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The Quite Interesting Ignorant Books #3
The Book of Animal Ignorance: Everything you think you know is wrong
Fast on the heels of the New York Times bestseller The Book of General Ignorance comes The Book of Animal Ignorance, a fun, fact-filled bestiary that is sure to delight animal lovers everywhere. Arranged alphabetically from aardvark to worm, here are one hundred of the most interesting members of the animal kingdom explained, dissected, and illustrated, with the trademark wit and wisdom of John Lloyd and John Mitchinson.
Did you know, for instance, that
• when a young albatross takes wing, it may stay aloft for ten years
• vampire bat saliva—unsurprisingly, when you think about it—is the source of the world’s most powerful blood thinning drug, appropriately called draculin
• bombardier beetles fire a boiling chemical spray out of their rears at 300 pulses per second
• a bald eagle’s feathers weigh twice as much as its bones
• a giant tortoise recently died at the documented age of 255
• octopuses are dexterous enough to unscrew tops from jars
• spider silk is so light that a strand long enough to circle the world would weigh as much as a bar of soap?
So meet the water bears that can live in suspension for hundreds of years, the parasite carried by your cat that makes men grumpy and women promiscuous, and the woodlouse that drinks through its bottom. Marvel at elephants that walk on tiptoe, pigs that shine in the dark, and woodpeckers that have ears on the ends of their tongues.
If you still think a pangolin is a musical instrument, that hyenas are dogs, or that sheep are pointless and stupid, The Book of Animal Ignorance has arrived just in time.
Did you know, for instance, that
• when a young albatross takes wing, it may stay aloft for ten years
• vampire bat saliva—unsurprisingly, when you think about it—is the source of the world’s most powerful blood thinning drug, appropriately called draculin
• bombardier beetles fire a boiling chemical spray out of their rears at 300 pulses per second
• a bald eagle’s feathers weigh twice as much as its bones
• a giant tortoise recently died at the documented age of 255
• octopuses are dexterous enough to unscrew tops from jars
• spider silk is so light that a strand long enough to circle the world would weigh as much as a bar of soap?
So meet the water bears that can live in suspension for hundreds of years, the parasite carried by your cat that makes men grumpy and women promiscuous, and the woodlouse that drinks through its bottom. Marvel at elephants that walk on tiptoe, pigs that shine in the dark, and woodpeckers that have ears on the ends of their tongues.
If you still think a pangolin is a musical instrument, that hyenas are dogs, or that sheep are pointless and stupid, The Book of Animal Ignorance has arrived just in time.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2007
120 people are currently reading
1640 people want to read
About the author
John Lloyd
228 books140 followersJohn Hardress Wilfred Lloyd is an English television and radio comedy producer and writer. His television work includes Not the Nine O'Clock News, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Spitting Image, Blackadder and QI. He is currently the presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
April 30, 2022
I read 'The Book of General Ignorance' a few years ago, and put this on my to-read-list. Entertaining book. Animals are listed from a to y--some we all know by name, i.e. horses, rabbits. Some I've never heard of. No plot, just fun reading about little known aspects of animal lives. Including their mating habits, which mostly seem unusual by our standards. Then again they would probably think the same of us--if they actually cared! My favorite tidbit: 'Butterflies are basically high-performance sex machines fueled by flower nectar.' Also I didn't know that Santa was always portrayed as riding a donkey until the mid 19th century. A nice break from my history, politics, and books of intrigue.
May 8, 2015
So many great facts in here. Animals are fricking weird. makes me laugh that people try and speculate on extra-terrestrial life when animals on our own planet are completely alien to us!
Anyway neither here nor there, this one's well worth the read!
especially if you want to hear about animal penises and sex habits! And who doesn't !xD
Anyway neither here nor there, this one's well worth the read!
especially if you want to hear about animal penises and sex habits! And who doesn't !xD
September 13, 2025
All the thoughts of a turtle are turtle.
