Wet and Wild: A Field Guide to the Freshwater Animals of the Southern Tablelands and High Country of the ACT and NSW

Whether you would like to know the name of the snake that just frightened the living daylights out of you, or are simply trying to estimate the number of types of bird on a lake, this book is a valuable aid . It helps the reader identify many of the frog, reptile, fish, bird and invertebrate species to be found in the high country of south-eastern Australia, with the help of colour photographs and descriptions of each species.  The creatures’ biology, diet, habitat, distribution, abundance and conservation status are all described.    Delving into the book and learning about each animal – how a blackfish lays and fans its eggs, or why lizards shuffle from foot to foot – enriches the reader’s understanding of the complex freshwater environment.  One of the beauties of the book is that as the reader gains more knowledge, more questions spring forth:  How does that frog change colour?  Why do some snakes lay eggs while others give birth to live young?  How can turtles become dormant?  As Australia develops, many rivers are under intense pressure to provide more and more water, but there’s only so much rainfall. Therefore, unfortunately, the future is not bright for many of the animals that depend on healthy rivers and wetlands to live. For instance, eight species of frogs vanished completely in Australia in the decade between 1980 and 1990.