The Modern Bestiary Av Joanna Bagniewska

<p>From the familiar to the improbable, the gross to the endearing,<i> The Modern Bestiary</i> 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.<br><br> Arranged by elements (Earth, Water, Air), <i>The Modern Bestiary</i> contains well-known species told from new, 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.<br>Written by a zoologist with a flair fo