- - Emerson
I don't know how to feel about the fact that we still know almost nothing about eels...
- - Emerson
I don't know how to feel about the fact that we still know almost nothing about eels...
January 30, 2021
Lo sapevate che le giraffe puzzano terribilmente? Che i delfini hanno un livello di aggressività che sembrano usciti da American Psycho? Che un albatros può librarsi in aria fino a sei giorni senza sbattere le ali? Che gli onischi bevono dal sedere? Che le talpe devono mangiare ogni otto ore?
Gustosissimo.
Gustosissimo.
April 9, 2023
Like sliced ginger between sushi courses, it's tough to imagine a more tasty [brain] cleanse than this, which forces away all heavy thoughts in favor of repeatedly drawing focus to the miracle that is our existence and the delightful entities that cohabitate with us on this very weird, very beautiful planet.
Each of the hundred "chapters" is a headlining animal, a couple of sentences debunking misconceptions of same, a couple of sober facts, and, frequently, a couple of silly facts. Admittedly, it annoys the bejeezus out of the part of my brain that thinks reading should be productive, but I can't even listen to that part when I'm internally giggling and occasionally calling out to my daughter something like: "Did you know porcupines can be taught to dance?" (see quote)
The answer to all such questions, by the way, is: "yes, and also [some other crazy fact that may also be in the book but sometimes isn't]". Apparently animal science classes are way more fun than they were in my day.
Each of the hundred "chapters" is a headlining animal, a couple of sentences debunking misconceptions of same, a couple of sober facts, and, frequently, a couple of silly facts. Admittedly, it annoys the bejeezus out of the part of my brain that thinks reading should be productive, but I can't even listen to that part when I'm internally giggling and occasionally calling out to my daughter something like: "Did you know porcupines can be taught to dance?" (see quote)
The answer to all such questions, by the way, is: "yes, and also [some other crazy fact that may also be in the book but sometimes isn't]". Apparently animal science classes are way more fun than they were in my day.
February 25, 2021
Strano ma vero della Settimana enigmistica.
Non so se lo finirò.
Ecco, sono al 45% e lo trovo tempo perso. Proprio come Strano ma vero queste letture di 5 minuti l'una lasciano il tempo che trovano. Appena passo a quella seguente, di quella precedente non mi resta in mente nemmeno l'animale trattato.
Sforzandomi mi ricordo che l'armadillo ha un pene molto grande, che i gibboni fanno voli di 15 metri, che i castori sono molto più grandi di quel che pensiamo... altro?
Peraltro pare che Soltanto all’arrivo di Cortez e delle truppe spagnole nel 1492 i nativi americani incontrarono il loro primo cavallo moderno.. Ricordo male o nel 1492 i nativi americani si erano limitati a vedere da lontano Colombo? E che Cortez è nato nel 1485? Cavaliere precoce il ragazzino.
Morale? Abbandonato
Non so se lo finirò.
Ecco, sono al 45% e lo trovo tempo perso. Proprio come Strano ma vero queste letture di 5 minuti l'una lasciano il tempo che trovano. Appena passo a quella seguente, di quella precedente non mi resta in mente nemmeno l'animale trattato.
Sforzandomi mi ricordo che l'armadillo ha un pene molto grande, che i gibboni fanno voli di 15 metri, che i castori sono molto più grandi di quel che pensiamo... altro?
Peraltro pare che Soltanto all’arrivo di Cortez e delle truppe spagnole nel 1492 i nativi americani incontrarono il loro primo cavallo moderno.. Ricordo male o nel 1492 i nativi americani si erano limitati a vedere da lontano Colombo? E che Cortez è nato nel 1485? Cavaliere precoce il ragazzino.
Morale? Abbandonato
August 11, 2008
Did you know that a "Riggwelter" is a sheep that's fallen on its back and is too heavy to get back up? That hummingbirds can fly upside-down? That in 1450, a piano was created using live pigs to generate the tones instead of strings? That the latin name for the American Bison is bison bison bison? That the only reason an Aardvark is a widely known animal is because the Oxford dictionary editor in 1928 decided to include it as the first word?
