This encyclopedia of nature looks at how birds fly, how snakes strike, how whales communicate and how a volcano erupts. The book looks at the underlying processes or activities, and frequently draws together a host of different species in an examination of a particular type of behaviour. Arranged thematically, double-page spreads form the basic units of information, and an extensive index enables the book to be used in a more conventional manner to look up topics or particular plants or animals. The book divides into nine sections, which take the reader from the formation of the Earth through to the evolution of modern lifeforms with their range of adaptations. Sections include shaping the planet, the power of the atmosphere, evolution and adaptation, reproducing to survive, the search for food, movement and shelter, attack and defence, senses and communication and the living environments.