Describes how animals adapt to survive, discussing camouflage, mimicry, poisons, defense, adaptations to weather, feeding, and mating.

Animals adapt, or change, to stay alive. This informative book shows how change can happen over time in an animal's body or in the way it behaves due to changing climates, habitat changes, and opportunistic behaviors that help animals survive, such as the creation of new species.

Several million species inhabit the earth, survivors of more than three billion years of evolution. The plants and animals that have avoided extinction have had to adapt to a variety of harsh conditions. Packed with sumptuous photographs, Surviving presents the most striking examples of these incredible artists of survival, including: *The crab spider, which changes color to hide from its prey *The gecko that clings to a vertical rock with feet that have developed tiny suction cups *Emperor penguins, which work shifts with their mate, cradling their precious egg between their legs to protect it from the bitter Antarctic cold *The Portuguese man of war that drifts harmlessly on the waves until it is attacked, whereupon the sting from its tentacles paralyzes the attacker. Surviving provides fascinating explanations of how species have adapted to survive the challenges and complexities of an ever-changing ecosystem. AUTHOR: Alessandro Minelli is a professor of zoology at the University of Padua, Italy. He specializes in evolutionary developmental biology and is the author of several books about evolution and animal behavior. Maria Pia Mannucci, an author and illustrator, writes about the biogeography of invertebrates and natural history. 100 colour photographs

*A New York Times Editor's Choice pick *Shortlisted for the 2022 Pacific Northwest Book Awards A beloved natural historian explores how climate change is driving evolution In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, biologist Thor Hanson tells the remarkable story of how plants and animals are responding to climate change: adjusting, evolving, and sometimes dying out. Anole lizards have grown larger toe pads, to grip more tightly in frequent hurricanes. Warm waters cause the development of Humboldt squid to alter so dramatically that fishermen mistake them for different species. Brown pelicans move north, and long-spined sea urchins south, to find cooler homes. And when coral reefs sicken, they leave no territory worth fighting for, so aggressive butterfly fish transform instantly into pacifists. A story of hope, resilience, and risk, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is natural history for readers of Bernd Heinrich, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and David Haskell. It is also a reminder of how unpredictable climate change is as it interacts with the messy lattice of life.

Fitness and adaptation are fundamental characteristics of plant and animal species, enabling them to survive in their environment and to adapt to the inevitable changes in this environment. This is true for both the genetic resources of natural ecosystems as well as those used in agricultural production. Extensive genetic variation exists between varieties/breeds in a species and amongst individuals within breeds. This variation has developed over very long periods of time. A major ongoing challenge is how to best utilize this variation to meet short-term demands whilst also conserving it for longer-term possible use. Many animal breeding programs have led to increased performance for production traits but this has often been accompanied by reduced fitness. In addition, the global use of genetic resources prompts the question whether introduced genotypes are adapted to local production systems. Understanding the genetic nature of fitness and adaptation will enable us to better manage genetic resources allowing us to make efficient and sustainable decisions for the improvement or breeding of these resources. This book had an ambitious goal in bringing together a sample of the world’s leading scientists in animal breeding and evolutionary genetics to exchange knowledge to advance our understanding of these vital issues.

If you could have any animal's eyes, whose would you choose? What if you woke up one morning and your eyes weren't yours? What If You Had Animal Eyes? -- the next imaginative book in the What If You Had series -- explores what would happen if you looked in the mirror and saw a pair of animal eyes instead of your own! From the chameleon's eyes that can point in different directions, to the colossal squid's eyes that shine in the dark, discover what it would be like if you had these special eyes -- and find out why your eyes are just the right ones for you!