Yeah, I didn't either.
Sidenote: Wow, who knew animals copulate in such a variety of ways. This book has a major case of TMI when it comes to that.
Yeah, I didn't either.
Sidenote: Wow, who knew animals copulate in such a variety of ways. This book has a major case of TMI when it comes to that.
July 6, 2019
This is a book that is entertainingly written and full of amazing facts about the world of animals and creatures generally. I cannot verify the quality of the science but assuming it is well researched it is often mind-bogglingly wonderful. Different creatures get three or four pages each and as the title suggests it focuses on the less generally known or more generally misunderstood things about each animal, so it is very useful for adults who thought they knew it all.
November 7, 2016
While this wasn’t quite as entertaining as the Book of General Ignorance, it was still very interesting and mostly amusing and I did learn quite a few things that I didn’t know before, which is always a bonus. Typically for QI it does lean towards the sexual side of life, descriptions and innuendo (so be prepared!) and while this does get a little tiresome it is not unexpected. A good read although it would probably be better read in small doses rather than in one go like I did.
January 11, 2009
This book was amusing, but the author talks about animal sex too much. I mean, it's interesting and all, but do you really need to hear about it every other page? Sheesh.
November 3, 2020
Some really interesting facts are packed into this little book.
December 30, 2024
3,6*
Tựa tiếng Việt: Những điều lý thú về loài vật
In 1500 cuốn khổ 13,5*20,5cm
NXB Kim Đồng, năm 2015
Tựa tiếng Việt: Những điều lý thú về loài vật
In 1500 cuốn khổ 13,5*20,5cm
NXB Kim Đồng, năm 2015
December 31, 2012
Right so...first off, I would definitely have to do some research on sources before I repeat any of this as current truth. I get a 404 error when I attempt to check in on the website that is supposed to list the sources and allow for corrections and comments. Some of the information I have come across previously, and sometimes the authors are obviously intentionally exaggerating and anthropomorphizing in an attempt to be more interesting. However, the result is that it's not always clear when they are exaggerating and when they are being literal.
About the book-a highlights reel of some cool animal info. It's basically a list of animals and their cool facts. Now, I am nowhere near a prude, but can I get a metaphor/description/joke that is not based on human sexuality/behavior/stereotypes?
Examples:
Describing the star-nosed mole's nose: "With a much higher density of nerve endings than the average clitoris..."
"The naked-mole rat looks like a flaccid penis with teeth."
And by the way, what does it mean that "Male scent is used territorially; female scent is to do with breeding, a kind of mousy 'girl talk'"?
What are you implying by "Male sharks do not have penises. Which probably explains a lot."?
Why don't you elaborate a bit on this statement: "The male mounts from behind, bites the female's neck, and manages about forty thrusts of his bifurcated penis in twenty seconds. Once thrusting stops, ejaculation (into both vaginas) lasts for thirty seconds. This perfunctory attitude might throw some light on the female koala's enthusiastic, if mysterious, adoption of lesbian behavior when taken into captivity"?
Is "wedding tackle" the scientific name for the armadillo's penis?
This got annoying after a while. It's not cute and I wouldn't have found it funny as a school child, let alone as an adult. These jokes are very tired (Really? A walrus penis operates even in the cold? I wouldn't have guessed). It is definitely possible to reach a wide audience and be entertaining, engaging and interesting without resorting to this. I like what they were attempting to do, but they missed.
About the book-a highlights reel of some cool animal info. It's basically a list of animals and their cool facts. Now, I am nowhere near a prude, but can I get a metaphor/description/joke that is not based on human sexuality/behavior/stereotypes?
Examples:
Describing the star-nosed mole's nose: "With a much higher density of nerve endings than the average clitoris..."
"The naked-mole rat looks like a flaccid penis with teeth."
