Naturally Wild Musicians: The Wondrous World of Animal Song

Move over, Mozart. Animals are the real musicians.

It's no secret that some animals can make beautiful music -- who hasn't been cheered by the chirping of songbirds? But for animals, making music isn't for fun: it's a matter of survival! Tune in to Naturally Wild Musicians and discover how animals use sound to communicate, to proliferate and to stay alive.

Female frogs seek mates with the loudest, longest songs, and rightly so. Scientists have discovered that tadpoles fathered by such singers grow faster. Other species make music to mark their territories. Male Atlantic walruses will sing up to 65 hours straight to warn away any adversaries. Some creatures have even found ways to broadcast their music. The male southern mole cricket creates a megaphone-shaped mud burrow that actually amplifies the sound of whirring wings.

From Indonesian gibbons that sing duets for safety to Chinese torrent frogs that go ultrasonic to be heard in the rain, this book reveals the importance of sound for more than two dozen forms of wildlife. Filled with dramatic photographs of animals in action and clear, engaging writing, Naturally Wild Musicians is an intriguing look at the world of animal sounds.