Current Perspectives on the Functional Design of the Avian Respiratory System

Download Current Perspectives on the Functional Design of the Avian Respiratory System PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031351800
Total Pages : 391 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (313 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Current Perspectives on the Functional Design of the Avian Respiratory System by : John N. Maina

Download or read book Current Perspectives on the Functional Design of the Avian Respiratory System written by John N. Maina and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-09-13 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Birds have and continue to fascinate scientists and the general public. While the avian respiratory system has unremittingly been investigated for nearly five centuries, important aspects on its biology remain cryptic and controversial. In this book, resolving some of the contentious issues, developmental-, structural- and functional aspects of the avian lung-air sac system are particularized: it endeavors to answer following fundamental questions on the biology of birds: how, when and why did birds become what they are? Flight is a unique form of locomotion. It considerably shaped the form and the essence of birds as animals. An exceptionally efficient respiratory system capacitated birds to procure the exceptionally large quantities of oxygen needed for powered (active) flight. Among the extant air-breathing vertebrates, comprising ~11,000 species, birds are the most species-rich-, numerically abundant- and extensively distributed animal taxon. After realizing volancy, they easily overcame geographical obstacles and extensively dispersed into various ecological niches where they underwent remarkable adaptive radiation. While the external morphology of birds is inconceivably uniform for such a considerably speciose taxon, contingent on among other attributes, lifestyle, habitat and phylogenetic level of development have foremost determined the novelties that are displayed by diverse species of birds. Here, critical synthesizes of the most recent findings with the historical ones, evolution and behavior and development, structure and function of the exceptionally elaborate respiratory system of birds are detailed. The prominence of modern birds as a taxon in the Animal Kingdom is underscored. The book should appeal to researchers who are interested in evolutionary processes and how adaptive specializations correlate with biological physiognomies and exigencies, comparative biologists who focus on how various animals have solved respiratory pressures, people who study respiration in birds and other animals and ornithologists who love and enjoy birds for what they are – profoundly interesting animals.

Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery

Download Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN 13 : 1455746711
Total Pages : 929 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (557 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery by : Brian Speer

Download or read book Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery written by Brian Speer and published by Elsevier Health Sciences. This book was released on 2015-12-04 with total page 929 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A current and cutting-edge reference, Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery takes the popular Current Therapy approach in providing succinct and clear information pertinent to the medical care of avian species. Most chapters include an up-to-date delivery of the current state of knowledge on their subject material, and provide practical approaches and thought processes applicable to diagnosis and therapy where appropriate. Information is always easy to find, with topics including the latest advances in internal medicine; behavioral medicine; anesthesia, analgesia, and surgery. Sections dedicated to welfare, conservation, and practice risk management explore important, but less commonly discussed aspects of avian practice; and the pattern recognition portion of the text offers readers a view of what companion bird conditions are likely to be seen in practice in different parts of the world. Written by a team of highly regarded contributors from around the world, this text helps readers, regardless of location and current knowledge, develop and augment skills in the medical and surgical care of avian species. The Current Therapy format provides current, up-to-date, succinct and clear information pertinent to the medical and surgical care of avian species. Coverage of clinically significant topics includes current veterinary scientific literature and hot topics relating to today's avian medicine and surgery. Coverage of a wide variety of bird species includes psittacines, pigeons, raptors, ratites, waterfowl, gallinaceous birds, and less common species. More than 800 full-color images show avian disease, management strategies and thought processes, and aid in formulating guidelines to care. World-renowned, expert contributors provide cutting-edge information, offering authoritative, accurate, and sometimes controversial opinions in many areas of study. Summary tables simplify the lookup of key facts and treatment guidelines. References in each chapter facilitate further reading and research on specific topics.

