Profiling more than 400 of the world's most fascinating species, this lavish encyclopedia offers a comprehensive overview of creatures from every continent and climate, including the leopard, the field hamster, the duck-billed platypus, the peregrine falcon, the trapdoor spider, the common eel, the American alligator, and the sea horse. For easy reference, each entry includes a table of information on scientific name, order, and family, features, habitats, diet, and breeding, as well as informative maps showing its distribution and a comparison of its size with humans. Featured animals are grouped by order and family, and each is illustrated with photographs and detailed, full-color annotated paintings. Veterinarian David Alderton's book is an ideal reference for readers 8 to 12, but it proves engaging for animal lovers of any age.