Hidden wonders

This photographic masterpiece celebrates the forgotten inhabitants of the African savannah - insects, spiders, frogs and smaller reptiles. The main aim of this book is to showcase the superb, high-quality slide collection of the photographer, Dan Lieberman, and his tremendous patience taken in acquiring these images. In doing so, the author also highlights and describes the diversity of species and makes the smaller often overlooked creatures as exciting to observe as their big and hairy counterparts. A tall order perhaps! But with the quality of Dan's macro-slide images of these small creatures, coupled with the author's passion for the natural world, we hope to demonstrate that observing some of the Small 5005 can be as rewarding as observing their Big 5 compatriots. The more one begins to know about these denizens of the bush, the more one begins to realise how much more there is to discover. By highlighting some of the lesser-known inhabitants of these areas, it is hoped that people will be more willing to conserve them, and that in this context these creatures will gain recognition so that the plight of all biodiversity can be given the attention it deserves.About the Authors:Rael Loon, the author, aims to promote the connections between ecotourism, conservation and community development by demonstrating in his writing how people and wildlife can benefit from each other, and by writing on related environmental issues. He believes that the best chance of conserving nature and our biodiversity is by learning as much as possible about them. In this book, he takes the reader on a journey of discovery into the hidden world of some of these smaller denizens of southern Africa's rich and diverse habitats. Rael lives in the Lowveld with his wife, Helene, and their two children, Asha and Benjamin. Dan Lieberman was an intrepid explorer and photographer. An ethnobotanist whose passion for the natural world, and particularly the microcosmos within it, led him on many explorations into his environment - snow, jungle, desert and sea - and finally his camera and his eye favoured insects and other tiny creatures. He took thousands of photos all over Africa, including Madagascar, Gabon and southern Africa - and many of these colourful characters are captured in this book. His animated comprehension of this minute world inspired and educated all who were fortunate enough to share his experience with him. When you were with Dan, you knew you were in the presence of something wild - a true legend. Dan died in a car accident in 2000 at the age of 33. This beautiful book is a tribute to his memory.