Nature Red in Tooth and Claw
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Dear Reader:

Do you, like me, rejoice in the knowledge that you could eat an adult mouse whole, if you wanted to? As Gordon Grice helpfully notes, in his endlessly entertaining book Deadly Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals, the rodent's bones are "no more troublesome than those of a catfish." In medieval England, he adds, "a mouse on toast was thought to cure colds." This morsel of science fact and historical storytelling is typical of the oddments Grice tosses us, arcana from his Cabinet of Curiosities that invite rumination (in both senses, in this case). Deadly Kingdom rewards the reader who knows that stringing together chains of association is as important as hoarding information.

Grice is best known as the author of The Red Hourglass: Lives of the Predators, a cult classic about black widows, brown recluses, tarantulas, and rattlesnakes, among other things, that launched a new genre: natural-history noir. If Cormac McCarthy turned his hand to nature writing, the results might sound something like Grice, who combines the laconic banter of rural Oklahoma, where he grew up, with a country boy's inexhaustible curiosity about the natural world. He renders his dramas of animal behavior in tight close-up, with an eye for detail that makes the reader feel as if she's lying on her belly, propped on her elbows,  chin in hands, peering intensely into the jungle in the lawn.  At that scale, insect tableaux become morality plays or, more often, Aesop's fables for existentialists. (In a thumbnail review on Amazon, I called him "a Jean-Henri Fabre for literati with rifle racks.") Grice's style--unsentimental, black-comedic, philosophical in an unselfconscious, back-porch way--heightens that effect. He uses ironic understatement to dramatic effect, whether funny, horrific, or both in the same breath.

Deadly Kingdom is a Darwinian sermon, puncturing the self-serving myths that obscure our understanding of the natural world: "Belief is a part of seeing. It's hard to filter out the interpretation and leave mere facts." Grice does an end run around the Free Willy/Jaws binary, the culture/nature version of the virgin/whore dualism. "I often read accounts that point out what the human victim did `wrong' before she was attacked by a bear or a shark,"  he writes. "Many writers depict virtually all animal attacks as `provoked' by the victim." (The blame-the-victim rape narrative, transposed into the key of When Animals Attack.) "On the other side, some writers are at pains to paint dangerous animals as monsters of cruelty."

In truth, he suggests, nature isn't so much malevolent as indifferent. When humans come to grief at tooth or claw, it's often because of our insistence on seeing animals as emissaries of the peaceable kingdom, like the New Age sentimentalization of the dolphin as a guardian angel with a blowhole, or because we can't seem to distinguish real, live creatures from the Audio-Animatronic critters in Disney theme parks or the CGI monsters at the multiplex--cartoon caricatures of our lovable foibles or primordial fears.
924445
Tarkine is a pristine, but unfortunately largely unprotected and threatened, forested wilderness in northwestern Tasmania. This book introduces Tarkine with artistic and beautiful photographs. A few poems are also included. Main subjects of the photos fall into following arbitrary classes: river 9, waterfall 6, forest interior 10, individual tree(s) 13, other plants/fungi/part of tree 13, animal 6, landscape with moorland/ranges/forest canopies 20, mountain 2, rock/stones 11, clouds/fog 6, coast 9 and lake 1. All the captions have been placed at the end of the book. Many captions give the main species in photos but unfortunately not all. Many photos could be larger - they do not always fill an entire page. I recommend this book if you are interested in pristine nature or nature photography.
398088
Boughtcoriginally at holistic, out of town pet store. Thought my Silkey who has bad teeth (2 rentals in 9 months); Silkey's and Yorkies have notoriously bad teeth so these are great addition to daily tooth brushing.
3320700
Dr. Sacks accompanied a group of botanical friends on a trip to see, catalogue, draw, and take delight in the unparalleled variety of ferns in Oaxaca, Mexico.  His resulting journal is a meditation on Zapotec culture, amateur naturalists, edible insects, psychedelics, and above all ferns, seemingly so fragile yet having survived, with little change, for 330 million years.

According to the author, his "sense of a prehistoric world, of immense spans of time, was first stimulated by ferns and fossil ferns."

For someone like myself who loves both ferns and the writings of Dr. Sacks, this journal is a treasure.  It was composed under the blue sky of Oaxaca and filled with an emotion that Dr. Sacks admits is usually foreign to him:  joy.

The author admits a fondness for natural history journals and he has created a multi-faceted gem out of observations on lost civilizations, mescal, cochineal insects, plants as rare as horsetail trees a hundred feet high, and others as common as the bracken fern.

Half of our property is covered with bracken ferns and I was always curious as to why insects didn't seem to bother them.  According to this author, bracken is regarded as the 'Lucrezia Borgia' of the fern world:  "the young fronds release hydrogen cyanide as soon as the insect's mandible tears into them, and if this does not kill or deter the bug, a much crueler poison lies in store.  Brackens, more than any other plants, are loaded with hormones called ecdysones, and when these are ingested by insects, they cause uncontrollable molting."

