PENGUINS. By Lloyd S. Davis and Martin Renner.

2003 1st edition. 8vo (160 x 240mm). Pp212. Colour and b/w photographs, b/w illustrations by Sarah Wroot, charts, maps, bibliography. Blue boards, spine titled in gilt.

"This superb monograph looks at the fascinating double life of the penguins, from the huge Emperors of the South Pole which withstand many months of fasting through the long night of the Antarctic winter, to the dainty burrow-nesting Little Penguins which come ashore by night on subtropical beaches in Australasia. This engaging account, illustrated throughout with attractive line drawings and photographs, is highly readable and will appeal to everyone interested in this remarkable group of birds." Chapters include: Penguin evolution, an historical perspective - loss of flight, penguins vs auks, taxonomy; Penguins today - how many species of penguins are there?, the penguin genera - Spheniscus, Pugoscelis, Aptenodytes, Eudyptes, Megadyptes, Eudyptula; Living in two worlds - achieving a balance, inshore versus offshore foragers, diet; A place to breed - food supply, protection from insolation, site selection, coloniality, protection from predators; Mate selection and courtship - sexual dimorphism, first time breeders, delayed breeding, mate selections; Parental investment; Moult and migration; Conservation - demography, exploitation, habitat destruction, predation, human disturbance, fisheries, pollution and disease, climate, outlook.