Strange Animals

About this book

How does a mudskipper fish manage to "walk" on land? Why is the Hoatzin also known as 'The Stinkbird'? And once the female Pipa toad has laid her eggs, where does she put them? The answers? The mudskipper can "walk" using its pectoral fins, the Hoatzin has a unique digestive system which gives the bird a manure-like odour, and the female Pipa Toad embeds its eggs on its back where they develop to adult stage.

Illustrated throughout with outstanding colour photographs, Strange Animals presents the most unusual aspects of 100 of the most unusual species. The selection spans a broad spectrum of wildlife, from the tallest land living mammal, the giraffe, to the light, laughing chorus of Australian kookaburra birds, from the intelligence of the Bottlenose dolphin to octopuses that change colour when they dream to the slow pace of the three-toed sloth.

Arranged geographically, the photographs are accompanied by fascinating captions, which explain the quirky characteristics of each entry. Including egg-laying mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, cannibalistic insects and other invertebrates, Strange Animals is a compelling introduction to some of nature's most curious beasts.

Contents

Introduction

Asia
Tokay
Gharial
Japanese Macaque
Mudskipper
Proboscis Monkey
Honeybadger
Siamese Fighting Fish
Tarsier
Mekong ray
Saiga
Golden snub-nosed monkey
Colugo
Sturgeon
Baikal seal
Sloth bear
Racoon dog
Komodo dragon
Slow loris
Giant hornet
Leaf insect
Malayan tapir

Africa
Aardvark
Madagascar chameleon (Brookesia)
Giraffe
Hoopoe
Marabou stork
Naked Mole Rat
Fat tailed gecko
Gaboon viper
Tree pangolin
Giraffe weevil
Aye aye
Lungfish
Tomato frog
Aardvark
Okapi
Springhare
Gerenuk
Spotted hyena
Hammerhead bat
Rain frog, Breviceps fuscus
Armadillo girdled lizard
Mandrill

Australia
Duck-billed Platypus
Red Kangaroo
Emu
Koala
Laughing Kookaburra
Echidna
Sugarglider
Kakapo
Tuatara
Archerfish
Wombat
Tasmanian devil
Frilled lizard
Thorny devil
Funnel web spider
Peacock spider
Turtle frog
Frogmouth
Dingo
Honeypot ant
Witchetty grub
Weta
Kea
Kiwi

North America
American Bullfrog
Beaver
Red wolf
Ghost bear
Alligator gar
Thorn bug
Wolverine
Peccary
Star nosed mole
Alligator snapping turtle
Hellbender
Ajolote
Blue-footed booby
Manatee
Monarch butterfly
Stinkpot (musk turtle)
Rainbow snake
Virginia opossum
Gila monster
Coati
American White Pelican

Central and South America
Giant Otter
Vampire bat
Hoatzin
Emperor Tamarin
Pipa
Pygmy Marmoset
Red Howler Monkey
Southern Tamandua
Three-toed Sloth
South American horned frogs
Elephant beetle
Axolotl
Jaguarundi
Capybara
Pink fairy armadillo
Piranha
Marine iguana
Pink river dolphin
Roseate spoonbill
Red lipped batfish
Spectacled bear
Vicuna

Europe
Iberian ribbed newt
Cuckoo
Death's Head Hawkmoth
Great Diving beetle
Wels catfish
Wisent (European bison)
Slow worm
Puffin
Badger
Common chameleon
Alpine ibex
Beluga sturgeon

Oceans
Narwhal
Angler Fish
Cleaner Wrasse
Sea dragon
Megamouth shark
Dumbo octopus
Blobfish
Giant isopod barreleye fish
Kiwa
Sea spider
Sea anemone
Parrot fish
Nudibranch
Hagfish
Mantis shrimp
Christmas tree worm
Stargazer
Wobbegong
Gulper eel
Oarfish
Coral
Hammerhead shark

Customer Reviews

Biography

Tom Jackson is a leading natural history writer based in the United Kingdom. As an author and contributor he has worked on more than 60 books. A zoology graduate from the University of Bristol, he has also worked as a zookeeper and in safari parks in Zimbabwe.