The Modern Bestiary
A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
A quirky collection of Earth’s most compelling animals who give mythical creatures a run for their money
The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife mirrors the medieval tradition of an encyclopedia of incredible beasts, only this charming book with ornamental illustrations features 100 real animals who are stranger than fiction. Organized by the elements Earth, Water, and Air, the book introduces both unfamiliar creatures, like deep-sea harp sponges who catch prey in their barbs and digest them whole, as well as ones that have made headlines, such as cicadas who emerge from the ground in noisy broods every thirteen or seventeen years. Step right up and meet these delightful, unbelievable, and deliciously horrific animals, including:
The endearing:
same-sex albatross mothers who raise chicks togethertarantulas who keep frogs as petszebra finches who sing to their eggs to warn them of hot weather
The ruthless:
flukes who manipulate their host into getting eaten by a final hosthorned lizards who squirt blood through their eyes to distract predatorssouthern grasshopper mice who harness scorpion venom as a painkiller
And the just plain weird:
antechinuses who mate themselves to deathpearlfish who live, fight, and mate in sea cucumber buttsimmortal jellyfish who reverse their aging process when stressed
Funny, entertaining, and illuminating, The Modern Bestiary is a book for anyone who wants to become more familiar with the natural world and all its astounding creatures.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Zoologist Bagniewska debuts with a brilliant tour of the animal kingdom's oddities. Inspired by medieval bestiaries, or illustrated texts on creatures "containing natural history information (factual or otherwise), doused in didactic sauce with a strongly Christian flavour," Bagniewska offers concise and witty descriptions of 100 critters. There are roundworms who "force ants into impersonating fruit," a tarantula that "keeps frogs as pets," jellyfish that defy death, peacock mantis shrimp with eyes that are "among the most complex in the animal kingdom," foxes with ears so big they make up a third of their height, and butterflies that are "able to make crocodiles cry, only to drink their tears." Bagniewska admirably moves beyond trivia and delivers insights into ecology and evolution (explaining, for instance, how mole salamanders, who form "a female-only species," managed to survive, and how sea cucumbers evolved to protect themselves) and eschews simplistic conclusions: "Pretty much any such point can be proven or disproven if you dig into the animal kingdom deep enough," she writes. Nature lovers will be eager to see what Bagniewska does next.
