Henry Carter Hull

Illustrations and text provide a close-up look at the physical characteristics and habits of twelve different spiders and daddy-longlegs.

Describes the research that Samuel Marshall and his students are doing on tarantulas, including the largest spider on earth, the Goliath birdeating tarantula.

Westly is as ready as his caterpillar friends to keep their beautiful territory free of lesser creatures as they await the day they turn into delicate butterflies, but when he finally emerges from his crysalis, he discovers he is vastly different from his friends.

When Buzz captures a fly to enter in The Amazing Pet Show, his parents and the judges tell him that a fly cannot be a pet, but Fly Guy proves them wrong.

Watch out for these masters of defense-stick insects! Their secret weapon is being able to hide in plain sight. To protect themselves from predators, they have developed long, narrow bodies. They blend right in to the branches they live on. Some stick insects even have extra growths that look like leaves for more camouflage. Stick insects also protect themselves by being most active at night when it is even harder to see them. They escape from predators...

Look quickly and you might just see one of nature's insect heroes on the hunt-praying mantises! With their incredible hunting skills, mantises help rid farms and gardens of insect pests that bother humans. Praying mantises have big eyes that face forward, heads that can turn, and spines on their front legs to spear their prey. And they are stealthy. Even tiny newly hatched mantises know how to remain still and hide until a prey insect appears. Then-like...

Avoid these tiny, disease-carrying hitchhikers-they are ticks! In this book, you will learn how ticks are similar to and different from other arachnids. Close-up photographs and diagrams reveal extraordinary details about the tick's body both inside and out. And a hands-on activity will show you how a tick's bite can spread disease-causing organisms through your body-or your pet's body. Learn more about this fascinating member of nature's Arachnid...

Take a closer look at nature's amazing insect architect-the hornet! Each year, a young female hornet queen selects just the right spot and designs a nest of six-sided cells. Every cell is made from a paper-like material she creates by mixing wood with her own saliva. Once she has a small structure, she lays an egg in each cell and raises her young. Soon the queen has a whole family of workers, which continue to build more cells and increase the size...

Check out the action at a nearby pond where a master predator is on the hunt-a diving beetle! This skillful insect is after larvae, small fish, salamanders, and other prey. Key body parts make a diving beetle an effective hunter. When it spots a target, the beetle's body traps an air bubble, which it uses to breathe underwater for up to 10 to 15 minutes! Its legs act like oars to move it quickly through the water. A smooth, waxy coat helps too. The...

Worms are small organisms that have a valuable role in their surrounding environments. Readers learn about all the important ways in which worms contribute to their ecosystems, proving that no creature is too small to make a difference. Creative design el