|
|
|
Hoot
Unfortunately, Roy’s first acquaintance in Florida is Dana Matherson, a well-known bully. Then again, if Dana hadn’t been sinking his thumbs into Roy’s temples and mashing his face against the school-bus window, Roy might never have spotted the running boy. And the running boy is intriguing: he was running away from the school bus, carried no books, and–here’s the odd part–wore no shoes. Sensing a mystery, Roy sets himself on the boy’s trail. The chase introduces him to potty-trained alligators, a fake-fart champion, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes with unnaturally sparkling tails. Roy has most definitely arrived in Carl Hiaasen’s Florida. From the Hardcover edition..
Price: $1.00
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
The Case of the Burrowing Robot (Hank the Cowdog)
It's been twenty years since the first Hank the Cowdog book was published, and the series has been going strong ever since. Hank has faced every hardship imaginable-natural disaster, disease, and all kinds of monsters But in The Case of the Burrowing Robot, he finds himself up against a creature he's never seen before-and boy is it scary! Someone-or something, a bizarre robot with beady eyes and a full suit of armor-is digging up the garden. Hank is on the case immediately, but before he can put an end to the armored creature's antics, he gets blamed for the crime. Can Hank dig his way out of this mess, or has he burrowed too deep? Find out in the latest adventure starring everyone's favorite Head of Ranch Security..
Price: $12.30
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Buffy The Burrowing Owl
Betty Gilbert s delightful story about South Florida s beloved pint-sized owls introduces her readers to one of her favorite birds. His name is Buffy, and through Gilbert s engaging narrative and remarkable photographs, we are given an intimate and fascinating peek into Buffy s family life. We watch as Buffy s parent s decorate their burrow to disguise it and protect it from predators. We look on as Buffy and his siblings venture out of the burrow for the first time. And we learn about what burrowing owls eat, as well as how they sleep, play, and stay clean. This is a book that will capture the imagination of children of all ages, but more important, it teaches young readers to appreciate and respect a species that has somehow managed to survive among humans in an urban environment as development continues to encroach on its natural habitat. After many years as a wildlife biologist, studying animals, birds and their habitats, I retired and relocated to South Florida in 2003, never imagining that I would soon find myself a willing participant in a research study of Cape Coral s favorite feathered resident, the burrowing owl. Although the Fish and Wildlife study had already begun when I arrived on the scene, it wasn t long before I was totally caught up in the project. Each spring we banded a few hundred owls and also observed nesting productivity. From what I have learned over the years conducting research alongside other biologist, I can assure readers that Betty Gilbert s portrayal of a burrowing owl family s day-to-day life is informed and accurate. A little history about Buffy, also known as C-3: Buffy was originally captured and banded at a nest on the corner of Country Club Blvd. and SE 35th Terrace in Cape Coral, Florida, on May 11, 2002, along with a sibling that was banded with a Red B-3. Buffy s sibling was recaptured on June 19, 2002. Buffy was later seen on August 13, 2002, but was not seen again after that date. As with most young owls, Buffy may have moved on somewhere to establish his own burrow. Buffy s parents were never captured or banded. Unfortunately, burrowing owls face many hazards in life and most don t live more than two or three years. Buffy s dad apparently passed away in the spring of 2005 and was replaced by a new male. This new male was originally captured as a youngster on May 2, 2004, at a burrow a few blocks south of Buffy s nest site and outfitted with a Blue band B-V. When Buffy s dad died, this male moved up to the burrow and was captured there on April 16, 2005. He was recaptured at that burrow in February 2006. As I thought about that location, I remembered that recently a burrow on the very next street was flooded earlier this spring, 2008, and three owl chicks had to be rescued from the high water. Following the rescue, I had to put in a new burrow a little higher up from the swale area to protect the family from further floods. The pair of adult owls moved right in to their new home and are there today. Since Buffy s home was only a few hundred yards away, my wife and I decided to go see if Buffy s original home might still be on that corner. To our dismay a new house stood on the lot where Buffy was born and grew up. But as we drove up 35th Terrace, we noticed two new burrows are being used by descendants of Buffy s family. Owls stay in one burrow for life unless they are forced to build a new home somewhere else, and most owls that have to build somewhere do so nearby. We would like to think that it was Buffy s family we helped out during the heavy rains in April 2008, and that they and their offspring will continue to live in the neighborhood for years to come..
Price: $13.95
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog: Social Life of a Burrowing Mammal (Wildlife Behavior and Ecology series)
In The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog, John L. Hoogland draws on sixteen years of research at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, in the United States to provide this account of prairie dog social behavior. Through comparisons with more than 300 other animal species, he offers new insights into basic theory in behavioral ecology and sociobiology. Hoogland documents interactions within and among families of prairie dogs to examine the advantages and disadvantages of coloniality. By addressing such topics as male and female reproductive success, inbreeding, kin recognition, and infanticide, Hoogland offers a broad view of conflict and cooperation. Among his surprising findings is that prairie dog females sometimes suckle, and at other times kill, the offspring of close kin. Enhanced by more than 100 photographs, this book illuminates the social organization of a burrowing mammal and raises fundamental questions about current theory. As the most detailed long-term study of any social rodent, The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog will interest not only mammalogists and other vertebrate biologists, but also students of behavioral and evolutionary ecology. .
Price: $36.17
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Life Underground: The Biology of Subterranean Rodents
Many mammals like to dig in the dirt, but few call it home. Those that do, such as mole-rats, zokors, and tuco-tucos, have developed novel adaptations to their subterranean life, including bones and muscles modified for efficient digging and ways to "see" underground without using their eyes. These unusual traits, adopted independently by unrelated groups around the world, also make subterranean rodents fascinating subjects for biologists. Life Underground provides the first comprehensive review of the biology of subterranean rodents. Arranged by topic rather than by taxon to facilitate cross-species comparisons, chapters cover such subjects as morphology, physiology, social behavior, genetic variation, and evolutionary diversification. Two main questions run throughout the book. First, to what extent has subterranean life shaped the biology of these animals, leading to similar adaptations among otherwise dissimilar species? Second, how have the distinct evolutionary histories of these groups led to different solutions to the challenges posed by life underground? .
Price: $49.47
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
|
|
|