And by the way, what does it mean that "Male scent is used territorially; female scent is to do with breeding, a kind of mousy 'girl talk'"?
What are you implying by "Male sharks do not have penises. Which probably explains a lot."?
Why don't you elaborate a bit on this statement: "The male mounts from behind, bites the female's neck, and manages about forty thrusts of his bifurcated penis in twenty seconds. Once thrusting stops, ejaculation (into both vaginas) lasts for thirty seconds. This perfunctory attitude might throw some light on the female koala's enthusiastic, if mysterious, adoption of lesbian behavior when taken into captivity"?
Is "wedding tackle" the scientific name for the armadillo's penis?
This got annoying after a while. It's not cute and I wouldn't have found it funny as a school child, let alone as an adult. These jokes are very tired (Really? A walrus penis operates even in the cold? I wouldn't have guessed). It is definitely possible to reach a wide audience and be entertaining, engaging and interesting without resorting to this. I like what they were attempting to do, but they missed.
October 30, 2012
I was very disappointed with this book. I loved The Book of General Ignorance, because it had so many interesting facts and just hopped around from topic to topic so you never knew what was next. I like random trivia, and I really like random trivia about animals, so I was expecting to like this one as much, if not more. But for me, the way the book is set up and laid out made it a very boring read. It's just a chunk on a bunch of animals, presented alphabetically, and tells some about the animal, a bit of history, and a some interesting facts. But I didn't find this book's facts all that interesting, and the format made me feel like I was reading a textbook at times. I found myself getting relieved as the animal names got closer to the end of the alphabet, because that meant I was closer to being finished. I'm definitely going to read the secong Book of General Ignorance, but in hindsight I wish I would have passed on this one.
April 25, 2012
After much thought, I decided The Book of Animal Ignorance is like eating potato chips-I couldn't stop reading it, but it was not making me feel good. My first problem with the book is the short vignettes of only about 2 pages per animal, a format which I generally don't relate well too because I seem to lose all the information as I move on to the next unrelated topic. The second is that to make the subjects as interesting as possible the authors used exaggeration and focused on obscure facts. The piece on cats was stilted apparently by their personal dislikes. Then I noted several errors of which one was covered on NPR just the other day. All of this just made me skeptical about the book and its accuracy. Next time, I pick up a book I will make sure the authors have some professional expertise in the subject.
July 1, 2012
{Blog} http://tempodler.blogspot.pt/2012/07/...
Os curiosos (e hilariantes!) factos sobre animais apresentados neste livro tornam-no numa leitura excecionalmente divertida.
Os autores avançam no livro, de animal em animal, descrevendo as facetas mais bizarras sobre cada um deles - coisas que não julgávamos sequer serem possíveis.
A adaptação das espécies e a variabilidade biológica são temas cativantes e quase inesgotáveis - exemplificados neste livro de forma bastante prática e simples.
Garantindo umas boas horas de puro divertimento, o Livro da Ignorância Sobre O Mundo Animal é um livro ideal para intervalar planos de leitura mais pesados!
Os curiosos (e hilariantes!) factos sobre animais apresentados neste livro tornam-no numa leitura excecionalmente divertida.
Os autores avançam no livro, de animal em animal, descrevendo as facetas mais bizarras sobre cada um deles - coisas que não julgávamos sequer serem possíveis.
A adaptação das espécies e a variabilidade biológica são temas cativantes e quase inesgotáveis - exemplificados neste livro de forma bastante prática e simples.
Garantindo umas boas horas de puro divertimento, o Livro da Ignorância Sobre O Mundo Animal é um livro ideal para intervalar planos de leitura mais pesados!
June 1, 2020
I enjoy books like this that have tons of tidbits that challenge what we think we know. I'm not 100% certain that everything in this book is accurate, but it's certainly entertaining! And animals are deeply fascinating. Understanding how different animals do things helps me step back a bit and question how and why _I_ do things. Well... maybe a little bit. Looking forward to reading more by John Lloyd.
