Books in Scientists in the Field Series series

In The Manatee Scientists, John Reynolds does an aerial count of manatees from the Florida sky; Lucy Keith spends a weekend rescuing manatees trapped in a dam in Senegal; and Fernando Rosas takes the author on an Amazonian boat trip, looking for a young manatee he released back into the wild, with emotional results. These scientists are working hard to save manatees: docile, large sea mammals who are eaten in some parts of the world, feared in others, and adored in still others. But factors such as human encroachment, disease, environmental hazards, and being hunted are causing their numbers to decline: they are an endangered species, in need of help.

America's National Parks are protected places and have become living museums for as many as 270 million visitors per year! In addition, researchers are able to perform long term studies of a wide number of subjects from salamanders the size of thumbnails to gigantic geothermal geysers. These parks are natural laboratories for scientists. Did you know that Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming sits on top of an active (and very large) volcano? This volcano is monitored and studied on a daily basis, not only as a means of protection (though it seems a long way off from erupting) but also as a way of understanding how the environment changes and influences what goes on deep underground. The scientists profiled in The Park Scientists also study grizzly bears in Yellowstone, the majestic Sagauro catci in Arizona, and fireflies in Tennessee -- and suggest many ways for the average reader of any age to help out. The emphasis here is twofold: the great science that happens everyday in these important, protected spaces, and the fact that you can visit all of them and participate in the research. It's backyard science at its biggest and best in this resourceful addition to the Scientists in the Field series!

If you’ve never seen a lowland tapir, you’re not alone. Most of the people who live near tapir habitat in Brazil’s vast Pantanal (“the Everglades on steroids”) haven’t seen the elusive snorkel-snouted mammal, either. In this arresting nonfiction picture book, Sibert winners Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop join a tapir-finding expedition led by the Brazilian field scientist Pati Medici. Aspiring scientists will love the immediate, often humorous “you are there” descriptions of fieldwork, and gadget lovers will revel in the high-tech science at play, from microchips to the camera traps that capture the “soap opera” of tapir life.

A National Science Teachers Association/Children's Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book for ChildrenSlaughtering elephants for their ivory; shooting bears for their gall bladders; capturing sea turtles for soup. In the name of vanity, fashion, and greed, man stalks and kills wild animals -- and gets away with it, even when it is clearly against the law. But now scientists have a way to catch and convict poachers. In a laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, they analyze clues to link suspects to crimes. In words and pictures, this book tells a poignant story and reveals how science can indeed save the day.

Terri Roth trudges through the thick, dark Sumatran jungle. She’s looking for a rhinoceros that’s been seen in the area. It’s a rare Sumatran rhino, the world’s smallest rhino and one of the most endangered mammals on the planet.Suddenly she spots a young female rhino through the tangle of ferns and trees. The stocky animal is covered in reddish hair, and her snout sports two stubby horns. The rhino walks right up to Terri. The scientist slowly reaches out her hand and touches the rhino’s big nose. The wild rhino’s curiosity and friendliness remind Terri of Emi, the female Sumatran rhino that lives at the Cincinnati Zoo where Terri works. Terri is working with Emi to help save Sumatran rhinos from extinction—one calf at a time.

*"Another splendid demonstration of the work of Scientists in the Field.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review With their pony-shaped faces, fluttery swimming style, and pregnant fathers, seahorses are one of the ocean's most unusual fish. Unfortunately, overfishing, pollution, and climate change are threatening their survival. In ProjectSeahorse, the author Pamela S. Turner and the photographer Scott Tuason brilliantly show and tell the story of how conservationists and villagers in the Philippines are coming together to protect these oddly charming creatures, their coral reef habitat, and the livelihood of local fishing families.

Barely a century ago a vast tallgrass prairie covered America’s heartland. Bison, elk, coyotes, and bear roamed this wilderness. Hundreds of species of prairie plants supported an explosion of birds and insects, including hundreds of kinds of butterflies. By the early part of the twentieth century, however, the tallgrass prairie was gone, its rich soils converted to farms to feed a growing world population.Here, author Sneed B. Collard III tells the remarkable story of an effort to bring back part of the native tallgrass prairie. By following scientists who are working on the 8,000-acre Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa, readers will learn where the vision for a new prairie came from and how a dedicated group of scientists and volunteers is working to turn this vision into reality, from locating seeds of native prairie plants to using fire to drive out weeds to “bringing home” bison, elk, and one of the prairie’s most spectacular butterflies, the Regal Fritillary.

A stunning exploration of the mercury pollution in Montana that causes harm to humans and ospreys alike. Engrossing narrative nonfiction with fun webcam photos makes for an engaging addition to the award-winning Scientists in the Field series. This meticulously researched and photographed account follows three University of Montana scientists and their interdisciplinary work with ospreys: fish-catching birds with gigantic nests and a family that functions with teamwork and cooperation. In Missoula, Montana, the scientists have been following ospreys for six years, collecting data on the amount of contaminants, including mercury, found on their feathers and in their blood. The water in western Montana still suffers effects from mining activities performed more than a hundred years ago, and this pollution is still dangerous. Because the osprey hunts in a very small area, scientists can pinpoint where mercury is coming from and work to keep the ospreys, and the people, safer.

There are 6,200 known invasive species in the United States, and scientists are scrambling to stop their unique paths of destruction, which can take a huge toll on regional economies and ecosystems. To effectively combat an invader, scientists must know the organism inside and out: What does it eat? How does it reproduce? What was its environment like in its native home? There are many questions, but just one right answer might yield a weakness in the enemy. In this entry in the Scientists in the Field series, Sneed B. Collard III introduces readers to some of the most brilliant minds, and promising advances, in the war against invasive species.

A 2005 Sibert Honor Book Yellow blood, silk of steel, skeletons on the outside! These amazing attributes don’t belong to comic book characters or alien life forms, but to Earth’s biggest and hairiest spiders: tarantulas. Here you are invited to follow Sam Marshall, spider scientist extraordinaire (he’s never been bitten), as he explores the dense rainforest of French Guiana, knocking on the doors of tarantula burrows, trying to get a closer look at these incredible creatures. You’ll also visit the largest comparative spider laboratory in America—where close to five hundred live tarantulas sit in towers of stacked shoeboxes and plastic containers, waiting for their turn to dazzle and astound the scientists who study them.

Aided by an army of beachcombers, oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news; it is important scientific data. And with careful analysis, Curt, along with a community of scientists, friends, and beachcombers alike, is using his data to understand and protect our ocean. In engaging text and unforgettable images, readers meet the woman who started it all (Curt’s mother!), the computer program that makes sense of his data (nicknamed OSCURS), and several scientists, both on land and on the sea, who are using Curt’s discoveries to preserve delicate marine habitats and protect the creatures who live in them. A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book for Nonfiction.

The Earth buries its past. Living things that die and then slowly become part of the Earth are called fossils. This is where the skills of a paleontologist come into play. Their job is to find fossils and study them in order to make sense of what was going on here on Earth for billions of years before there were ever human beings. Learn all about the fossil record, the amazing discoveries and where they were found, and what it takes to become one of these amazing scientists. Put on your gloves and get ready to dig into the world of paleontology! This title will allow students to identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to identify past life of animals or human existence.• Text based questions• Content sidebars• Diagrams• Bold keywords with phonetic glossary