"Some animals hide to hunt for food, and others hide to avoid becoming dinner. It's easy to see why a disappearing act is important for many reasons. From octopus to polar bear, and from the praying mantis to the hawk, discover how and why many animals cleverly use camouflage."--

Presents animals that use camoflauge and/or mimicry (tricks) to fool predators and prey. A spider builds a big spider "puppet" out of bits of dead leaves, insects parts, and other items. A moth escapes bats by making sounds that interfere with the bats' echolocation and a baby bird mimics a poisonous caterpillar.

"When a million bugs come out of the ground at once, children pay attention. Periodical cicadas don't disappoint. Almost every animal in the area fills its stomach. Then after a month the feast and the cacophony suddenly stops. This book is about one of the oddest insect life cycles on the planet the periodical or 17-year cicada."--

Most iguanas in the Galápagos Islands live and eat on land, but one species does something no other iguana does anywhere in the world -- it launches itself into the sea and dives underwater to feed. Descended from a common ancestor and living within sight of one another, the author offers a theory how did land and marine iguanas develop such different appearances and lifestyles.

"Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. Adapting from her New York Times-bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning adult nonfiction, Elizabeth Kolbert explores the Anthropocene...

What do panther chameleons, polar bears, and Gaboon vipers all have in common? They are masters at disguising themselves in their environments. Featuring twelve different animals found around the globe, from African leopards to mimic octopuses, these pages reveal how each creature manages to blend into its habitat and the advantages its camouflaging abilities provide. Put your newly acquired knowledge to the test as you try to find the masters themselves...

"What is life? How did it start? Long, long ago, no one knows exactly where or when, a tiny bubble formed that was a Little Bit Different. It was the first living cell. Everyone's ancestor. And so the story of life begins."--