Ecological Picture
Newcastle Herald
Saturday November 24, 2001
ANIMAL David Burnie,
ed Dorling Kindersley 620pp,
$89.95
THIS marvellous volume lives up to its billing as `The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife'. Profiling more than 2000 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates, the book, edited by David Burnie under the watchful eyes of 70 zoologists and naturalists, is undoubtedly accurate in every detail.
These include habitat, anatomy, physical appearance, population and conservation status of each species.
But it is the 5000 colour photographs that will captivate, with contributions from some of the world's leading wildlife photographers. Lazy leopards, snarling wolves and boxing hares will delight the youngest readers, while photos run in series, showing a whale breaching, an ape hunting termites and a Komodo dragon making a meal of a deer, are used with spectacular effect.
Burnie makes the sobering point that during the production of the book (four years) as many as 5000 animal species may have disappeared.
Animal has a strong ecological message. Its writers hope that awareness of our remarkable animal kingdom will add weight to the conservation cause. But at the very least, Animal is a delightful reference book to own or give. ? Alysson Watson
© 2001 Newcastle Herald
