The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife
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.
    1140956757
    The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife
    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.
    29.95 In Stock
    The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife

    The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife

    by Joanna Bagniewska
    The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife

    The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife

    by Joanna Bagniewska

    Hardcover

    $29.95 
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    Overview

    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.

    Product Details

    ISBN-13: 9781588347305
    Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press
    Publication date: 09/27/2022
    Pages: 256
    Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.10(d)

    About the Author

    JOANNA BAGNIEWSKA, a PhD in zoology from the University of Oxford, is a zoologist and science communicator, working as senior lecturer in Environmental Sciences at Brunel University London and a public engagement officer at the University of Oxford. She has studied a range of species, including wombats, mole-rats, jackals, and mink. Her academic interests include conservation biology, behavioral ecology, and the intersection of technology and zoology. She has collaborated with the Discovery Channel, won science communication competitions, and performed science stand-up comedy.

    JENNIFER N. R. SMITH is an award-winning illustrator, visual artist, and director of WonderTheory Studio. In 2020, she completed her training in Medical Illustration with the Medical Artists Education Trust, receiving a distinction for her work, and became a fully certified member of the Medical Artist's Association.

    Table of Contents

    Introduction 1

    Earth

    Antechinuses (Antechinus spp.) 14

    Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) 16

    Banana slugs (Ariolimax spp.) 18

    Bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) 20

    Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) 22

    Caecilians (order Gymnophiona) 24

    Coconut crab (Birgus latro) 26

    Common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) 28

    Common sexton beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) 30

    Common side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana) 32

    European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) 34

    Face mites (Demodex folliculorum, Demodex brevis) 36

    Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) 38

    Giant prickly stick insect (Extatosoma tiaratum) 40

    Iwasaki's snail-eater (Pareas iwasakii) 42

    Jumping spider (Toxeus magnus) 44

    Millipedes (class Diplopoda) 46

    Mole salamanders (Ambystoma spp.) 48

    Mountain tree shrew (Tupaia montana) 50

    Mudskippers (subfamily Oxudercinae) 52

    Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) 54

    Pangolins (order Pholidota) 56

    Pseudoscorpion (Paratemnoides nidificator) 58

    Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) 60

    Saharan silver ant (Cataglyphis bombycina) 62

    Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) 64

    Slave-making ant (Temnothorax americanus) 66

    Slow lorises (Mycticebus spp.) 68

    Southern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys torridus) 70

    Tarantulas (family Theraphosidae) 72

    Tetradonematid nematode (Myrmeconema neotropicum) 74

    Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) 76

    Velvet worms (phylum Onychophora) 78

    Wombats (family Vombatidae) 80

    Wood frog (Rana sylvatica/Lithobates sylvaticus) 82

    Water

    Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) 86

    Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) 88

    Bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) 90

    Bobbit worm (Eunice aphroditois) 92

    Deep-sea anglerfish (suborder Ceratioidei) 94

    Ducks (family Anatidae) 96

    Flukes (Microphallus spp.) 98

    Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) 100

    Giant Australian cuttlefish (Sepia apama) 102

    Giant water bug (Lethocerus deyrollei) 104

    Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) 106

    Hagfish (family Myxinidae) 108

    Harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra) 110

    Herrings (Clupea spp.) 112

    Immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) 114

    Marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) 116

    Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) 118

    Mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) 120

    Olm (Proteus anguinus) 122

    Peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) 124

    Pearlfish (family Carapidae) 126

    Piure sea squirt (Pyura chilensis) 128

    Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) 130

    Racing stripe flatworm (Pseudoceros bifurcus) 132

    Roving coral grouper (Plectropomus pessuliferus) 134

    Sacoglossan sea slugs (Elysia marginata, Elysia atroviridis) 136

    Sea cucumbers (class Holothuroidea) 138

    Sea walnut (Mnemiopsis leidyi) 140

    Spiny dye murex (Bolinus brandaris) 142

    Surinam toad (Pipa pipa) 144

    Tongue-eating louse (Cymothoa exigua) 146

    Water bears (phylum Tardigrada) 148

    Wattled jacana (Jacana jacana) 150

    Yeti crab (Kiwa tyleri) 152

    Zombie worms (Osedax spp.) 154

    Air

    Bees (superfamily Apoidea) 158

    Bombardier beetles (subfamily Brachininae) 160

    Boobies (Sula granti, Sula nebouxii) 162

    California scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) 164

    Caribbean reef squid (Sepioteuthis sepioided) 166

    Chatham Island black robin (Petroica traversi) 168

    Common pigeon (Columba livia) 170

    Common potoo (Nyctibius griseus) 172

    Common swift (Apus apus) 174

    Common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) 176

    Dragonflies (suborder Epiprocta) 178

    Emerald cockroach wasp (Ampulex compressd) 180

    Flying fish (family Exocoetidae) 182

    Guianan cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola rupicola) 184

    Hummingbirds (family Trochilidae) 186

    Julia butterfly (Dryas iulia) 188

    Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) 190

    Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crummiferus) 192

    Moths (order Lepidoptera) 194

    New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides) 196

    Old World fruit bats (family Pteropodidae) 198

    Orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) 200

    Paradise tree snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) 202

    Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) 204

    Regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) 206

    Sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) 208

    Vampire finch (Geospiza septentrionalis) 210

    White butterfly parasite wasp (Cotesia glomerata) 212

    White-ramped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) 214

    Zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) 216

    References 218

    Acknowledgments 237

    Index 239

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