Animals Mate

"Where do babies come from?" It's a question every child asks eventually, and Animals Mate is the simple, straightforward, and developmentally appropriate guide every parent needs to normalize sexual reproduction via adorable animal partners. With a modern design and beautiful illustrations, Animals Mate introduces facts about mating, including tactful discussion of the mechanics of the process, anatomy, and sperm and eggs. Bypass the awkwardness that often accompanies "the talk" about how babies are made and help your child understand sex and reproduction as the natural and wonderful process that results in the world's greatest treasure: babies!

In Finding a Mate: Animal Companions, students will learn how different animals search for a partner. Young readers will love turning the page as they gain valuable information and are prompted to answer questions along the way. Take a fantastic photo journey into the wild with Rourke’s Close-Up on Amazing Animals for readers in grades K–3. Readers will explore the unique adaptations and relationships that help animals survive in the wild. Repetitive text aids comprehension while real photographs assist in vocabulary development for beginning readers.

Love, one of the most profound of human emotions, love that accompanies us from puberty to old age, love that follows us from ancient times to modern, from ancient writings, through the Bible and the texts of medieval scribes to modern day books and movies. Through the millennia love has lost none of its secrecy, charm, attractiveness, craziness, even in this digital age, when we are overwhelmed by information. But what is love? Where does this emotion originate? Are we humans the only living beings feeling this emotion? Can love be explained by some chemical reactions in our brains? Is love just a trick of nature or is love some kind of higher feeling? We do not have definite answers to any of these questions, nevertheless, neuroscience, behavioral science and others have provided us with some, at least partial answers. We know today a great deal more than ever before about what is happening in the brain when we are madly in love. We understand why our hearts beat faster when we see the person we love, we know why we sweat and why we feel anxious when the loved one is away from us, and we have some ideas about how feelings of attachment form in the brain. This book guides you through the complicated labyrinth of genes, molecules and brain cells that are involved in the feelings of love, attachment, affection, and also simple sexual reproduction.

Primary sexual traits, those structures and processes directly involved in reproduction, are some of the most diverse, specialized, and bizarre in the animal kingdom. Moreover, reproductive traits are often species-specific, suggesting that they evolved very rapidly. This diversity, long the province of taxonomists, has recently attracted broader interest from evolutionary biologists, especially those interested in sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive strategies. Primary sexual characters were long assumed to be the product of natural selection, exclusively. A recent alternative suggests that sexual selection explains much of the diversity of "primary" sexual characters. A third approach to the evolution of reproductive interactions after copulation or insemination has been to consider the process one of sexual conflict. That is, the reproductive processes of a species may reflect, as does the mating system, evolution acting on males and on females, but in different directions. In this volume, authors explore a wide variety of primary sexual characters and selective pressures that have shaped them, from natural selection for offspring survival to species-isolating mechanisms, sperm competition, cryptic female choice and sexual arms races. Exploring diverse reproductive adaptations from a theoretical and practical perspective, The Evolution of Primary Sexual Characters will provide an unparalleled overview of sexual diversity in many taxa and an introduction to the issues in sexual selection that are changing our view of sexual processes.

Twenty-one specially-commissioned articles provide a clear picture of the current state of thinking about mate choice. Brings together modern thinking on the various functions of mate choice and its role in evolution.

Large Animal Medicine for Veterinary Technicians provides comprehensive guidance on caring for horses, cattle, camelids, small ruminants, pigs, and other farm animals. Reflecting the topics required by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA), this practical resource covers hospital biosecurity, restraint, physical examinations, clinical and diagnostic procedures, reproduction, nutrition, disease, and more. Detailed chapters written by expert contributors contain numerous full-color images, clinical applications, self-review questions, and accurate, species-specific information. The second edition features revised and new content throughout, including brand-new chapters on common surgical procedures and general anesthesia, dentistry, and popular hobby farm animals such as fowl, poultry, and pet pigs. Updated and expanded sections on neonatology, diagnostics, and imaging are supported by a wealth of new images and examples. Covering the skills and knowledge necessary for success in both Veterinary Technician Specialty (VTS) programs and in clinical practice, this must-have guide: Offers new coverage of imaging and diagnostic technologies such as dynamic endoscoping and the use of treadmills Contains more than 500 high-quality color images, multiple-choice questions with answers, and a glossary of terms Features a range of pedagogical tools including learning objectives, clinical case problems, charts and diagrams, and “Technician Tip” boxes Includes a significantly expanded companion website with self-review questions, case studies, PowerPoint slides, and an image bank to aid in breed identification Authored and edited by experienced trainers and certified veterinary technicians, Large Animal Medicine for Veterinary Technicians, Second Edition is an invaluable reference for all students, educators, and working professionals in the field.

A major new look at the evolution of mating decisions in organisms from protozoans to humans The popular consensus on mate choice has long been that females select mates likely to pass good genes to offspring. In Mate Choice, Gil Rosenthal overturns much of this conventional wisdom. Providing the first synthesis of the topic in more than three decades, and drawing from a wide range of fields, including animal behavior, evolutionary biology, social psychology, neuroscience, and economics, Rosenthal argues that "good genes" play a relatively minor role in shaping mate choice decisions and demonstrates how mate choice is influenced by genetic factors, environmental effects, and social interactions. Looking at diverse organisms, from protozoans to humans, Rosenthal explores how factors beyond the hunt for good genes combine to produce an endless array of preferences among species and individuals. He explains how mating decisions originate from structural constraints on perception and from nonsexual functions, and how single organisms benefit or lose from their choices. Both the origin of species and their fusion through hybridization are strongly influenced by direct selection on preferences in sexual and nonsexual contexts. Rosenthal broadens the traditional scope of mate choice research to encompass not just animal behavior and behavioral ecology but also neurobiology, the social sciences, and other areas. Focusing on mate choice mechanisms, rather than the traits they target, Mate Choice offers a groundbreaking perspective on the proximate and ultimate forces determining the evolutionary fate of species and populations.

After a brief survey of biotopic and vegetational features and an account of the main groups of desert animals, the most unusual patterns of the behaviour of the xerophilous fauna are examined. The importance of the thermohygric regulation and self-protective and locomotor mechanisms to the survival of arid-adapted animals is emphasized and various adaptations in the alimentary, reproductive and social spheres are analyzed. The clear and fluent treatment will awaken the interest of the reading public, from the amateur naturalists to research scientists.