August 6, 2019
Why are pigs considered dirty and how true is it? From aadrvarks to worms, this marvelous book contains a lot of trivia on animals big and small, their habitats, evolutionary history, cultural associations and useful comparisons on their biology. Great for curious people of all ages
May 6, 2011
A very funny book - sometimes I could even see Stephen Fry and Alan Davies how they talk about these incredible but very entertaining facts about some animals as they do in "QI".
February 14, 2022
Tratto dal libro: "I cavalli sono prede: nella steppa, la miglior difesa è correre più veloci del predatore. Per questo hanno gli occhi più grandi di qualsiasi altro mammifero terrestre, e posizionati in modo tale da offrire una visuale quasi a 360 gradi. Qualunque stranezza (per esempio una borsa di plastica) provoca la fuga."
Avevo comprato "il libro dell'ignoranza sugli animali" di John Mitchinson & John Lloyd nel lontano 2008 o 2009 a Venezia durante una giornata di svago, succube dei tanti documentari che vedevo assieme a miei nonni e che vedo tutt'ora anche se purtroppo loro non ci sono più. Il mio amore per gli animali è presente da sempre grazie soprattutto a mio nonno paterno: m'insegnava fin da quando ero bambino a prendere cura delle varie galline, conigli, cani e gatti presenti a casa. Il resto, come spesso tendo a dire, è storia.
Con una descrizione leggera, a tratti ironica e varie illustrazioni, questo è il classico libro adatto a tutti quelli che, come me, fanno ancora fatica a uscire dalla fase dei "perché?".
In più, sfogliandolo (io sono pro-cani da sempre) penso di aver trovato il mio "vice" spirito guida animale: il binturong -o "orso gatto"-. Perché? Tratto dal libro: "I binturong vivono appunto di frutta, e sono ghiottissimi di dolciumi; in cattività, manifestano una preferenza per le banane e i manghi, ma è noto che s'ingozzano di marsh-mellow, muffin, torte di mele e milkshake. La conseguenza è che hanno tendenzialmente gli zuccheri alti e così, dopo un pasto, per un'ora corrono e saltano tutti eccitati, prima di collassare esausti e addormentarsi. Ciononostante, allo stato selvatico sono carnivori puri e duri."
...chi mi conosce, lo sa (purtroppo).
Una simpatica scoperta! Consigliato.
Avevo comprato "il libro dell'ignoranza sugli animali" di John Mitchinson & John Lloyd nel lontano 2008 o 2009 a Venezia durante una giornata di svago, succube dei tanti documentari che vedevo assieme a miei nonni e che vedo tutt'ora anche se purtroppo loro non ci sono più. Il mio amore per gli animali è presente da sempre grazie soprattutto a mio nonno paterno: m'insegnava fin da quando ero bambino a prendere cura delle varie galline, conigli, cani e gatti presenti a casa. Il resto, come spesso tendo a dire, è storia.
Con una descrizione leggera, a tratti ironica e varie illustrazioni, questo è il classico libro adatto a tutti quelli che, come me, fanno ancora fatica a uscire dalla fase dei "perché?".
In più, sfogliandolo (io sono pro-cani da sempre) penso di aver trovato il mio "vice" spirito guida animale: il binturong -o "orso gatto"-. Perché? Tratto dal libro: "I binturong vivono appunto di frutta, e sono ghiottissimi di dolciumi; in cattività, manifestano una preferenza per le banane e i manghi, ma è noto che s'ingozzano di marsh-mellow, muffin, torte di mele e milkshake. La conseguenza è che hanno tendenzialmente gli zuccheri alti e così, dopo un pasto, per un'ora corrono e saltano tutti eccitati, prima di collassare esausti e addormentarsi. Ciononostante, allo stato selvatico sono carnivori puri e duri."
...chi mi conosce, lo sa (purtroppo).
Una simpatica scoperta! Consigliato.
