From the under-snow tunnels of Arctic lemmings to the egg nests of the
bizarre Australian echidna, from the Pacific waters inhabited by sea
otters and whales to the subways of major cities, this extraordinary and
attractive book brings us into the homes and lives of some of earth's
most fascinating animals.
Published in conjunction with a ten-part television series that will air
on the Discovery Channel, The Life of Mammals brings us nose-to-nose
with mammals in all of their beauty and immense variety. Renowned
naturalist, writer, and filmmaker David Attenborough treks across every
continent and kind of terrain to introduce us to such unusual and
evolutionarily successful creatures as the Patagonian opossum, the
Canadian pygmy shrew, the Alpine marmot, and the Malaysian sun bear. We
meet slow-moving algae-covered sloths. We enter a pack of African wild
dogs, seeing how their division of labor enables them to provide
protection and food to pups, mothers, and old dogs. We learn about the
navigation systems of bats and find out why Borneo's colugo is a
superior glider to a flying squirrel. Along the way, Attenborough
considers how evolution has shaped mammalian habits, leading herbivorous
sea cows to take to the water and humans to commence agriculture.
Containing more than 200 spectacular color photographs, this is a book
that will gratify anyone intrigued by the natural world and the animals
that inhabit it. Informative, utterly absorbing, and classic
Attenborough, it represents natural history at its finest.
