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Animals Behaving Badly: Boozing Bees, Cheating Chimps, Dogs with Guns, and Other Beastly True Tales
There's a lot that animals don't want you to know, and the better their public image, the worse their secrets gang-rapist dolphins; lazy, infanticidal lions; and, of course, our own dogs, who eat our money, set our houses on fire, and in more than one case, actually shoot their owners with guns. Animals Behaving Badly shows that animals are just like gluttonous, selfish, violent, lustful, and always looking out for number one. Using anecdotes from the news and from scientific research, Linda Lombardi pokes fun at our softhearted preconceptions about animals, makes us feel a little better about humanity's basest impulses, and painlessly teaches us a bit more about our furry and feathered friends. You'll
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2011
23 people are currently reading
561 people want to read
About the author
Linda Lombardi
11 books10 followersUnemployed zookeeper, recovering academic, crazy pug lady.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 1, 2018
Cute. Cuddly. Deadly.
Infidelity? Hitting the sauce? Neglecting the kids?
Animals have more in common with humans than you might imagine.
They even like porn. Seriously. There are documented instances of lab monkeys paying with fruit juice to see pictures of female monkey butt.
They are in no way "dumb" animals. Their hijinks are often ingenious and they are capable of long-range planning. One captive orangutan bribed the occupant of the next cage to provide a piece of wire he needed to affect his escape. Baboons in South Africa caught breaking into cars weren't simply roaming around randomly trying the door handles. They waited in the trees, listening for the beeping of remote door locks. No beep meant that car was ripe for the picking.
Most of the tales in this book are not really animals behaving badly, but animals being themselves: doing what they need to do to survive, and pass on their genes. Humans occasionally just happen to get in the way. So, if you want to keep your illusions about your favorite creatures - - you should probably give this one a miss.
The first two chapters seem a little disorganized. One minute you're reading about the horrors of snakes in toilets, and the very next paragraph is about elephants causing traffic jams in India. The rest of the book is a bit more cohesive, and mostly a lot of fun to read. I learned plenty of facts that I've already been spouting at inopportune moments to the annoyance of family and friends.
Did you know catnip doesn't work on kittens? Cats react to catnip only once they have reached sexual maturity because its active ingredient is an artificial feline sex pheromone.
And what about Man's Best Friend? Surely they're not out to get us...
Well, there are stories in the book of dogs shooting us with our own guns and running over us with our own cars.
Still feel like picking up their poop?
20 people a year are killed by cows in the US.
It's a world gone mad, I tell you.
October 7, 2011
Just started reading this and enjoying it so far. Seems animals really do behave badly.
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If you think this is a children's book, think again.
With my background and longstanding interest in behavioral biology, I was familiar with almost all of the behaviors described in this book but they seem so different when discussed in a dispassionate, scientific parlance. Lombardi's quirky sense of humor (also on display in her novel The Sloth's Eyes) puts a whole new spin on things. Looked at in this new light, some animal behavior is hilarious, some disturbing and some just plain disgusting.
When Lombardi compares the bad behavior of the animals in the book to human behavior, it doesn't matter how badly the animals behave, the humans still come off looking worse, although not in any kind of lecturing or preachy mode, just a little bit of introspection.
As a major capybara affictionado, I was relieved that capybaras only make two quick cameo appearances, both on the (slightly) positive side.
--------------
If you think this is a children's book, think again.
With my background and longstanding interest in behavioral biology, I was familiar with almost all of the behaviors described in this book but they seem so different when discussed in a dispassionate, scientific parlance. Lombardi's quirky sense of humor (also on display in her novel The Sloth's Eyes) puts a whole new spin on things. Looked at in this new light, some animal behavior is hilarious, some disturbing and some just plain disgusting.
When Lombardi compares the bad behavior of the animals in the book to human behavior, it doesn't matter how badly the animals behave, the humans still come off looking worse, although not in any kind of lecturing or preachy mode, just a little bit of introspection.
As a major capybara affictionado, I was relieved that capybaras only make two quick cameo appearances, both on the (slightly) positive side.
September 26, 2011
I received this very funny book through the GoodReads first reads program.
