Animals: A Visual Guide to the Animal Kingdom

Embark on an incredible journey through the dizzying diversity, complexity and majesty of the Animal Kingdom. Discover how primitive slime fungi cells coalesce and function for a time as a single animal, or witness the millions of Monarch butterflies that aggregate on trees in Mexico. Meet the Coelacanth fish thought to be extinct for millions of years, or Microcebus - the newly discovered mouse lemur and the world's smallest primate. From sponges to spiny ant eaters, brine shrimps to bonobos, Animals allows you to witness some of the most astonishing wonders of the natural world in spectacular detail.
Organised according to the scientific classification of animals (orders, families, genus, species), each chapter focuses on a different family of animals, starting with an introductory essay on the evolution, diversity, behaviour, habitats, conservation, etc. Subsequent pages showcase a broad selection of the most interesting, exotic, unusual, endangered, beautiful, specific animals within that group.
Animals combines over 350 amazing giant-sized images taken by the world's best wildlife photographers with the latest scientific and zoological research on the natural history and conservation status of hundreds of animals. From nature lovers to conservationists, wildlife watchers to budding zoologists, Animals is the ideal reference that will entertain, inform and enthrall readers of all ages.

Dr Keith Laidler is a writer and broadcaster specializing in wildlife in the natural world. He has written and produced many films on a wide range of animals including leopards; gorillas; harpy eagles; lion and otters, among others. His many books include The Talking Ape (Collins), Squirrels in Britain (David & Charles), River Wolf (Allen & Unwin), Pandas (BBC/Collins) and China’s Threatened Species (Blackwell). Keith has 1st Class B.Sc. Special Honours Zoology, Ph.D. Anthropology. He is Fellow of Royal Geographic Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Winston Churchill Fellow and a member of the Scientific Exploration Society.