Life in the Undergrowth [Hardcover]

David Attenborough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2006

An insect disguises itself as a flower or leaf. A spider lassoes its prey. A beetle persuades a bee to care for its young. This beautifully illustrated book by veteran naturalist Sir David Attenborough offers a rare glimpse into the secret life of invertebrates, the world's tiniest--and most fascinating--creatures.

Small by virtue of their lack of backbones, this group of living things plays a surprisingly large role in the evolutionary cycle. These diverse creatures (more than one million species are believed to exist) roamed the earth before us and will still be here when we have gone. They are the pollinators, cleaners, and recyclers of life on earth. Without them, we would not last long.

Attenborough has studied and enjoyed these diminutive beings since he was a schoolboy in the Leicestershire countryside of England. Life in the Undergrowth, part of his innovative series on natural history topics, looks at invertebrates the world over: their arrival on land and mastery of every habitat, and their fantastic variety of hunting, mating, and highly organized social behaviors.

Adults are prejudiced against insects--handicapped by their ignorance and fears and limited by their size and vision. Children, who are closer to insects in size, notice and enjoy the tiny creatures.

In this companion book to the Animal Planet television program, Attenborough shares his childlike curiosity for invertebrates, taking us down wormholes and into insect homes for an up-close-and-personal look at their habitats. As the biblical book of Proverbs implores: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard: consider her ways and be wise." David Attenborough does go. It is worth going with him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A companion to a new television program on Animal Planet, this wonderful exploration of invertebrates exceeds the requirements for a great nature book through the strength of its photographs and the quality of its prose. It helps that veteran naturalist and author Attenborough (The Life of Birds) brings the enthusiasm of an animal lover and the knowledge of a polymath to his goal: tracing the broad history of the development of "this vast invertebrate world, which constitutes by far the greatest numbers of both species and individuals on earth." His material is arranged in five chapters ranging from the first "invasion" of land by invertebrates to the complex "supersocieties" that many have developed. Along the way he describes literally hundreds of species, such as the "cartoon-like" velvet worm, the "cartwheel" mating position of dragonflies and the exploding "suicide bombers" of the Globotermes ant family. Each page of text offers at least one remarkable description, further enhanced by the 275 photographs; minuscule cameras and new optical systems make it possible to provide elegant glimpses of invertebrates "behaving normally and in intimate detail." One of the most striking of these photos (used on the jacket) is an extreme closeup of a bug-eyed yet almost human-looking damselfly. (Feb.)Correction: Chris Ballard, the author of The Butterfly Hunter: Adventures of People Who Found Their True Calling Way Off the Beaten Path (Reviews, Jan. 2), is a current staffer at Sports Illustrated.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Attenborough is at it again, exploring the natural world with his team of cinematographers and clearly explaining what they've found to a lay audience. In this companion volume to a series on TV's Animal Planet, Attenborough explores the lives of the planet's land-based invertebrates. Concentrating mainly on insects and spiders, the author investigates all aspects of the animals' life cycles. He first surveys the invertebrate invasion of land from the primordial sea, as illustrated by some of the most ancient species known (horseshoe crabs, scorpions, velvet worms, and snails). Insects then conquered the skies, and Attenborough observes some of the more familiar fliers as he compares and contrasts the lives of dragonflies, cicadas, and butterflies. A most fascinating section examines the diverse and often complicated ecological relationships of land invertebrates with their prey, their predators, their mates, and their rivals. Finally, the author turns his lens to the insects that live in super societies--ants, bees and wasps, and termites--and discusses the evolution and advantages of such extreme sociality. The text is always lively. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (January 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691127034
• ISBN-13: 978-0691127033
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Invertebrates
  • #94 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Insects & Spiders

More About the Author

Sir David Attenborough is Britain's best-known natural history film-maker. His career as a naturalist and broadcaster has spanned nearly five decades and there are very few places on the globe that he has not visited.

Sir David's first job - after Cambridge University and two years in the Royal Navy - was at the London publishing house Hodder & Stoughton. Then in 1952 he joined the BBC as a trainee producer and it was while working on the Zoo Quest series (1954-64) that he had his first opportunity to undertake expeditions to remote parts of the globe to capture intimate footage of rare wildlife in its natural habitat.

He was Controller of BBC2 (1965-68), during which time he introduced colour television to Britain, then Director of Programmes for the BBC (1969-1972). However in 1973 he abandoned administration altogether to return to documentary-making and writing.

Over the last 25 years he has established himself as the world's leading natural history programme maker with several landmark BBC series, including Life on Earth (1979), The Living Planet (1984), The Trials of Life (1990), The Private Life of Plants (1995), Life of Birds (1998), Life of Mammals (2002) and Life in the Undergrowth (2005). Sir David is a Trustee of the British Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; an Honorary Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge; a Fellow of the Royal Society and was knighted in 1985.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watch your step!, April 8, 2007

By 

Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life in the Undergrowth (Hardcover)

Life in the UndergrowthThey're there in their swarming multitudes. Millions upon millions of tiny creatures which we rarely observe and even more rarely consider. In large part we ignore them. Most are too small to be seen unaided and those large enough to be visible usually find ways to hide or deceive us. When we visibly encounter them, out come the folded newspapers or spray cans of insecticide. Such hasty judgements may be reconsidered when you've finished this glorious portrayal of insect life.

