From the familiar to the improbable, the gross to the endearing, The Modern Bestiary is a compendium of curious creatures. It includes both animals that have made headlines and those you've probably never heard of, such as skin-eating caecilians, harp sponges, or zombie worms-also known as bone-eating snot flowers.

Arranged by elements, Earth, Water and Air, The Modern Bestiary contains well-known species told from new and unexpected angles (rats that drive cars; fish that communicate by passing wind), as well as stranger and lesser-known creatures (including carnivorous mice that howl at the moon, cross-dressing cuttlefish, and antechinuses-small marsupials that literally mate themselves to death). Finally, there are the 'aliens on Earth'-the incredible, the surreal, the magical-such as tardigrades, tongue-eating lice and immortal jellyfish, creatures so astonishing that they make unicorns look rather commonplace.

Written by a zoologist with a flair for storytelling, this is a fascinating celebration of the animal kingdom.