June 11, 2022
This is the second time I’ve read this. I love the fascinating facts and how rapid-fire they are. Maybe a bit too rapid-fire at times. The paragraphing is a bit odd, with totally unrelated facts put together as if they were related. I found this slightly disorienting while reading, but I’m currently listening to one of these authors’ other books of ignorance, and in audio it’s somehow even more disorienting. Still, that’s a minor issue.
As with last time I read this, I wish there weren’t quite so much emphasis put on the reproductive habits and odd genitalia of every animal (okay, that’s an exaggeration—it wasn’t mentioned with every animal). Another reviewer said that unrelated things were also described in terms of genitalia several times, so that may have added to my slight annoyance. Animals have so many fascinating aspects that it seemed a bit banal to dwell so much on this one. But, of course, other people will love it precisely because of the emphasis.
Those two points aside, I enjoyed this, savored it, rationed it. I usually check books out from the library and only if I really love them and believe they have great re-readability do I buy them. I bought this one.
I was, however, going to use this as a reference in a little article I was writing, and I started thinking about how fantastical some of the facts are, which led me to wonder how good their sources were, which led me to look for a bibliography…and I couldn’t find one. So…I’m not sure I would swear by the accuracy of everything here, but neither have I found anything to refute the particular facts I was investigating. Hopefully most of the book is correct.
Very, very interesting book. Personal enjoyment: 4.5 stars.
As with last time I read this, I wish there weren’t quite so much emphasis put on the reproductive habits and odd genitalia of every animal (okay, that’s an exaggeration—it wasn’t mentioned with every animal). Another reviewer said that unrelated things were also described in terms of genitalia several times, so that may have added to my slight annoyance. Animals have so many fascinating aspects that it seemed a bit banal to dwell so much on this one. But, of course, other people will love it precisely because of the emphasis.
Those two points aside, I enjoyed this, savored it, rationed it. I usually check books out from the library and only if I really love them and believe they have great re-readability do I buy them. I bought this one.
I was, however, going to use this as a reference in a little article I was writing, and I started thinking about how fantastical some of the facts are, which led me to wonder how good their sources were, which led me to look for a bibliography…and I couldn’t find one. So…I’m not sure I would swear by the accuracy of everything here, but neither have I found anything to refute the particular facts I was investigating. Hopefully most of the book is correct.
Very, very interesting book. Personal enjoyment: 4.5 stars.
December 22, 2024
ciascuno di noi, in un anno, produce una quantità di fiocchi di pelle pari a un sacco di farina. vi fa schifo? ma gli acari ci vanno a nozze.
in un minuto, un colibrì può raggiungere le 1200 pulsazioni e le sue ali battono 200 volte al secondo. nelle spalle è dotato di giunti sferici e il suo stile di volo ricorda quello degli insetti.
avete creduto ai catastrofisti secondo i quali il meteorismo delle mucche sta intossicando il mondo? tutto sbagliato: i bovini ci gasano col metano dei loro rutti, altro che.
il koala ha il pene biforcuto ma è un pigrone, non ci mette impegno. l'armadillo a nove fasce non si sa se ci metta impegno, ma è favorito dalla natura: fatte le dovute proporzioni, se fosse un uomo avrebbe un attrezzo lungo un metro e 20 (come dicono gli autori, ci si potrebbe grattare il mento).
se invitate a cena una iena, riempite la dispensa. è in grado di mangiare in mezz'ora un terzo del suo peso in carne. putrefatta? anche no.
e via di seguito. è un libro spassosissimo: ogni animale (non so quanti siano, ma sono molti) ha una sua scheda lunga circa tre pagine, fitta di notizie forse non fondamentali ma vere e sorprendenti.
lettura da spiaggia se mai ne ho vista una.
in un minuto, un colibrì può raggiungere le 1200 pulsazioni e le sue ali battono 200 volte al secondo. nelle spalle è dotato di giunti sferici e il suo stile di volo ricorda quello degli insetti.
