Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects And Spiders.CHRISTOPHER O'TOOLE, ED. FIREFLY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS TIM HALLIDAY AND KRAIG ADLER, EDS. These beautifully illustrated encyclopedias not only detail individual species, but also provide a wealth of information about how these creatures interact with one another and people, as well as the impact they have on their surroundings. "Factfile" entries in both books feature details of species' scientific order, populations, distribution and habitat, size and color, reproduction and life cycle, and conservation status. Insects and Spiders describes all the major known taxonomic tax·o·nom·i·cal (-  -k l)adj. groups and paints a compelling portrait of the largely unseen lives of these creatures, including the unusual ways that insects use pheromones pheromone /pher·o·mone/ (fer´ah-mon) a substance secreted to the outside of the body and perceived (as by smell) by other individuals of the same species, releasing specific behavior in the percipient. Of or relating to taxonomy. pher·o·mone (f to communicate and other natural chemicals to ward off predators. Reptiles and Amphibians examines the diversity of these two groups and specifically details how metamorphosis fatty metamorphosis fatty change. met·a·mor·pho·sis (m  t -môr occurs in frogs, salamanders salamander, an amphibian of the order Urodela, or Caudata. Salamanders have tails and small, weak limbs; superficially they resemble the unrelated lizards (which are reptiles), but they are easily distinguished by their lack of scales and claws, and by their moist, usually smooth skins. Salamanders are found in damp regions of the northern temperate zone and are most abundant in North America. Most are under 6 in., and caecilians caecilian (sēsĭl`ēən), any of the legless, tailless tropical amphibians of the family Caecilidae. Most adult caecilians resemble earthworms superficially but have vertebrate characteristics such as jaws and teeth. They range in size from 7 in. to 4.5 ft (18 cm–140 cm); most are about 1 ft (30 cm) long. and how venom, especially in snakes, has evolved into such an effective tool. Firefly, 2002, 240 p., Color photos/illus., hardcover, $40.00 ea.
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