Less a book and more a collection of news articles and 'fun facts' laced together. It contained a whole world of information arguing that nature with its 'great and noble beasts' is perhaps, not really so noble after all. Additionally, perhaps humans aren't really so socially and emotionally evolved as we tend to think. Many of the stories are of animals committing a distilled version of some crime generally thought of as strictly human. (Gambling, lying, etc)
Very entertaining, and very readable. One warning though: Not for people who would like to keep their delusions about their favorite critters. (Who knew hummingbirds could be such jerks?) Ms. Lombardi incorporates plenty of humor to keep the telling of the stories light.
Well researched and well cited for further exploration into what the animal kingdom is really up to.
Less a book and more a collection of news articles and 'fun facts' laced together. It contained a whole world of information arguing that nature with its 'great and noble beasts' is perhaps, not really so noble after all. Additionally, perhaps humans aren't really so socially and emotionally evolved as we tend to think. Many of the stories are of animals committing a distilled version of some crime generally thought of as strictly human. (Gambling, lying, etc)
Very entertaining, and very readable. One warning though: Not for people who would like to keep their delusions about their favorite critters. (Who knew hummingbirds could be such jerks?) Ms. Lombardi incorporates plenty of humor to keep the telling of the stories light.
Well researched and well cited for further exploration into what the animal kingdom is really up to.
July 8, 2013
A delightful chunk of animal trivia here. Serial rapist ducks, murderous dolphins ("stop putting them on t-shirts and start putting them on trial!"), bears committing muggings, and so on. My favorite story was the one about the orangutan who persuaded the orang in the next cage to give him the filament from a light bulb, folded the filament in just the right way, kept it in his cheek all day and then once the zookeepers left at night, used it to unlock his cage and let himself out.
January 5, 2014
The great thing about this book is the tone. You can see some nut job using this as a manifesto. Lombardi’s tone is one part mocking “take up arms” and another part Animal Planet/Discovery Channel. Yet, her love for animals, not romanticized animals, but animals shines out.
November 5, 2011
This book is disappointing. Rather than an original cautionary compendium about nature, it is an amalgamation of previously published web-materials about stupid humans caught in nature.
The title is titillating, suggesting a sort of “Bad Girls Gone Wild” offering. “Behaving badly,” however, implies a moral judgment according to human standards. Whether domestic or wild, animals act within their natures. It is human proclivity that we anthropomorphize animals, consider them cute and cuddly, remain ignorant of animal environments and behavior, or believe the animals should act according to human values. Thus, the premise of the book is unfounded. Perhaps that is why I kept thinking about logic, especially fallacy.
The author—or compiler—brought together (and acknowledged the help of) a half dozen or so researchers plus subscribers to her blog. This accounts for the inclusive 26 pages of references. The material covers the last decade’s news items and published web sources, even discounting the inclusion of Charles Darwin. Linda Lombardi has portioned these items under eleven chapters covering such topics as surreptitiousness, stealth, and sexuality—again, human values to which animals are not subject. Her text merging these items together provides the provocative problem of fallacies—generalizations mostly—as well as platitudes.
Despite the fuzzy thinking that blends animals into human values, if we are to believe the veracity of all the web-materials included here, then reading this book is pretty much like being forced to watch a marathon of episodes from the Animal Planet Channel. But the inclusion of purported scientific studies leads me to wonder who performs these tasks and what sponsor supports such matters. I can’t fathom the countless hours of tedious study necessary to discover that an intoxicated ant will always collapse on its right side.
Enough distemper. No more grousing from me. It’s time to watch “America’s Funniest Videos.”
The title is titillating, suggesting a sort of “Bad Girls Gone Wild” offering. “Behaving badly,” however, implies a moral judgment according to human standards. Whether domestic or wild, animals act within their natures. It is human proclivity that we anthropomorphize animals, consider them cute and cuddly, remain ignorant of animal environments and behavior, or believe the animals should act according to human values. Thus, the premise of the book is unfounded. Perhaps that is why I kept thinking about logic, especially fallacy.
The author—or compiler—brought together (and acknowledged the help of) a half dozen or so researchers plus subscribers to her blog. This accounts for the inclusive 26 pages of references. The material covers the last decade’s news items and published web sources, even discounting the inclusion of Charles Darwin. Linda Lombardi has portioned these items under eleven chapters covering such topics as surreptitiousness, stealth, and sexuality—again, human values to which animals are not subject. Her text merging these items together provides the provocative problem of fallacies—generalizations mostly—as well as platitudes.
