Venomous Animals of the World [Large Print]

Every year people are attacked by animals whose bite carries poison that can cripple and kill. While these creatures (including snakes, spiders, marine life, mammals, amphibians, frogs, birds, and centipedes) are justifiably to be feared and respected, they can also be inherently fascinating for the beauty, their lifestyle, and their contributions to the ecosystems and habitats where they dwell. A coffee table style book that is impressively illustrated throughout with full color photography, "Venomous Animals Of The World" by naturalist, adventure, wildlife expert, and conservationist Steve Backshall provides the non-specialist general reader with a descriptive account of more than sixty animals whose toxins are the most lethal and evolved in response to the need to both attack and defend within the animal kingdom. Informed and informative, "Venomous Animals Of The World" offers such observations as poisons being classified ingested toxins while venoms are injected toxins; the pharmaceutical industry has been able to use animal toxins as the basis for many beneficial drugs; and so much more. With the cited animals being presented and organized according to being found in Europe, North American, Latin America, Africa, Australasia, and Asia, and enhanced with a concluding chapter on 'The Future for Venomous Wildlife', a bibliography for further study, appendices, and an index, "Venomous Animals Of The World" is a welcome and recommended addition to school and community library Pets & Wildlife reference collections and Wildlife Studies supplemental reading lists.