About this item
The octopus spies a nice, tasty mantis shrimp. It swims over for a closer look at the small creature. Then - WHAM! - the mantis shrimp strikes a nasty blow with its hammer-like forelimb. The octopus shrinks back, defeated. That wasn't such an easy meal after all . . . In nature, good defenses can mean the difference between surviving a predator's attack and becoming its lunch. Some animals rely on sharp teeth and claws or camouflage. But that's only the beginning. Meet creatures with some of the strangest defenses known to science. How strange? Hagfish that can instantaneously produce oodles of gooey, slippery slime; frogs that poke their own toe bones through their skin to create claws; young birds that shoot streams of stinking poop; and more.
About the Author
Rebecca L. Johnson has brought science to life in dozens of national award-winning books for children and young adults, including Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature's Undead (ALA Notable, Junior Library Guild Selection, Junior Library Guild Top Pick, Kirkus Best Children's Books) . Her books highlight why science is such an exciting endeavor: there is no shortage of new species, remarkable adaptations, and fresh insights into life on earth. She has been fortunate to work with many scientists in far-flung corners of the planet and bases much of her writing on personal experience.
"Through my books, I hope to show young people that the world is full of wonders, and that science is the path that leads to them."