Despite the fuzzy thinking that blends animals into human values, if we are to believe the veracity of all the web-materials included here, then reading this book is pretty much like being forced to watch a marathon of episodes from the Animal Planet Channel. But the inclusion of purported scientific studies leads me to wonder who performs these tasks and what sponsor supports such matters. I can’t fathom the countless hours of tedious study necessary to discover that an intoxicated ant will always collapse on its right side.
Enough distemper. No more grousing from me. It’s time to watch “America’s Funniest Videos.”
November 23, 2019
I am a bit perplexed with this book and where to actually shelf it for even though the main subject is animals it is so anti-animal in its tone. And as such it isn't an environmental or science book either since some of the actions described are individualistic and not as a part of species. Humor there was some of that and when it hit right it definitely made for a good laugh but the rest was actually quite humorless.
For any who keep an eye on the news, especially weird articles, or just likes to learn about animals most of the behaviors in this book won't be surprising in the least. What makes it standout though is the fact that the author writes in a way that heavily leans towards the fact that animals are maliciously and willfully doing most of these things since we are enabling them. Although we shouldn't be enabling them according to the author we sure can be forgiven for our own lack of education since we just fall for their cuteness.
And to point out how deep this anti-animal context of the book goes the author continues to point out that even though we are barbaric in cutting off shark fins and letting them go back into the ocean to die we shouldn't even be that considerate thinking of how they maul humans. And aren't sharks so beguilingly deceptive since some of their own amputated victims are so gung-ho in saving them! And this is suppose to be coming from a past zookeeper? I wonder which animal made her mad.
There is also some questions about all the validity of the facts given even for such a book that has been seemingly well researched since some behaviors are touched upon but not explained or looked into. And even though you may learn something or two I don't think I can recommend this book due to its whole ulterior motive of conquer the natural world since all of it is bad while we humans are just as good as ever even though we may be stupid and gullible.
For any who keep an eye on the news, especially weird articles, or just likes to learn about animals most of the behaviors in this book won't be surprising in the least. What makes it standout though is the fact that the author writes in a way that heavily leans towards the fact that animals are maliciously and willfully doing most of these things since we are enabling them. Although we shouldn't be enabling them according to the author we sure can be forgiven for our own lack of education since we just fall for their cuteness.
And to point out how deep this anti-animal context of the book goes the author continues to point out that even though we are barbaric in cutting off shark fins and letting them go back into the ocean to die we shouldn't even be that considerate thinking of how they maul humans. And aren't sharks so beguilingly deceptive since some of their own amputated victims are so gung-ho in saving them! And this is suppose to be coming from a past zookeeper? I wonder which animal made her mad.
There is also some questions about all the validity of the facts given even for such a book that has been seemingly well researched since some behaviors are touched upon but not explained or looked into. And even though you may learn something or two I don't think I can recommend this book due to its whole ulterior motive of conquer the natural world since all of it is bad while we humans are just as good as ever even though we may be stupid and gullible.
January 7, 2012
Funny? You betcha. True? Seems so. She used newspaper reports as her sourcces. But, if someone behaves badly, that implies they know what's good behavior and what isn't. Hummingbirds body-slamming each other at a feeder just want the sweet stuff for themselves. Nobody taught them to share. It's tough making a living so if humans, for what hummingbirds can only consider bizarrre reasons, hang nectar on trees, every hummingbird in sight wants at it. They have to fight for their rights, don't they?
What I loved was when humans yell at the hummingbirds' body slamming, the birds became careful to do it when nobody was looking. How people know they did it if nobody was looking, was never explained.
Does Ms. Lombardi know how tough it is to get a day's food
out of a flower garden? Those salvias and coral bells each have barely a sip of food. Hummingbirds have to work nonstop to get sustenance. No wonder they want possession of feeders loaded with food. The pioneers brutally evicted Native Americans so their land could be farmed for white man's crops. Yet nobody is offering to give the Plains states back to the Indians. If Americans weren't behaving badly, why say hummingbirds are?
