Outrageous Animal Adaptations: From Big-Eared Bats to Frill-Necked Lizards

By Michael J. Rosen

A fish that walks on land, a frog that makes its own sunscreen, and an insect that can become invisible? Whether to avoid predators, to stalk prey, or to withstand extreme temperatures, Earth's creatures have evolved some outrageous features and tricks to ensure survival.

For example, did you know that the geoduck (nope, it's not a duck, it's a clam) can live as long as 160 years? And that the aye-aye, a nocturnal primate, uses echolocation and a long, spindly finger to find and dig up food? Or that in its deep-ocean habitat, the vampire squid uses bioluminescence to startle predators? These are among the many animals that show evolution and adaptation at work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781512498851

Michael J. Rosen

Michael J. Rosen was among those involved in the very first days of Thurber House and he continued to serve as its literary director for twenty years. Michael is the author of some 150 other books—poetry, young-adult novels, anthologies, picture books, cookbooks—for readers of all ages. Most recently, he has published James Thurber's Collected Fables, as well as a hefty monograph, A Mile and a Half of Lines: The Art of James Thurber, that coincides with an exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art that he’s curated in honor of the Year of Thurber (2019).  He’s also an editor, ceramic artist, illustrator, and companion animal to a cattle dog named Chant.  www.michaeljrosen.com