The Romans used bracken on their stable floors because it arrested or perverted the development of fly larvae, although Dr. Sacks doesn't specify how the ancients kept horses from eating their bedding.  Bracken also poisons mammals, and humans who eat too many fiddle-heads over a long period of time are apt to develop stomach cancer.

It is tempting to open up "Oaxaca Journal" and find a topic equally as vivid as the 'Lucrezia Borgia of ferns' to add color to this review.  There are so many choices.  By writing a journal for the National Geographic 'Literary Travel Series,' Dr. Sacks has opened himself up to every conceivable subject under the blazing Mexican sun.  There is indeed joy in this book--and even a bit of neurology!
4137920
Nice quality toys.  Not sure these will help with dental health since my cats aren't chewing on them.  But I like that these are cruelty free toys, colorful and that the cats are playing with them
1954722
I'm a lifetime naturalist. It's not common in the U.S. but common in Europe. I'm 80 years old. It's is a pleasure to read about that lifestyle.
1817811
My wife and I are the pets of two calico felines, Tessa and Trouble. Knowing that we're cat people, friends tend to give us gifts with that relationship in mind. I wish they or we would snap out of it, because some of the Stuff, while well meant, is way too cute or too tacky, or both. (Instead, Amazon gift certificates are always welcome  - hint, hint!) However, one offering, CATS IN THE SUN, was well received, and is much appreciated.
This is a coffee table tome with five pages of introductory text. Then, on each of the following 137, not a solitary word is printed, but rather a single, rich, 5.5 X 8.25-inch color photograph. The images were all taken by Hans Silvester on the sun drenched Greek islands of Mykonos, Milos and Naxos, where large populations of domestic cats run semi-wild. While the islands' inhabitants allow none indoors, the animals are tolerated, and sometimes actively cared for, with a detached affection. In return, the rodent populations are suppressed with a vengeance.
Too many books and calendars featuring kitty pictures are cloyingly cute, usually because they tend to emphasize kittens. Refreshingly, this book is not. It features cats, both kittens and adults, in unstaged, natural situations. Cats on streets, steps, rooftops, harbor quays, walls, tree limbs, rocks, chairs, ledges and pathways. Cats sleeping, lounging, climbing, washing, eating, hunting, leaping, courting, fighting, carousing, watching, sitting, exploring, running and walking. Cats alone. Cats in pairs. Cats in groups. Rarely, cats with people or dogs. Short and long-haired cats, in all sizes, colorations and fur patterns. I think Silvester burned through a lot of film.
Among all the glorious pigments, textures, patterns, sunbeams and shadows, I have two favorite images. One, a group of seven cats, all with tails raised and end-curled, walking along with a local codger who is carrying something edible in a plastic sack. (I know it's edible, because that's what our owners look like at six in the morning as I carry the can of TigerChow to the opener.) The other, a cat standing on its hind legs, inquisitively peering into the lower end of a roof's downspout. Then, there are those two curious photos, one of a man painting the base of a wall, the other of some sun-dappled steps, in which no cat is visible at all. Am I (not) seeing the local Cheshire Cat?
I consider most coffee table books as useful as Christmas fruitcakes. (You know, the ones with those hateful little green bits.) However, if you like cats, then CATS IN THE SUN is worth savoring.
3963757
As a vampire, my teeth are my trademark. Imagine my horror to see my trusty chompers go missing. You can't draw blood with your gums. I've tried. It takes forever. Blood is so important. It's delicious, makes you immortal. I tried candy corn teeth and hillbilly rotten teeth as substitutes. Poor imitations, and people can just tell that something is off.
These new teeth are great. I'm back to my old self, drinking blood and discussing current events with my new teeth making me completely incomprehensible as they rattle around my mouth. Thanks, teeth manufacturing company.
3697296
In
the current dino-mania, fossil mammals are overshadowed. Too bad;
there are many curious and wonderful creatures in the mammalian
lineage. Yet, few well-illustrated popular books on the subject
exist. Bjorn Kurten's _Before the Indians_ had blurry charcoal
drawings. The late George Gaylord Simpson was an authority on
prehistoric South American mammals, but little more than a doodler
with a brush. And Colin Tudge's wonderful _The Time Before History_
had no pictures at all.
So this book is most welcome. Mauricio
Anton is a gifted artist. Cats and catlike creatures such as
nimravids, homotheriums, saber-tooths, dirk-tooths, all seem to live
again in these color and b/w pictures. The only beastie which is
unconvincingly rendered is the poorly-known _Thylacoleo_, the
marsupial lion.
Through the reproductions and discussions of these
and other animals, one gets a lesson in how different animals adopt
similar body plans, based on their ecological niche. Large top
predators are robust, while middle niche hunters are more
gracile. Thus, we are told, _Thylacoleo_, the largest nimravids, and
the largest saber-tooths resemble lions, while smaller predators
resemble cheetahs and leopards. All in all, a must for big cat- and
paleontology- lovers, the latter who may be getting tired of
dinosaurs!
3164996
Global Warming is a real threat. The majority of scientists across the globe agree on this (there is a small dissenting group but nothing compared to those that believe in the theory). And wildlife filmmakers Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson believed there were ways to prove it. So they embarked on a fifteen year odyssey to film the lives of two creatures: Nanu the polar bear and Seela the Walrus.