Bioengineering Aspects in the Design of Gas Exchangers

Download Bioengineering Aspects in the Design of Gas Exchangers PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642203957
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (422 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Bioengineering Aspects in the Design of Gas Exchangers by : John N. Maina

Download or read book Bioengineering Aspects in the Design of Gas Exchangers written by John N. Maina and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-06-24 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book encapsulates over three decades of the author’s work on comparative functional respiratory morphology. It provides insights into the mechanism(s) by which respiratory means and processes originated and advanced to their modern states. Pertinent cross-disciplinary details and facts have been integrated and reexamined in order to arrive at more robust answers to questions regarding the basis of the functional designs of gas exchangers. The utilization of oxygen for energy production is an ancient process, the development and progression of which were underpinned by dynamic events in the biological, physical, and chemical worlds. Many books that have broached the subject of comparative functional respiratory biology have only described the form and function of the ‘end-product,’ the gas exchanger; they have scarcely delved into the factors and the conditions that motivated and steered the development from primeval to modern respiratory means and processes. This book addresses and answers broad questions concerning the critical synthesis of multidisciplinary data, and clarifies previously cryptic aspects of comparative respiratory biology.

Index Medicus

Download Index Medicus PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 2160 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (319 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Index Medicus by :

Download or read book Index Medicus written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 2160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.

Role of Birds in Transmitting Zoonotic Pathogens

Download Role of Birds in Transmitting Zoonotic Pathogens PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 981164554X
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (116 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Role of Birds in Transmitting Zoonotic Pathogens by : Yashpal Singh Malik

Download or read book Role of Birds in Transmitting Zoonotic Pathogens written by Yashpal Singh Malik and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-01 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zoonotic diseases pose a serious threat to global health and economy. Domestic and wild birds play crucial roles in transmission and spread of important zoonotic pathogens, with significant implications on human and avian health. Although zoonotic diseases have been extensively studied, information on various aspects of avian zoonotic pathogens have not been revisited or revised to any great extent. This book is a comprehensive and updated compilation of important zoonotic diseases that are transmitted by domestic and wild birds, and consists of 21 chapters that meticulously describe the (i) etiology and evolution, (ii) complex epidemiology, such as migration pathways in context of disease transmission, (iii) pathogenesis, (iv) clinical signs and necropsy findings, (v) diagnostics including latest molecular assays, and (vi) preventative and control strategies, with an emphasis on therapeutics and prophylaxis, of important zoonotic pathogens (bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral) of avian origin in humans and birds. Each chapter is aptly supported by interactive tables and figures, and features an updated reference section. This book aims to create awareness and enlighten students of veterinary and human medicine on the role of birds in zoonoses, and would serve as a useful reference for working veterinarians, human doctors, and public health experts.

The Lung-Air Sac System of Birds

Download The Lung-Air Sac System of Birds PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3540297278
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (42 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Lung-Air Sac System of Birds by : John N. Maina

Download or read book The Lung-Air Sac System of Birds written by John N. Maina and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-01-16 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In biology, few organs have been as elusive as the lung-air sac system of birds. Considerable progress has recently been made to fill the gaps in the knowledge. While summarizing and building on earlier observations and ideas, this book provides cutting-edge details on the development, structure, function, and the evolutionary design of the avian respiratory system. Outlining the mechanisms and principles through which biological complexity and functional novelty have been crafted in a unique gas exchanger, this account will provoke further inquiries on the many still uncertain issues. The specific goal here was to highlight the uniqueness of the design of the avian respiratory system and the factors that obligated it.

The Biology of the Avian Respiratory System

Download The Biology of the Avian Respiratory System PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319441531
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (194 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Biology of the Avian Respiratory System by : John N. Maina

Download or read book The Biology of the Avian Respiratory System written by John N. Maina and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-04-28 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The central focus of this book is the avian respiratory system. The authors explain why the respiratory system of modern birds is built the way it is and works the way that it does. Birds have been and continue to attract particular interest to biologists. The more birds are studied, the more it is appreciated that the existence of human-kind on earth very much depends directly and indirectly on the existence of birds. Regarding the avian respiratory system, published works are scattered in biological journals of fields like physiology, behavior, anatomy/morphology and ecology while others appear in as far afield as paleontology and geology. The contributors to this book are world-renowned experts in their various fields of study. Special attention is given to the evolution, the structure, the function and the development of the lung-air sac system. Readers will not only discover the origin of birds but will also learn how the respiratory system of theropod dinosaurs worked and may have transformed into the avian one. In addition, the work explores such aspects as swallowing mechanism in birds, the adaptations that have evolved for flight at extreme altitude and gas exchange in eggs. It is a highly informative and carefully presented work that provides cutting edge scientific insights for readers with an interest in the respiratory biology and the evolution of birds.

