Animal Life: Secrets of the Animal World Revealed »

Charlotte Uhlenbroek, Ph.D. spent four years in the forests of Gombe, Tanzania, completing her doctorate in chimpanzee communication under the auspices of world-famous Jane Goodall. Uhlenbroek is an accomplished broadcaster, appearing in many prestigious documentaries produced by the BBC Wildlife Unit, including Talking with Animals (2002) on communications of creatures as diverse as cuttlefish and wolves, Jungle on the world's rain forests, and the 20-part series Safari School (2007). She has published two books to accompany these series, Talking with Animals and Jungle, both of which are now out of print.

If you think that watching all the nature programs on television qualifies you as an expert on the subject, think again! Do you really know what makes animals tick? Here are the answers, portrayed in stunning, awe-inspiring action sequences and explained in fascinating, in-depth prose. Thematically arranged by behavior trait, Animal Life explores and explains every aspect of animal behavior, including courtship rituals and sex lives, family relationships and defense mechanisms, hunting techniques and feeding habits. Side panels explore some of the field research on animal behavior and explain important conservation issues. The introductory chapters on the Animal Kingdom and on animal anatomy help explain how different animals have evolved and adapted to their environments, adaptations that may be relevant to particular behaviors. Destined to be the ultimate authority on animal behavior, this book also looks at key behavioral concepts such as how animals learn to behave and the role of instinct in the learning process.

The New York Times - J. D. Biersdorfer

DK's illustrated reference books are known for their heavy use of photographs and energetic layouts that pull the reader into a topic, and Animal Life is no exception. The book is crammed with gorgeous images of animals in action—as well as short blocks of text, informational graphics and charts to keep the eye and mind busy. In fact, there are so many elements peppering the pages that sensory overload could be a danger for some. But with the vast amount of information so nicely laid out, it's quite easy to fall down the rabbit hole and spend hours at a time with Animal Life, wishing all reference books were this engaging.