Jungle Bugs
Masters of Camouflage and Mimicry
Description
During roughly 400 million years on this planet, one million species of insects have developed with a great diversity of shape and color to protect them from predators. Bruce Purser spent years traveling through tropical forests studying insects and photographing their ongoing quest for survival as they blended into tree trunks and imitated sticks, leaves, other bugs, and even bird droppings. Taken in exotic locales including French Guyana, the Peruvian Amazon, Malaysia, Kenya, Morocco, and Venezuela, his dazzling photographs are accompanied by thoughtful text as he traces the insects’ efforts to hide from or scare off their predators.
Stunning color photographs reveal insect secrets that we would never get a chance to observe ourselves: such as a harmless moth that looks exactly like a stinging wasp or an inoffensive butterfly that’s protected from predators because its coloring is almost identical to that of a highly poisonous variety.
Reviews
Purser's text and 300 dramatic color photos offer entertaining content for the curious adult.
- Linda Piwowarczyk
The most beautiful entomological photographs that this reviewer has seen in 12 years as an entomologist and 15 years as a librarian . .. This unique treasure is the result of more than 30 years of entomological photography . .. text is clearly written . .. an excellent addition to any library. Summing Up: Essential.
- K. Fescemyer
Excellent comparisons between insect camouflage and mimicry. .. superb color photographs help to make reading the book a real pleasure.
- Paul P. Shubeck
Reveals the amazing ways insects hide from their predators . .. beautifully illustrated with the author's photos.
- Nancy Bent