Avian Immunology

Download Avian Immunology PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 : 0123972728
Total Pages : 456 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (239 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Avian Immunology by : Bernd Kaspers

Download or read book Avian Immunology written by Bernd Kaspers and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of Avian Immunology provides an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge of avian immunology. From the ontogeny of the avian immune system to practical application in vaccinology, the book encompasses all aspects of innate and adaptive immunity in chickens. In addition, chapters are devoted to the immunology of other commercially important species such as turkeys and ducks, and to ecoimmunology summarizing the knowledge of immune responses in free-living birds often in relation to reproductive success. The book contains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system, encompassing the mucosal, enteric, respiratory and reproductive systems. The diseases and disorders it covers include immunodepressive diseases and immune evasion, autoimmune diseases, and tumors of the immune system. Practical aspects of vaccination are examined as well. Extensive appendices summarize resources for scientists including cell lines, inbred chicken lines, cytokines, chemokines, and monoclonal antibodies. The world-wide importance of poultry protein for the human diet, as well as the threat of avian influenza pandemics like H5N1 and heavy reliance on vaccination to protect commercial flocks makes this book a vital resource. This book provides crucial information not only for poultry health professionals and avian biologists, but also for comparative and veterinary immunologists, graduate students and veterinary students with an interest in avian immunology. With contributions from 33 of the foremost international experts in the field, this book provides the most up-to-date review of avian immunology so far Contains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system reviewing constitutive barriers, chemical and cellular responses; it includes a comprehensive review of avian Toll-like receptors Contains a wide-ranging review of the "ecoimmunology" of free-living avian species, as applied to studies of population dynamics, and reviews methods and resources available for carrying out such research

The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine

Download The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192506781
Total Pages : 992 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (925 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine by : Martin Brüne

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine written by Martin Brüne and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-31 with total page 992 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Medicine is grounded in the natural sciences, among which biology stands out with regard to the understanding of human physiology and conditions that cause dysfunction. Ironically though, evolutionary biology is a relatively disregarded field. One reason for this omission is that evolution is deemed a slow process. Indeed, macroanatomical features of our species have changed very little in the last 300,000 years. A more detailed look, however, reveals that novel ecological contingencies, partly in relation to cultural evolution, have brought about subtle changes pertaining to metabolism and immunology, including adaptations to dietary innovations, as well as adaptations to the exposure to novel pathogens. Rapid pathogen evolution and evolution of cancer cells cause major problems for the immune system to find adequate responses. In addition, many adaptations to past ecologies have turned into risk factors for somatic disease and psychological disorder in our modern worlds (i.e. mismatch), among which epidemics of autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, as well as several forms of cancer stand out. In addition, depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions add to the list. The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine is a compilation of cutting edge insights into the evolutionary history of ourselves as a species, and how and why our evolved design may convey vulnerability to disease. Written in a classic textbook style emphasising physiology and pathophysiology of all major organ systems, the Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine will be valuable for students as well as scholars in the fields of medicine, biology, anthropology and psychology.

Analysis of Vertebrate Structure

Download Analysis of Vertebrate Structure PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 670 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (318 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Analysis of Vertebrate Structure by : Milton Hildebrand

Download or read book Analysis of Vertebrate Structure written by Milton Hildebrand and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2001 with total page 670 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Functional approach to morphology--treatment is unique as to organization, thoroughness, and extent of biomechanical analysis. * Profusely illustrated with high quality original artwork. * Comment boxes evaluate points of controversy and note inadequately understood phenomena.

