Australian Wildlife After Dark

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Description

Australia is a land of many unique animals, some of which are active only during the cooler evening and night-time and so are rarely seen. These are the after dark animals so widespread yet so little noticed by humans, whether in our backyards, the arid desert, woodlands or rainforest. Australian Wildlife After Dark brings this hidden fauna into the light. The after dark fauna includes a surprising diversity of familiar (and some not-so-familiar) species, from cockroaches, moths and spiders through to bandicoots, bats and birds and then some. Each example is described in a unique, friendly style by Martyn Robinson, familiar to many Australians through his frequent media appearances on ABC Radio and in Burkes Backyard magazine, and Bruce Thomson, an internationally renowned wildlife photographer and bat researcher. The book includes stunning photography and boxes that highlight selected topics, such as the windscreen wiper eyelids of geckoes and the strategies used by night-time plants to attract pollinators. Also included are practical tips on finding nocturnal wildlife, a glossary of scientific terms and a short bibliography. The book will appeal to a general family audience, wildlife enthusiasts, bushwalkers, amateur naturalists, national parks lovers, natural history museum visitors, libraries, gift book buyers and international visitors to Australia.

Author Bio

Martyn Robinson has worked at the Australian Museum (Sydney, Australia) for more than 30 years, providing wide-ranging expertise on exhibitions, education and science. He has a broad interest in natural history and has published and illustrated a number of scientific papers and books including A Field Guide to Frogs, The Secret Social Bees that Live in Lantana and the Green Guide to Dangerous Creatures, and written natural history articles for popular magazines. He was also involved in the New South Wales Frog Watch Program and the Frog and Tadpole Study Group.

Bruce Thomson first started photographing Australian wildlife back in the late 1970s when living on his parents' country property near Goulburn, NSW, Australia. With equipment donated by an enthusiastic and very patient uncle, his first photographic subjects were insects and the local birds that frequented the garden. Today his nature photography covers a diverse range of wildlife subjects and his images are widely recognised and sought after.