Learn how animals such as armadillos and crabs protect themselves from predators.

Learn about the weapons that different animals have to protect themselves from predators.

Emlen takes us outside the lab and deep into the forests and jungles where he's been studying animal weapons in nature for years, to explain the processes behind the most intriguing and curious examples of extreme animal weapons. As singular and strange as some of the weapons we encounter on these pages are, we learn that similar factors set their evolution in motion. Emlen uses these patterns to draw parallels to the way we humans develop and employ our own weapons, and have since battle began.

Learn about animals that blend in with their surroundings to avoid predators.

Armored skin, bony plates, and shells are key defenses animals employ to survive in their natural surroundings. By examining the many forms animal armor can take, readers will have the opportunity to explore the physical makeup of turtle shells, armadillo bands, and millipede exoskeletons, among others. They'll learn how animals use their armor to protect against specific predators. Lively fact boxes, along with sidebars and accessible descriptions of current scientific research, help students discover the more unusual aspects of animal armor. Full-color photographs of the animals and close-ups of their special features enhance the narrative while a list of recent books and websites encourage further exploration of the topic.

It's the weirdest and wildest menagerie ever to strut across a page.

A shell of bony plates covers an armadillo's body. This dense Òbody armorÓ protects the animal, but it also makes swimming difficult. To avoid sinking in water, an armadillo must inflate its stomach with air! In this book, children will learn about the diet, habitat, and unique look of the armadillo.