false 546762 2 Leeches, fire ants, dragonflies and mosquitoes; slime eels, giant squids, earthworms and fleas--this gallery of creepy-crawlies is enough to give anyone nightmares. Yet in his new book, <I>Spineless Wonders</I>, author Richard Conniff succeeds in making his subjects interesting if not exactly attractive. Conniff, a journalist, knows all too well that most people do not share his admiration for the invertebrates of the world, and so he sets out to demonstrate just what marvels of engineering they really are. From discussions of just how these creatures are made and how they survive, he goes on to tell stories about the people who study them. From the scientist who ate the only known specimen of a new species to the leech-farmer in Wales, Conniff paints a vivid picture of invertebrates and the people who love them, making even that slime eel seem almost appealing. 534029 1996 Spineless Wonders: Strange Tales from the Invertebrate World total:26|5:4|4:13|3:6|2:3|1:0| 26 96 40 6 2 1 false false Wed Jul 30 11:21:19 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 30 11:22:11 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1998 Mon Aug 06 18:12:05 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 06 18:17:53 -0700 2007 Smithsonian and National Geographic. These tales of fire ants, squid, and other "spineless wonders" reall made me appreciate that we vertebrates are in the minority on this planet. We're the exception. Invertebrates are ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Nov 25 13:33:53 -0800 2008 Tue Oct 07 07:25:25 -0700 2008 Tue Nov 25 13:33:53 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Sun Feb 24 23:25:33 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 24 23:15:32 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Fri Dec 28 09:24:14 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 28 09:26:25 -0800 2007 0 0 false false Mon Jun 18 21:18:03 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 18 21:18:04 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Wed Nov 04 06:54:49 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 06:54:57 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 13 18:43:55 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 18:43:59 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Mon Oct 12 07:52:27 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 07:52:27 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Aug 27 19:35:45 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 19:35:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Aug 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 07:12:22 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 11:53:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jun 14 20:17:06 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 20:17:06 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jun 12 16:53:49 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 18:44:55 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 16:53:49 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat May 23 19:01:08 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 19:01:08 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed May 20 21:01:52 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 21:01:52 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon May 04 11:48:21 -0700 2009 Mon May 04 11:48:21 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Feb 22 20:01:02 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 20:01:02 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Jan 07 21:42:45 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 21:42:52 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Jan 03 15:00:05 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 15:00:05 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Dec 13 10:51:26 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 10:51:26 -0800 2008