Author(s): Martha Holmes

Science

"Life" is an ambitious, exhilarating and beautifully illustrated study of animal behaviour, exploring the key groups of animals that inhabit this planet and their survival strategies. From cold-blooded reptilian killers to the armoured invaders of the insect world, the long-distance migratory birds to predatory mammals and the sociable and intelligent primates, "Life" reveals animal behaviour as never described before. By telling a series of unforgettable stories and focusing on intimate details, the book draws us into the biggest story of all - the many different ways animals and plants cope with the challenges of life and, ultimately, the survival of their species. We learn how fish can be the most caring of parents, how cuttlefish seduce with colour, how penguin chicks learn the hard way and how monkeys and apes teach their young to use tools. We discover some of the wonders of life, including dragons that wrestle, lizards that do cartwheels, toads that bounce, elephant shrews that run like greyhounds and birds that create art. Narrated by David Attenborough and with never-before-filmed animal behaviour, breathtaking cinematography and emotional story telling, "Life" is BBC1's landmark natural history programme for 2009, and this is the unmissable companion book.