The Living Deserts of Southern Africa
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
| Author: | Barry Lovegrove |
|---|
R550.00
For generations, the deserts of southern Africa have intrigued scientists and travellers alike. Seemingly barren wastes, they in fact teem with life – from ants to elephants, stone plants to the curious welwitschia, dainty dik-diks to towering gemsbok, and cart-wheeling spiders to fog-basking beetles. How do they cope with scarce resources, unpredictable rainfall and extreme temperatures? How do they protect themselves against predators? And what is the impact of climate change on these life forms and their habitats?
Drawing on an earlier edition, published in 1993, biologist Barry Lovegrove answers these questions and unravels many of the mysteries associated with life in the desert. He describes the four arid biomes of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana –
Desert, Arid Savanna, Succulent Karoo and Nama-Karoo – and explains how and why such a great diversity of plants, insects, mammals, reptiles and birds successfully exist in these regions. The text is supported by the most recent research, spectacular photographs, and explanatory diagrams and maps.
The Living Deserts of Southern Africa is a compelling, in-depth read that is accessible to both the serious student and academic as well as the interested nature lover.
In stock
Customer Reviews
There are no reviews yet.
Related products
-
500 Bird Calls in Southern Africa
R320.00Identify bird calls with this handy guide and CD, which together feature 500 distinctive southern African species. The CD gives the best-known song or call of each species; the book provides clear and accessible text, with a brief account for each species, including a description of the song, associated behaviour, similar-sounding species, the bird’s favoured habitat type, and a distribution map.
The introduction describes interesting aspects of bird vocalisations, the differences between true songbirds and non-songbirds and why calls often change with the seasons and time of day.
-
My First Book of Southern African Frogs – New Edition
R150.00Frogs are appealing and colourful creatures and live just about anywhere, even in deserts. My first book of Southern African Frogs introduces 55 different types of frog and their calls – made instantly accessible in this new edition by scanning a QR code.
A short introduction outlines the main features of frogs and includes an illustration detailing their life cycle. For each species, there is:
- a short description in four languages, describing the frog’s main characteristics
- a full-colour illustration of the frog, and visual clues to its size and eggs
- a distribution map
- an illustrated habitat bar with an arrow to indicate where each frog is likely to be found
This charming introduction to frogs and their calls will keep children happily absorbed for hours.The parallel translations make this book suitable for mother-tongue learners in four official languages and those children wanting to improve their knowledge of a second or third language.
-
The Annotated Old Fourlegs
R200.00When the famous South African fish scientist Professor JLB Smith published Old Fourlegs – The Story of the Coelacanth in 1956 he created an international sensation. After all, this 400-million-year-old fish, known only from fossil remains, was thought to have become extinct around 66 million years ago! JLB Smith’s dramatic account of the discovery of the first and second coelacanths in 1938 and 1952 turned him into a cult figure and put South African science on the world map. His book was eventually published in six English editions and translated into nine foreign languages. Mike Bruton’s The Annotated Old Fourlegs includes a facsimile reprint of the original book, to which he has added notes and images in the margins that provide an interesting and revealing commentary on Smith’s text, as well as new introductory and explanatory chapters that bring the coelacanth story up to date.
-
A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa
R520.00This long-awaited third edition of A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa has been updated, revised and expanded. New information based on scientific research relating to behaviour, identification, reproduction and snake venoms has been included in the species accounts. Features of this book:
– Covers all essential aspects of snake biology and behaviour.
– Species descriptions are accompanied by full-colour photographs and distribution maps.
– Simple icons make essential information available at a glance.
– A separate ‘key features’ box assists in quickly identifying species in the field.
– Chapters on classification and identification, keeping snakes, and the treatment of snakebite supplement the species accounts. -
Cradle of Life
R390.00The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site situated in the heart of the Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve is the jewel in South Africa’s evolutionary crown: an area ‘of outstanding universal value’, it has attracted world-wide interest and furnished key evidence about where, when and how we came to be. The greater Magaliesberg area is peppered with some 200 caves and has a unique geology, history and biodiversity. For decades now, specialists have been combing the area to uncover evidence of our heritage.
In his spectacular new title, Vincent Carruthers guides readers along a timeline, from the birth of our planet through to developments of the twenty first century. Along the way he documents the formation of our landscapes and the emergence of life, the rise of hominins, the stone and iron ages, early settlement, migrations, wars and modern developments in the Magaliesberg – the entire evolution of life up to the present, as we know it.
Vividly illustrated with photographs, maps and diagrams, Cradle of Life portrays the intrigue and importance of the site, taking readers on a magical journey of discovery.
-
Pocket Guide Birds of Zambia
R250.00This pocket-sized, easy-to-use guide to the birds of Zambia features 425 birds likely to be seen in the region, plus a few ‘specials’ sought after by birders. It is an invaluable introduction and guide for visitors to Zambia with its 20 national parks and 42 Important Bird Areas.
Features include:
– An informative introduction to birding in the region, including habitat descriptions and a glossary
– Full-colour photographs illustrating diagnostic features and plumage differences
– Concise identification text, including key ID pointers, call description and favoured habitat of each species
– Up-to-date distribution maps.Lightweight and handy for use in the field, this will be an excellent guide for anyone interested in the birds of Africa.
-
Dies ist Namibia
R380.00New Edition
Namibia is a country of surprising contrasts – big skies and far horizons, arid landscapes and verdant waterways, jagged mountains and geological wonders, barren soils and bountiful seas. Its reputation as one of the most inhospitable regions in the world belies its capacity to sustain an array of fascinating life forms – from the unique desert-adapted elephant and beetles to the delicate lichens that have evolved to survive in the planet’s oldest desert, the Namib. Its people, too, have learnt to thrive in the harsh environment of this scorched wilderness.
Dies ist Namibia brings to life the history, natural splendours, magnificent wildlife and diverse cultures of this beautiful and enigmatic land. Through its stunning photographs, detailed introduction and informative captions, this book provides a compelling insight into one of the world’s last true wilderness regions.
Also available in English as This is Namibia
-
Guide to Birds of the Kruger National Park
R350.00The Kruger National Park, one of the largest and best-known conservation areas in the world, supports a remarkable diversity of birdlife. This attractive guide presents more than 500 species that have been recorded there. Of these, more than 400 of the most common or likely to be seen species are described and supported by full-colour photographs and unique distribution maps based on actual sightings of the birds. An informative introduction describes the park’s underlying geology, vegetation types, climate and rainfall, and how these dictate bird distribution within the area.
Be the first to review “The Living Deserts of Southern Africa”