Animal Biology

Animals get their energy from the food they eat. Animals depend on other living things for food. Some animals, called herbivores, eat plants; while others are carnivores that eat other animals. Scavengers, like vultures and hyenas, eat dead animals. Learn how different animals eat and how this determines how they look and where they live. Can you name other animals that are scavengers?

Zombieism isn’t just the stuff of movies and TV shows like The Walking Dead. It’s real, and it’s happening in the world around us, from wasps and worms to dogs and moose - and even humans. In Plight of the Living Dead, science journalist Matt Simon documents his journey through the bizarre evolutionary history of mind control.

In the fight for survival, poison and venom are deadly weapons. They can help animals defend themselves against predators or conquer unsuspecting prey. Find out which animals carry the deadliest toxins, and how poison and venom differ between species. You might want to stay clear of these animals!

Peek! A baby prairie dog looks out of its underground burrow. Beginning listeners will discover why burrows make good homes for growing baby rabbits, meerkats, and other adorable animals.

Cheep! Cheep! What is that sound? It’s a baby bird in a nest! Beginning listeners will discover why nests make good homes for growing baby birds, squirrels, and other animals.

Imagine raising an orphaned bear cub, carefully reintroducing her to the wild, then being welcomed back, almost daily, to observe her wild world for more than 17 years. Imagine visiting her in her feeding spots, watching her with her mates and her young, peering into her den, and, over time, observing the lives of all the other wild bears in her territory and surrounding ones. That is what happened to Ben Kilham.

This audiobook reveals the secret lives of salt marshes. Along the coasts, where ocean tides mix salt water with fresh water, nature has created salt marshes - soggy places full of natural wonders. For years, salt marshes were maligned, drained, or filled in. Now salt marshes are valued as the home of fascinating wildlife, including more than twenty different species of birds. Ornithologist and photographer Doug Wechsler takes the reader on a down-and-muddy tour of the year-round activity in these wonderlands.

Beyond the biology and behavior of these sea creatures, "Marine Biology for Kids" delves into the unique habitats that make up the marine ecosystem, from coral reefs to the open ocean, and the delicate ecological balances that sustain them. It doesn't shy away from the pressing issues of human and natural threats to these environments, fostering an early awareness and stewardship in young listeners. The book rounds off with an inspiring call to action, guiding aspiring young marine biologists on how they can start on their path and make a difference in the world of marine conservation.

At first glance, human history is full of remarkable feats of intelligence. We invented writing. Produced incredible achievements in music, the arts, and the sciences. We’ve built sprawling cities and traveled across oceans—and space—and expanded to every part of the globe. Yet, human exceptionalism can be a double-edged sword. With our unique cognitive prowess comes severe consequences, including existential angst, violence, discrimination, and the creation of a world teetering towards climate catastrophe. Understood side-by-side, human exceptionalism begins to look more like a curse.

When it comes to survival, appearances are everything! A harmless animal can frighten predators away by appearing dangerous. A dangerous animal can lure prey by appearing harmless. Discover the disguises of some of your favorite animals.

Scrub all you want, but you'll never get your body entirely clean. From rash causing itch mites to bacteria swimming in your stomach, meet the tiny creatures hitching a ride on your body.

Follow us on a journey around all the body parts of mammals, from eyes to ears, to legs to tails. Find out all about how each body part works, what it looks like and what it does and how each body part differs between species.

Follow us on a journey around all the body parts of reptiles, from eyes to teeth, to shells to tails. Find out all about how each body part works, what it looks like and what it does and how each body part differs between species.

Follow us on a journey around all the body parts of birds, from eyes to beaks, to feet to tails. Find out all about how each body part works, what it looks like, and what it does and how each body part differs between species.

Zombies have no control over their own minds. Some insects and other creepy crawlies have the power to turn other animals into zombies, controlling their behavior. Listeners will learn all about these creatures and the real-life zombies they are making.

Learn all about zebras!

Beautiful butterflies flutter about, catching our eyes with their bright colors. Their senses, eating habits, and life cycle are just as wondrous as their bright colors.

Bite, chew, grind! Sharp beaked triceratops is hungry. With giant horns and a shield-like neck frill, this gentle giant can put up a fight. Learn more about this massive dinosaur in Triceratops: Three Horned Giant.

As Laurel spent three years traveling the world in search of emotionally disturbed animals and the people who care for them, she discovered numerous stories of recovery: parrots that learn how to stop plucking their feathers, dogs that cease licking their tails raw, polar bears that stop swimming in compulsive circles, and great apes that benefit from the help of human psychiatrists. How do these animals recover?

Have you ever wondered just how a glow stick works? Or what about those glow-in-the-dark stars you stick on your ceiling keep on shining? In her first book, author and teacher Anita Sitarski answers these questions and more giving listeners the inside scoop on everything that glows. Fireflies, bacteria, squid, jelly fish—what do all of these things have in common? They glow! It seems like one of mother nature’s mysteries, but many curious scientists have begun to shine light on this beautiful phenomenon.