City Critters
Wildlife in the Urban Jungle
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
When we think of wild animals, we don't immediately associate them with the cities we live in. But a closer look soon reveals that we share our urban environment with a great many untamed creatures. Heavily illustrated and full of entertaining and informative facts, City Critters examines how and why so many wild animals choose to live in places that, on first glance at least, seem contrary to their needs. How do those deer, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, coyotes, crows, gulls and geese – not to mention the alligators, eagles, otters and snakes – manage to survive in the big city? What special skills do city critters have that many of their wilderness cousins lack? Why have they developed these skills? And what are our responsibilities in ensuring that these animals can continue to share our city lives?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Read follows The Sea Wolves and The Salmon Bears with a thought-provoking investigation of the growing number of animals sharing urban environments with humans. "But how did we reach a point where having a black bear in your garden, while never desirable... is almost normal?" writes Read in his introduction. "Believe it or not, you can probably answer the question in one word: space." In seven chapters divided by animal types (mammals like raccoons and deer, invasive species like the zebra mussel, urban standbys like spiders and pigeons) and illustrated with numerous color photographs, Read demonstrates how human developments affect animals' abilities to thrive and survive, and leaves readers with plenty of food for thought. Ages 8 up.