Animal Physiology

Download Animal Physiology PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107268508
Total Pages : 630 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (72 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Animal Physiology by : Knut Schmidt-Nielsen

Download or read book Animal Physiology written by Knut Schmidt-Nielsen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1997-06-09 with total page 630 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do dolphins catch fish in murky water? Why do moths drink from puddles? How do birds' eggs breathe? How do animals work? In this revised and updated edition of the acclaimed text Animal Physiology, the answers are revealed. In clear and stimulating style, Knut Schmidt-Nielsen introduces and develops the fundamental principles of animal physiology according to major environmental features - oxygen, food and energy, temperature, and water. The structure of the book is unchanged from the previous edition, but every chapter has been updated to take into account recent developments, with numerous new references and figures. Animal Physiology is suitable as a text for undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in physiology. As with previous editions, students, teachers as well as researchers will find this book a valuable and enjoyable companion to course work and research.

Fundamental Structural Aspects and Features in the Bioengineering of the Gas Exchangers: Comparative Perspectives

Download Fundamental Structural Aspects and Features in the Bioengineering of the Gas Exchangers: Comparative Perspectives PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642559174
Total Pages : 117 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (425 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Fundamental Structural Aspects and Features in the Bioengineering of the Gas Exchangers: Comparative Perspectives by : J.N. Maina

Download or read book Fundamental Structural Aspects and Features in the Bioengineering of the Gas Exchangers: Comparative Perspectives written by J.N. Maina and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The history of biology is replete with examples of how comparative biology helped clarify the meaning of structure and function in complex animals. Indeed, without the comparative approach to biology, the birth of physiology would have been delayed. Fishman (1979) Comparative morphologists are challenged to discern the changes that have occurred in evolution and development of the forms and states of organisms as well as to explain the factors that compelled them (e.g. Dullemeijer 1974). The main objective of this contribution is to present what I deem to be some of the fundamental structural aspects in the design of respiratory or gans while debating and speculating on when, how and why these states were founded. My main thesis is that the modern gas exchangers are products of protracted processes that have en tailed adaptation to specific environments and lifestyles. Only those feasible designs that have proven adequately competent in meeting demands for molecular oxygen have been preserved. Unfortunately, August Krogh's (Krogh 1941) and Pierre Dejours' (Dejours 1975) seminal works on the comparative physiology of the respiratory organs have not been paralleled by equally exten sive and detailed morphological work. Our approach has been to look into the limiting functional properties as regards the respi ratory capacities of gas exchangers while finding out the specific structural adaptations that have evolved to meet the metabolic needs or to look into form and to discern how it limits function. This has allowed a deduction of structure-function correlation.

Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza

Download Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309267781
Total Pages : 132 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza by : National Research Council

Download or read book Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-04-04 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When, in late 2011, it became public knowledge that two research groups had submitted for publication manuscripts that reported on their work on mammalian transmissibility of a lethal H5N1 avian influenza strain, the information caused an international debate about the appropriateness and communication of the researchers' work, the risks associated with the work, partial or complete censorship of scientific publications, and dual-use research of concern in general. Recognizing that the H5N1 research is only the most recent scientific activity subject to widespread attention due to safety and security concerns, on May 1, 2012, the National Research Council's Committee on Science, Technology and Law, in conjunction with the Board on Life Sciences and the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats, convened a one-day public workshop for the purposes of 1) discussing the H5N1 controversy; 2) considering responses by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which had funded this research, the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), scientific publishers, and members of the international research community; and 3) providing a forum wherein the concerns and interests of the broader community of stakeholders, including policy makers, biosafety and biosecurity experts, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the general public might be articulated. Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza: Scientific Enquiry, Communication, Controversy summarizes the proceedings of the workshop.

