The Modern Bestiary

This is a non-fiction animal compendium modelled on the medieval bestiary, the old encyclopedias of marvellous beasts. Instead of dragons and griffins, it catalogues 100 real animals whose habits are odder than most invented ones. Ornamental illustrations accompany the entries.

The entries are grouped under three elements: Earth, Water and Air. Some creatures are little known, such as the deep-sea harp sponge, which catches prey on its barbs and digests it whole. Others have already made the news, such as cicadas that rise from the soil in noisy broods every thirteen or seventeen years.

The selection runs from the tender to the brutal. Female albatrosses of the same sex raise chicks together. Tarantulas keep frogs as pets, and zebra finches sing to their eggs to warn them about hot weather.

On the ruthless side, flukes manipulate a host into being eaten by the next host in their cycle. Horned lizards squirt blood from their eyes to distract predators. Southern grasshopper mice use scorpion venom as a painkiller.

Then there are the plain strange ones: antechinuses that mate until they die, pearlfish that live, fight and mate inside sea cucumbers, and immortal jellyfish that reverse their aging when stressed. The tone is funny and informative, written for any reader who wants to know more about the natural world.