And, to blame a dog--a dog. that loyal, loving friend of humans--to blame him because he accidentally pushed the gear shift to "drive" is wacko! Yes, the car ran over the driver who had stopped it and gone outside. Blame the human. There are emergency brakes. Why didn't the car owner engage it before he left the dog in the car? Come on! It wasn't the dog's responsibility. It was the human who behaved badly. That's why he got run over.
And the dog must have been horrified because his human got hurt, and appalled that he had unintentionally been the cause. Why doesn't the author mention how awful the dog felt? That awful human, leaving the brake off, thus getting run over, distressed that poor dog terribly. I'm sure the dog never got over it.
Dogs can not deliberately put an emergency brake down, then go into "drive"-- or put the key in the ignition and turn it. They can't with mischief or mayhem in mind turn on a car and drive it. If the car is left with engine running and brake off, the dog can accidentally push it from neutral to drive, but that's not behaving badly.
As for those elephants stopping traffic, well humans are encroaching on elephant lands with no regard for their property rights . What can the elephants do except disrupt traffic? The elephants are staging a protest! Ms. Lombardi doesn't understand that.
Dolphins, hummingbirds, and chimps murdering and raping. Sexism rampant in the animal kingdom? That is reprehensible, but do those animals know the Ten Commandments? The Golden Rule? Alas! No. They have no idea those things are wrong.
Finally, drunken bees, and elks high on 'shrooms. Come on. They're just partying.
What I loved was when humans yell at the hummingbirds' body slamming, the birds became careful to do it when nobody was looking. How people know they did it if nobody was looking, was never explained.
Does Ms. Lombardi know how tough it is to get a day's food
out of a flower garden? Those salvias and coral bells each have barely a sip of food. Hummingbirds have to work nonstop to get sustenance. No wonder they want possession of feeders loaded with food. The pioneers brutally evicted Native Americans so their land could be farmed for white man's crops. Yet nobody is offering to give the Plains states back to the Indians. If Americans weren't behaving badly, why say hummingbirds are?
And, to blame a dog--a dog. that loyal, loving friend of humans--to blame him because he accidentally pushed the gear shift to "drive" is wacko! Yes, the car ran over the driver who had stopped it and gone outside. Blame the human. There are emergency brakes. Why didn't the car owner engage it before he left the dog in the car? Come on! It wasn't the dog's responsibility. It was the human who behaved badly. That's why he got run over.
And the dog must have been horrified because his human got hurt, and appalled that he had unintentionally been the cause. Why doesn't the author mention how awful the dog felt? That awful human, leaving the brake off, thus getting run over, distressed that poor dog terribly. I'm sure the dog never got over it.
Dogs can not deliberately put an emergency brake down, then go into "drive"-- or put the key in the ignition and turn it. They can't with mischief or mayhem in mind turn on a car and drive it. If the car is left with engine running and brake off, the dog can accidentally push it from neutral to drive, but that's not behaving badly.
As for those elephants stopping traffic, well humans are encroaching on elephant lands with no regard for their property rights . What can the elephants do except disrupt traffic? The elephants are staging a protest! Ms. Lombardi doesn't understand that.
Dolphins, hummingbirds, and chimps murdering and raping. Sexism rampant in the animal kingdom? That is reprehensible, but do those animals know the Ten Commandments? The Golden Rule? Alas! No. They have no idea those things are wrong.
Finally, drunken bees, and elks high on 'shrooms. Come on. They're just partying.
June 30, 2012
I picked this up hoping for some funny stories, preferably at the expense of humans. And sure, there are some in here, but the overall tone of the book leaves me feeling a bit uncomfortable--I can't decide if the author loves or hates animals, and the fact it may be the latter really bothers me.
As a biologist I am well aware that humans are by no means the only species who murders, rapes, cheats, etc., so there are few surprises here. I do completely agree with the common criticism expressed by others: "bad" behaviour is an anthropomorphism and fitting animal behaviour into the construct of good/bad is unfair as they are not aware of that paradigm.
I do give the author kudos for her research and notes section.
As a biologist I am well aware that humans are by no means the only species who murders, rapes, cheats, etc., so there are few surprises here. I do completely agree with the common criticism expressed by others: "bad" behaviour is an anthropomorphism and fitting animal behaviour into the construct of good/bad is unfair as they are not aware of that paradigm.