Biological Systems in Vertebrates, Vol. 1

Download Biological Systems in Vertebrates, Vol. 1 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 0429530420
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (295 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Biological Systems in Vertebrates, Vol. 1 by : J N Maina

Download or read book Biological Systems in Vertebrates, Vol. 1 written by J N Maina and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2019-04-23 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gives an account of the morphologies of vertebrate respiratory organs and attempts to explicate the basis of the common and different structural and functional designs and stratagems that have evolved for acquisition of molecular oxygen. The book has been written with a broad readership in mind: students of biology as well as experts in the discipl

Cardio-Respiratory Control in Vertebrates

Download Cardio-Respiratory Control in Vertebrates PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3540939857
Total Pages : 543 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (49 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cardio-Respiratory Control in Vertebrates by : Mogens L. Glass

Download or read book Cardio-Respiratory Control in Vertebrates written by Mogens L. Glass and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-07-24 with total page 543 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hopefully, this book will be taken off of the shelf frequently to be studied carefully over many years. More than 40 researchers were involved in this project, which examines respiration, circulation, and metabolism from ?sh to the land vertebrates, including human beings. A breathable and stable atmosphere ?rst appeared about 500 million years ago. Oxygen levels are not stable in aquatic environments and exclusively water-breathing ?sh must still cope with the ever-changing levels of O 2 and with large temperature changes. This is re?ected in their sophisticated count- current systems, with high O extraction and internal and external O receptors. 2 2 The conquest for the terrestrial environment took place in the late Devonian period (355–359 million years ago), and recent discoveries portray the gradual transitional evolution of land vertebrates. The oxygen-rich and relatively stable atmospheric conditionsimpliedthatoxygen-sensingmechanismswererelativelysimpleandl- gain compared with acid–base regulation. Recently, physiology has expanded into related ?elds such as biochemistry, molecular biology, morphology and anatomy. In the light of the work in these ?elds, the introduction of DNA-based cladograms, which can be used to evaluate the likelihood of land vertebrates and lung?sh as a sister group, could explain why their cardio-respiratory control systems are similar. The diffusing capacity of a duck lung is 40 times higher than that of a toad or lung?sh. Certainly, some animals have evolved to rich high-performance levels.

Endothelial Biomedicine

Download Endothelial Biomedicine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139465872
Total Pages : 25 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (394 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Endothelial Biomedicine by : William C. Aird

Download or read book Endothelial Biomedicine written by William C. Aird and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-09-03 with total page 25 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The endothelium, the cell layer that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, is a spatially distributed system that extends to all areas of the human body. Clinical and basic research demonstrates that the endothelium plays a crucial role in mediating homeostasis and is involved in virtually every disease, either as a primary determinant of pathophysiology or as a victim of collateral damage. The endothelium has remarkable, though largely untapped, diagnostic and therapeutic potential. This volume bridges the bench-to-bedside gap in endothelial biomedicine, advancing research and development and improving human health. The book is the first to systematically integrate knowledge about the endothelium from different organ-specific disciplines, including neurology, pulmonary, cardiology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, infectious disease, hematology-oncology, nephrology, and dermatology. It's interdisciplinary approach, which draws on expertise from such diverse fields as evolutionary biology, comparative biology, molecular and cell biology, mathematical modeling and complexity theory, translational research, and clinical medicine.

Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians

Download Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : CSIRO PUBLISHING
ISBN 13 : 1486300677
Total Pages : 671 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (863 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians by : Gordon Grigg

Download or read book Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians written by Gordon Grigg and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 671 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians is a comprehensive review of current knowledge about the world's largest and most famous living reptiles. Gordon Grigg's authoritative and accessible text and David Kirshner's stunning interpretive artwork and colour photographs combine expertly in this contemporary celebration of crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials. This book showcases the skills and capabilities that allow crocodylians to live how and where they do. It covers the biology and ecology of the extant species, conservation issues, crocodylian–human interaction and the evolutionary history of the group, and includes a vast amount of new information; 25 per cent of 1100 cited publications have appeared since 2007. Richly illustrated with more than 500 colour photographs and black and white illustrations, this book will be a benchmark reference work for crocodylian biologists, herpetologists and vertebrate biologists for years to come.