The arctic is where these two live, and the arctic is the battleground most climatologists point to whenever they are asked for proof of global warming theory. It is important to let our children know that this area is in danger--as are its animals--thanks to the changes in global climate. And children are who this G-rated film is directed at.

There's the cuddly polar bear scene when Nanu is born with her "brother", and the protective nature of walruses as they fret over their young. And there's the bathroom humor of the walruses as they eat clams and then expel flatulence in roaring surround sound.

But there's also some things that might frighten the very young. Nanu and her ilk are meat eaters; in fact, they love walrus and seal meat. Some bloody carcasses are seen on several occasions, so parents who haven't discussed life-cycles with their young ones should beware. The fact that the movie-makers didn't give Nanu's "brother" and Seela's "auntie" a name should also give you pause (crewman 19!).

To help aid in the marketing of this film, you'll often hear "From the people that brought you&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/March-of-the-Penguins/dp/B000BI5KV0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">March of the Penguins</a>..." but don't be fooled. Neither director nor the writers involved here were affiliated with March of the Penguins. Both films were aided with production dollars by National Geographic Films but that's about it.

Although March of the Penguins held more astonishing film footage, this film can boast some exquisite shots of its own. Following polar bears around as they swim in the open ocean and watching walruses suckle their newborns was something I found phenomenally well filmed. The vanishing ice flows are also pointedly shown as months into what should have been the arctic winter turns into open seas instead of frozen waters.

Queen Latifah (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Hairspray/dp/B000W4KT6E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Hairspray</a>) does a great job narrating. Never over-the-top, her tone was perfect for the settings. Always.

But I think Morgan Freeman did a bit better job during March of the Penguins. All-in-all, it's a superior documentary that stands head and shoulders above this one. But that shouldn't shame Arctic Tale at all. It's a decent documentary.

Just decent.
774637
Marliey B. PoOpalots looks forward to having this chew for night time.  It takes her about an hour to chew off all the bark and then nibble on the apple stick.  I like this product because it is all natural.
2285446
Two different types of wood peckers attracted to this product.
80977
it sounds good, but these overly red gel pieces are not eaten by my aquatic turtles, and they eat everything.  I was also put off by the artificially red color.  I will make my own next time.
3085576
I liked the film okay; but, found the Sable Tooth Tiger as I've know the creature as; to be somewhat less formidible as I thought it would be. I felt a little dismayed by the fact that it wasn't as formidible a creature as I thought it was. I guess the film presented the true facts and I anticipated more from the film than I think it gave me.
3177322
My dogs all have solid black nails, no way to tell where the quick ends. I usually get the vet and groomer to take care of the trimming, but for some reason each dog has one or two nails that grow with super-speed! It's up to me to clip these raptor claws between professional visits, and these dogs are not exactly cooperative. With them squirming to get away, I sometimes end up with a bleeding nail and this powder is an immediate fix. Of course there's no way to know for sure if the powder stings a little, but the dogs don't seem to mind it. Buy this before you need it!
2619900
This is a fun tale with fun drawings that all kids will enjoy and which will help kids who lost a tooth learn to think themselves as being beautiful.

 The tooth fairies gathered for a tooth fairy smile contest on cloud nine. Bella was beautiful and, more than that, very kind. Zelda, who was jealous of Bella, sprinkled "wing stop powder" on her and Bella lost a tooth.

 Children will enjoy finding out the different attempts that Bella tried to find a replacement tooth and what happened to her and Zelda.
3524965
Hi, I just bought a copy of this book: Animals of the Serengeti. The fundamental reason why I buy this book is because I am very interested with the animal life in Serengeti as well as Ngorongoro. Perhaps I am influenced by watching wildlife series about this
area of Kenya and also the series of books I've read. Of special interest is the classic film: Year of the Wilderbeests, photographed
by Alan Root and his wife Joan. This yearly migration is nature's way to enable all grass browsers to have enough to eat during
the dry season. And also enable the carnivors or big cats to be supplied with plentiful supply of food. This Serengeti is perhaps God's Eden in which many forms of wildlife coexist. Travellers and visitors in this region are intrigued by the abundance of wildlife on the move...the yearly migration. Let's hope that Serengeti will never vanish in view of the fast dwindling nature in other parts of the world.
Indeed, the world would be very poor without the sight and viability of all these animals in Serengeti...keeping in mind that else where the gentle giants of our southern ocean (whales) are being "murdered" in large numbers every years for the fictitious "scientific research." Certainly the Japanese have a way to preserve the culinary culture, isn't it...Bingo!