's goliath frog (a seven-pound, foot-long giant) to the Brazilian flea frog (a mere one-half-inch long) and come in almost every color imaginable. Written to accompany a popular traveling museum exhibit, the book showcases the wonder and beauty of frogs. The first chapter examines what makes a frog and provides a nice primer to frog biology. Three chapters survey courtship and the metamorphosis of tadpole to frog, feeding and physiology, and camouflage and predator avoidance. The bulk of the book is a nice look at the frog families of the world, with descriptions of each family and representative species. The final two chapters discuss the problems of declining amphibian populations worldwide and why frogs are important. Sidebars throughout the text provide more information, and "frogfacts" in each section furnish fun trivia. Lavishly illustrated. Nancy Bent
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