I do give the author kudos for her research and notes section.
August 26, 2015
This is a fun/interesting book. It is filled with fun facts and stories about animals, and often humans too. Everyone can learn something from this book.
December 27, 2025
DNF
From annoying hoodlums all the way to hardcore criminals, animals span the gamut. Don’t let the cute exteriors fool you.
Reads like sensationalist news articles complete with quotes: “I was going about my day when suddenly this happened out of the blue! It was horrible!”
I was hoping for a little more science and analysis. This just seems to ascribe animals with maliciousness.
From annoying hoodlums all the way to hardcore criminals, animals span the gamut. Don’t let the cute exteriors fool you.
Reads like sensationalist news articles complete with quotes: “I was going about my day when suddenly this happened out of the blue! It was horrible!”
I was hoping for a little more science and analysis. This just seems to ascribe animals with maliciousness.
February 16, 2018
I liked the stories in this book; however the author hasn't given context to the stories and oftentimes gives outlandish claims. Fun for the stories and the author's exaggerated tone, though it got to be annoying at times.
December 24, 2020
Hoci ma to zo zaciatku ozaj bavilo, sem tam som nad nou krutila nosom, ze toto snad je uz privela. A ked som prisla k casti, kde pozieraju ci az tyraju svoje mladata, povedala som si, ze dost, stacilo. Uz som sa k nej nevratila.
March 5, 2022
I don't care if these stories were cobbled together from newspaper stories, most of them were pretty funny. I love the dog shoots man and man bites snake stories the best. Who doesn't need a few laughs these days?
June 5, 2020
Very short, scattered anecdotes. Hard to hold my interest. Don’t think I really remembered much about any topic after finishing.
Read
December 28, 2021DNF. The tone was very Ridley’s Believe it, Or Not. I was hoping for funny
May 2, 2022
This book was funny and informative. I love all the real-life accounts of crazy things animals do in this world. A short read that is thoroughly entertaining!
April 1, 2016
My feelings about this book are conflicted. On one hand, I'm sure any animal lover loves a good "animals being bad" story as we find them charming.
However this book tells all the tales as if the author does not like animals and is highlighting these incidents as reasons to not to like them. I'm sure it's meant as satire but it fails utterly.
The tale that was the deciding point for me was one I recognized that happened in LA during a rather intense rain storm. If you lived in the area, you couldn't miss the breaking live story following a poor dog that had fallen into the river. Normally it's very placid and better classified as a trickling stream in the bottom of a large concrete gorge. Pretty much any movie with car chases in a deep concrete channel... is filmed here in these.
The storm had made turned the river into a raging one, reminiscent of whitewaters. But the public loves a good animal rescue story so the news stations took advantage and followed the dog down the river with their helicopters. As covered briefly in this book, the fire dept set up downriver and sent a guy into the water, in place to catch the dog. He succeeded but the dog in its long terror did bite him. Pretty sure the guy did have protective gear on because they anticipated that but regardless, the dog realized quickly that this was help and did not resist or freak when he was winched up into the air in the guys arm.
This was a LARGE dog, a German Shepherd I think. I've worked as a volunteer for years in dog rescue and a dog that size that does not want to be suspended in your arms.... will fight you. I'm strong and have handled large dogs in that size, so I particularly appreciate the dog's behavior. I would have expected the bite anyways. It's only if the dog had continued to fight and bite....
The guy who caught and held him through the air lift, adopted him. Happy ending.
Anyways... I did finish reading the book. I ignored the op ed commentary by the author and drew my own picture from the details.
There's too many other good books about animals out there to recommend this at all. PASS THIS ONE UP. Unless you do not like animals. But if you don't... why waste the time?
However this book tells all the tales as if the author does not like animals and is highlighting these incidents as reasons to not to like them. I'm sure it's meant as satire but it fails utterly.
The tale that was the deciding point for me was one I recognized that happened in LA during a rather intense rain storm. If you lived in the area, you couldn't miss the breaking live story following a poor dog that had fallen into the river. Normally it's very placid and better classified as a trickling stream in the bottom of a large concrete gorge. Pretty much any movie with car chases in a deep concrete channel... is filmed here in these.
