There is nothing to beat the extraordinary wildlife of Australia. Its colourful parrots, its venomous snakes, its abundance of hopping marsupials and the strange, egg-laying Platypus - these are just a few of the players in a story that began hundreds of millions of years ago. Many members of Australia's wildlife live nowhere else on Earth. They are unique, the result of evolution on a continent that has been geographically isolated from the rest of the world for 38 million years.
Wildlife of Australia is an account of how these animals have developed in response to changing climates and habitats. It describes their day-to-day habits, where they live, how they find partners and care for their young, and how they protect themselves and find food and shelter. Superbly illustrated with over 550 colour photographs by renowned wildlife photographer Jiri Lochman, the book also contains a list of scientific names, good zoos and wildlife parks, useful websites and books, and a comprehensive glossary. Wildlife of Australia reveals the fascinating worlds of the animals that live all around us on this ancient land but remain largely unnoticed.
LOUISE EGERTON arrived in Australia from England in 1986 and fell instantly in love with the country's natural world. It inspired her to enrol at the University of New England and, while working full time as an editor for the natural history publisher, Reed Books, she completed her degree in zoology and botany and went on to write her first book, Know Your Birds, which went on to win a Whitley's Book Award for the best beginner's guide. As series editor, she also received a Whitley's Award for a collection of wildlife guides called Green Guides. JIRI LOCHMAN has a well-deserved reputation as one of Australia's most versatile and experienced wildlife photographers working today. He came to Australia in 1978. After settling in Western Australia and working for a short time at Perth Zoo, he and his wife Marie set up a photographic agency, Lochman Transparencies, which they continue to run today.