The Modern Bestiary

ebook A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife

By Joanna Bagniewska

cover image of The Modern Bestiary

Sign up to save your library

With an OverDrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for at-a-glance information about availability. Find out more about OverDrive accounts.

   Not today
Libby_app_icon.svg

Find this title in Libby, the library reading app by OverDrive.

app-store-button-en.svg play-store-badge-en.svg
LibbyDevices.png

Search for a digital library with this title

Title found at these libraries:

Loading...
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 together
  • tarantulas who keep frogs as pets
  • zebra 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 host
  • horned lizards who squirt blood through their eyes to distract predators
  • southern grasshopper mice who harness scorpion venom as a painkiller
  •  
    And the just plain weird:
  • antechinuses who mate themselves to death
  • pearlfish who live, fight, and mate in sea cucumber butts
  • immortal 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.
    The Modern Bestiary