The storm had made turned the river into a raging one, reminiscent of whitewaters. But the public loves a good animal rescue story so the news stations took advantage and followed the dog down the river with their helicopters. As covered briefly in this book, the fire dept set up downriver and sent a guy into the water, in place to catch the dog. He succeeded but the dog in its long terror did bite him. Pretty sure the guy did have protective gear on because they anticipated that but regardless, the dog realized quickly that this was help and did not resist or freak when he was winched up into the air in the guys arm.
This was a LARGE dog, a German Shepherd I think. I've worked as a volunteer for years in dog rescue and a dog that size that does not want to be suspended in your arms.... will fight you. I'm strong and have handled large dogs in that size, so I particularly appreciate the dog's behavior. I would have expected the bite anyways. It's only if the dog had continued to fight and bite....
The guy who caught and held him through the air lift, adopted him. Happy ending.
Anyways... I did finish reading the book. I ignored the op ed commentary by the author and drew my own picture from the details.
There's too many other good books about animals out there to recommend this at all. PASS THIS ONE UP. Unless you do not like animals. But if you don't... why waste the time?
June 27, 2016
Humor - 3 stars, Content - 4 stars, Research - 5 stars
This wasn't as funny as I expected, but it still was worth the read. The chapters were hit or miss to me; the funny chapters were really funny, and other chapters a bit too much. If the following sound funny to you, then this is your book.
- Baboons breaking into a home to in search of a snack and throwing fruit at a young kid while he frantically called mom for help.
- A cat stealing underpants off clotheslines and the ensuing neighborhood paranoia wondering if a pervert was on the loose.
- Monkeys who will trade juice in exchange for viewing pictures of other monkey's butts.
- Bees consuming vast amount of alcohol with the same effects as humans, as well as lots more drunken animals enjoying some fermented fruit.
There are also infanticidal lions, dinosaurs and dolphins as well as orangutans escaping from their enclosures using homemade tools. The dog chapter involves gunshots, canine drivers and dogs eating copies of Steinbeck books. And further proof that it's not the pit bulls who are most aggressive but rather Chihuahuas, Doxies and Jack Russells. Linda Lombardi's blog is a ton of fun too. It's nearly impossible not to laugh at the picture of the drunk elk stuck in the apple tree and requiring the assistance of the local fire department to free him.
*copy provided from FirstReads
This wasn't as funny as I expected, but it still was worth the read. The chapters were hit or miss to me; the funny chapters were really funny, and other chapters a bit too much. If the following sound funny to you, then this is your book.
- Baboons breaking into a home to in search of a snack and throwing fruit at a young kid while he frantically called mom for help.
- A cat stealing underpants off clotheslines and the ensuing neighborhood paranoia wondering if a pervert was on the loose.
- Monkeys who will trade juice in exchange for viewing pictures of other monkey's butts.
- Bees consuming vast amount of alcohol with the same effects as humans, as well as lots more drunken animals enjoying some fermented fruit.
There are also infanticidal lions, dinosaurs and dolphins as well as orangutans escaping from their enclosures using homemade tools. The dog chapter involves gunshots, canine drivers and dogs eating copies of Steinbeck books. And further proof that it's not the pit bulls who are most aggressive but rather Chihuahuas, Doxies and Jack Russells. Linda Lombardi's blog is a ton of fun too. It's nearly impossible not to laugh at the picture of the drunk elk stuck in the apple tree and requiring the assistance of the local fire department to free him.
*copy provided from FirstReads
October 28, 2011
I loved this book. Like other reviewers have said, it is a collection of a wide range of stories, facts, and statistics designed to give us a peek at the dark underbelly of wildlife that has otherwise been placed on a pedestal.
Animal facts aside, Linda's writing throughout the books is entertaining and engaging. Other reviewers who commented on her applying human values to animal behavior perhaps didn't understand that the whole book is written tongue-in-cheek. It's written with a wink and a nod that I'm surprised they didn't catch on to.
If I do have a complaint, it's that I no longer view dolphins, hummingbirds, and chimpanzees the same way. :)
I highly recommend this book.
Animal facts aside, Linda's writing throughout the books is entertaining and engaging. Other reviewers who commented on her applying human values to animal behavior perhaps didn't understand that the whole book is written tongue-in-cheek. It's written with a wink and a nod that I'm surprised they didn't catch on to.
