[Pet Health Admin]

A fascinating world of scientific wonders, the amphibian species is full of unusual and extreme adaptations and is home to numerous unsolved mysteries. Amphibians is your guide to these intriguing and diverse creatures.
Often misunderstood, this species which includes frogs, toads, salamanders and newts, surpasses all other vertebrate species in survival and reproduction strategies. In addition, as the stunning photographs depict, amphibians are also creatures of extreme beauty. Many tropical tree -- and poison-arrow frogs are just as dazzling in appearance as some of the world's most colorful birds.
Scientific experts from all over the globe have contributed their knowledge and understanding of amphibians to this comprehensive volume. An excellent resource for both experienced and amateur scientists, Amphibians, includes information on thousands of amphibian species from throughout the world. This useful reference guide also includes information on the biology, physiology and evolution of amphibians, as well as chapters on Ecology and Ethology, The Meaning of Amphibians for Mankind, and Endangerment and Species Protection. This last section is important as global warming, habitat loss and pesticides have placed many amphibians -- even common frogs and toads -- on the road to extinction.
Fascinating and informative, Amphibians, is one of the most comprehensive books available on this adaptive and ubiquitous species.

Customer Review: Beautiful, but tough reading
I was actually disappointed by this book. Each chapter in this book was written by a different person, most of them highly educated academic herpetologists. There's nothing wrong with the information, except if it's become dated since publication. Unfortunately the whole book is just hard to read! The authors wrote for their own educational level; whether the rest of us can follow it or not depends on how interested we are in the material, how good of a herpetological dictionary we have, and our own educational level. The pictures are beautiful, probably worth the cover price alone. It's just - as a writer - I know this could have been written so all could read it. My frustration is that people, particularly young ones, would get turned off on herpetology and perhaps even on science after trying to read this book.
Customer Review: Fabulous photos, but so-so text
The photos in this book are undoubtedly its strength. It may be worth buying this book just for the pictures. The problems with the text are as follows. First, it is obviously translated. It has been edited for correct English, but some of it still sounds awkward. The word usage often seems strange. I found a few errors, probably introduced by the translation/editing process. Second, it is not clear who it is written for. The vocabulary is probably too advanced for a non-scientist, but the information is nothing new for the specialist. Third, some of the information is too cursory to be of much value. For example, the chapter on diseases is very general; I don't think anyone would find the information here of much value. This book is worthwhile, but I would not consider it an essential reference work. Buy it for the photos, but don't expect the text to be excellent.


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