Parasites are some of the nastiest creatures on earth. They will do anything to survive, including pirating nutrients and using mind control. Follicle mites feast on human skin cells. The corpse flower steals its host's DNA and the stickleback tapeworm tricks its host into becoming dinner. Parasites have adapted to every environment on earth and in the sea, but are these tiny creatures nature's monsters or do they play an important role in our ecosystem? Through intriguing photographs and accessible text, readers will dig into the science of parasites and explore how these creatures shape history.

Parasites are a nasty part of a healthy ecosystem, thriving off the nutrients of their hosts while their host is hurt in exchange. While they aren't beneficial to the host, understanding where parasites come from and how they infect the body is important for young readers. Through the vivid photographs complemented by comments from illustrated teaching companions, young readers get an introduction to not just where these nasty creatures come from, but how readers can avoid infection. Young scientists will read along with the fun illustrated characters who encourage a better understanding of what a parasite is.

Learn all about different kinds of sickening parasites. Discover fascinating facts, from the cousins of tongue-eating lice to how brainworms get inside animals. Amazing photos and simple text make this book a great high-interest read.

An introduction to roundworms, a parasite which can live and grow inside humans.--

Through dynamic infographics, charts, up-close photos, and strong reading level control, this title explores the lives of tapeworms, the creepy parasites that might be living near you. Tiny critters in your hair. Wiggling worms in your gut. Grossed out yet? Awful, Disgusting Parasites will have readers examining these nasty organisms, including where they thrive and how they impact people. Great books for hitting Next Gen Science standards. With diagrams, "fun" facts, and other infographics, readers won't be able to look away from these hi/lo books.

IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites control the minds of their hosts, sending them to their destruction. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites are masters of chemical warfare and camouflage, able to cloak themselves with their hosts' own molecules. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites steer the course of evolution, where the majority of species are parasites. WELCOME TO EARTH. For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and in the darkest shadows of science. Yet these creatures are among the world's most successful and sophisticated organisms. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer deftly balances the scientific and the disgusting as he takes readers on a fantastic voyage. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the fetid parasite haven of southern Sudan, Zimmer graphically brings to life how parasites can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead. This thorough, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe.

Through dynamic infographics, charts, up-close photos, and strong reading level control, this title explores the lives of malaria parasites, the creepy buggers that might be living near you. Tiny critters in your hair. Wiggling worms in your gut. Grossed out yet? Awful, Disgusting Parasites will have readers examining these nasty organisms, including where they thrive and how they impact people. Great books for hitting Next Gen Science standards. With diagrams, "fun" facts, and other infographics, readers won't be able to look away from these hi/lo books.