ON THE TRAIL OF THE KOMODO DRAGON

Eleven animal mysteries that were the subjects of magazine pieces in “Highlights for Children” have been gathered and updated in this volume. Among the topics are how horses sleep, how cats survive high falls, how snakes use their tongues to smell, and how the giraffe gets blood to the brain. Myers provides background information, states the science question, and describes the ingenious ways scientists work. In some cases, the findings on one animal are generalized, e.g., by studying how the enormous, cold blooded leatherback turtle maintains body heat, scientists speculate on how the dinosaurs—also thought to be cold-blooded—grew. Some readers may feel uneasy about hummingbirds kept in restraints while their heartbeats are measured, antelopes forced to run on treadmills while wearing gas masks, and fireflies chopped up for the study of luciferin—practices that the author describes without endorsing. The text is challenging; Myers bases his writings on resources rarely available to young readers, all listed in the bibliography. For motivated science enthusiasts, much of the information will be fascinating. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)