A TV documentary made into a book may seem "unscientific" to some. However, Attenborough's attention to detail and his prose skills give this volume real value. Lavishly illustrated, with many full-page photographs, the insect world is presented in grand scale. The subjects are presented in intimate detail, and range from miniscule to giant. Although a powerful leaper, the springtail is a minute insect. Photographed beside the head of a pin, it's easy to see why we fail to observe them readily. Yet, only a few pages away, an African snail covers the hand of the man holding it. A hoverfly, one of Nature's bizarre products, is caught frozen in flight. Its ability to hover and dart away is vividly described in Attenborough's text. Another photo portrays another master of aerodynamics, the dragonfly, which can use its wings independently. The image shows all four wings in a different position. It's the dragonfly's ancient ancestor that captures your attention. In his chapter on flying insects, the author displays an ancient fossil dragonfly wing. This ancient progenitor would have had a wingspan of 20 centimetres. Yet, it would been have been diminished by others of its kind reaching 73 centimetres on a body similar to one of today's seagulls in size.

Attenborough's skills as a communicator are well exhibited in this book. Drawing on a wealth of research, he's able to describe insect elements from structure to mating habits. Insects have highly complex body formations and internal organs that vary hugely from the rather consistent pattern of mammals like us. Lungs are uncommon, for example, and air is taken in to the body in a variety of ways. Passages in the legs or along the body may allow air to enter, but some insects "breathe" through the skin itself. Also unlike mammals, breeding may entail extended periods depending on both "social" and environmental conditions. Some spiders, when mating, take but minutes, particularly if the female is hungry. Others, where the male fears competition may last far longer as he remains in place to ensure it's his genes that are carried to the next generation.

Part of Attenborough's theme is the importance this panoply of life, from great to tiny, plays in our lives. With the immense amount of time and effort put in to make the photographs and observe these creatures in their native habitats, he and his teams have provided much new information about them. He delves into the rich evolutionary history of insects, reminding us that their heritage dates back to the beginning of life on land - nearly 400 million years ago. His work demonstrates that these animals, which we often consider "mindless", do possess an unexpected individuality. He's also candid about what remains to be learned. Some of the research called for may have serious implications for humanity. We thoughtlessly exterminate insects at our peril. With so much valuable information and a treasure of detailed images, this book is a worthwhile purchase for anybody, young or old. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling- even for an inveterate bug-hater, October 20, 2006

By 

D. Miller (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life in the Undergrowth (Hardcover)

My sister in law bought this book for my wife; the two are ex-tom boys who loved snakes and bugs as kids-- still do. I am the opposite. But I quickly read this book cover to cover. It's enthralling, and includes marvelous photos. (Unlike many books with illustrations, the photos are on or opposite the page that's discussing the specific insect, a much-appreciated convenience) For folks interested in genetic evolutionary adaption, this book will be a fascinating read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Life in the Undergrowth"!, February 16, 2009

By 

Braydyn Niewiadomski (Anacortes, WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Life in the Undergrowth (Hardcover)

This is the fantastic companion book to the equally fantastic BBC program with the same name. If you're reading reviews to decide whether or not you should pick up this book, then I'll say it now, this is a great book definitely worth the price.

If you're looking for more information about the book itself, then here you go...

This book is (as listed on the amazon.com product details) 288 pages, and loaded with photographs on nearly every page. That does not, however, make this a picture book. The text is very informative and loaded with facts, all of which are fascinating. David Attenborough has written a great number of books, and like all of the others that I've read this one is hard to put down. He is a very skilled author who can take an animal's incredible behavior, and translate it into words and make you feel just as enthralled as he obviously is. And yes, the creatures and behavior in this book are definitely captivating.

If you're curious, and since no one has yet listed the contents of this book, (all chapter titles are the same as the series program titles) I'll do that here...


1. THE INVASION OF THE LAND - the first invertebrates to colonize the land and their descendants

2. THE FIRST TO FLY - the first invertebrates to take to the skies and again, their descendants

3. THE SILK SPINNERS - mostly spiders, but also other invertebrates that are much less common

4. INTIMATE RELATIONS - the relationships invertebrates have with other living things

5. SUPERSOCIETIES - invertebrates that dwell together in large groups


Each chapter focuses on a specific group of invertebrates or invertebrate lifestyle, but still feels like a part of the whole book.

As I've said earlier, the book has a picture or two on nearly every single page. This book could still have been very good without the photographs because of the great writing, but it wouldn't have been the same. The camera team has captured some remarkable images with their revolutionary tiny lenses and we can see invertebrates as we never have before. Many times we've seen close-up pictures of a fly, spider or what-not, but often what we see is a little grainy. Not so in this book, the pictures are absolutely crystal clear, and in incredible detail. Even creatures in mid-flight don't look even the slightest bit blurry or fuzzy.

Clearly this is an exceptional book. If you love invertebrates or really nature in general, this is a must-have, highly recommended!