If I do have a complaint, it's that I no longer view dolphins, hummingbirds, and chimpanzees the same way. :)
I highly recommend this book.
January 9, 2015
TOO FUNNY! my friend and i have been reading this on our breaks at work everyday since i recieved the book free on Goodreads firs reads, it was enjoyable and down right hilarious :) We would sometimes go back to work in tears from laughing so hard. She told me she needed to get a copy for herself because the book was such a page turner and held so many fun facts that she wanted to be able to share them with her family. A sequel i hope is in the making because i would def read another one of these comical masterpieces :)
December 4, 2011
This is a lighthearted and funny book about the misdeeds of animals. I often laughed out loud about the amusing adventures of the animals particularly the section on the intelligent chimps and orangutangs. It is a very short read though and can be finished in a couple of hours. My one critique would be that sometimes the author just lists a series of misdeeds without providing further details. I preferred it when more detail was given and each event was treated as its own mini story. Overall a very amusing read and would be a great gift for any animal lover.
September 3, 2016
This book, like many these days, is based on a website. Linda Lombardi runs animalsbehavingbadly.blogspot.com, which is a collection of short stories, or articles, about the crazy things that animals do.
The book features more of these, and some are more disturbing than others. There are the dogs that somehow manage to drive cars, dogs that shoot people with guns, bees that get drunk, and how other animals find a high.
It's a very short, quick read, and if you are interested in learning more about the weirdness that is animals, this is a good place to start.
The book features more of these, and some are more disturbing than others. There are the dogs that somehow manage to drive cars, dogs that shoot people with guns, bees that get drunk, and how other animals find a high.
It's a very short, quick read, and if you are interested in learning more about the weirdness that is animals, this is a good place to start.
November 30, 2017
halirous!! interesting collection of bad animal stories. died of laughter about the dog eating the dead bees and pooping them out for days! and yes dolphins ARE bastards and one shouldn't let the cute smile fool you. same with hummingbirds. great book for anyone who loves animals and could use some 'enlightenment' or just wants a good laugh with 'just the facts, ma'ma.' very quick read too.
(Received free through Goodreads First Reads)
(Received free through Goodreads First Reads)
October 21, 2011
I was so excited to get a copy of this free from Goodreads. It is mostly a collection of news items about animals behaving badly lol. Yes, I had heard about some of the animal antics previously, but to have them and others compiled into one book is nice. I love animals--even the "bad" ones--so this was an enjoyable book for me. One thing though...I think the title is a little bit unfair to animals because after all they are animals and really who in "their world" says it's bad :)
October 27, 2011
Wow. The name is what made me pick this book to read. I mean really... Animals Behaving Badly. Boozing Bees, Cheating Chimps, Dogs with Guns, and Other Beastly True Tales. Doesn't that just peak your interest some?! I'm actually glad I did get a chance to read it. It was hilarious. I enjoyed getting to giggle at some of the dumb things animals/humans do. But I have to wonder about the author's feelings toward animals. lol Definitely worth a quick read. :)
November 17, 2011
Fun, well documented book with a quirky look at animal behavior. I really enjoyed the cartoons and the documentation for follow-up research of particular cases. She briefly mentioned a fact about an ape called Fu Manchu who was an escape artist that I had not heard on the WNYC Radiolab podcast on the same animal - he acquired the tool with the help of a female conspirator. Read at your own risk.
June 7, 2016
I purchased this book thinking it would be a collection of funny animal anecdotes. Unfortunately it goes into animals really bad behavior and disturbing sexual behavior. This included stories of animal rape and murder. At times I was very sad reading this book and I had to force myself to finish. The only part of the book I enjoyed were the animal drawings, very cute. If I had been expecting, sad and upsetting stories about animals, I may have enjoyed this book more.
September 29, 2011
I received this book as part of the first reads program. I must say that I was very excited to dig right in. The book is very easy to get through and jam packed with information. It's very much like a collection of news clippings and fun facts about animals; and it was nice to see the "bad" side of non-humans (especially the cute and fuzzy bunnies.)
December 18, 2011
This book was not what I thought it would be. While there is interesting research, I feel that animals were too harshly judged by human standards. Also, I wasn't entertained; instead, I was pretty bored and disappointed.
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