avete creduto ai catastrofisti secondo i quali il meteorismo delle mucche sta intossicando il mondo? tutto sbagliato: i bovini ci gasano col metano dei loro rutti, altro che.
il koala ha il pene biforcuto ma è un pigrone, non ci mette impegno. l'armadillo a nove fasce non si sa se ci metta impegno, ma è favorito dalla natura: fatte le dovute proporzioni, se fosse un uomo avrebbe un attrezzo lungo un metro e 20 (come dicono gli autori, ci si potrebbe grattare il mento).
se invitate a cena una iena, riempite la dispensa. è in grado di mangiare in mezz'ora un terzo del suo peso in carne. putrefatta? anche no.
e via di seguito. è un libro spassosissimo: ogni animale (non so quanti siano, ma sono molti) ha una sua scheda lunga circa tre pagine, fitta di notizie forse non fondamentali ma vere e sorprendenti.
lettura da spiaggia se mai ne ho vista una.
January 28, 2023
Boeiende en bizarre weetjes. Leuk dat ook minder populaire - vaak ongewervelde - dieren een plaats kregen in dit boek dat niet bijzonder groot is, maar helaas wel veel fouten bevat. Die zijn vooral te wijten aan de waanzinnig slordige vertaling. De Nederlandstalige versie staat bol van de grammaticale fouten, maar ook inhoudelijk zijn er heel wat bedenkingen te maken. Als je darren verwart met hommels, wat valt er dan nog te geloven van de rest van de tekst? Heel wat stukken zijn ook niet erg duidelijk, omdat ze uit losse feitjes bestaan die uit de context van een groter, meer onderbouwd artikel zijn geplukt. Op zich enorm interessant allemaal, maar veel te slordig en te onbetrouwbaar om iets aan te hebben, al vind je hier voldoende inspiratie om verrassende thema's meer in detail te onderzoeken.
June 29, 2024
Every since a QI book (...Of The Dead) changed my life I've been rather glued to questing out the others and Animal Ignorance was the next I wanted to tackle. A lovely little hardback from the legitimate "before times" of 2007 - it takes the pleasing format of an A-Z, two pages per species, and no real rhyme or reason to the beasts chosen beyond their fundamental interesting-ness. Likely a chunk of this is now disproven or dated and the abundance of latin names can feel a little Oxbridgey but it's a compelling read and I was really taken with the frequent little fussy illustrations by Ted Dewan (later of Bing fame). There's a nice clear engineer's eye behind the cartoonishness where you can see clearly which tendons pull within a horse's leg or some such. Not a life changer but a solid addition to the QI book canon.
December 31, 2020
A book that discovers some obscure and trivia facts and anecdotes about different animals. Format is a bit special - animals are sorted alphabetically and each got two pages, along with funny, and less funny, illustrations.
At times it was really fascinating, cool and unknown facts, at times it was really entertaining, I enjoyed the book from start to the finish. There is also plenty of stuff on animal copulation, but just the kinky and very weird stuff and I see some might be put off by that. The amount of needless pain some animals suffered from humans is also unsettling.
It was certainly an amusing read, would recommend the book to anyone who loves animals, nature, or is a big fan of trivia and/or quizzes.
At times it was really fascinating, cool and unknown facts, at times it was really entertaining, I enjoyed the book from start to the finish. There is also plenty of stuff on animal copulation, but just the kinky and very weird stuff and I see some might be put off by that. The amount of needless pain some animals suffered from humans is also unsettling.
It was certainly an amusing read, would recommend the book to anyone who loves animals, nature, or is a big fan of trivia and/or quizzes.
April 23, 2022
เห็นอารมณ์ขันตั้งแต่ชื่อในฉบับแปลภาษาไทย ซึ่งก็สะท้อนอารมณ์ขันของผู้เขียนที่แทรกสอดลงในเนื้อหาสารคดีเรื่องเล่าเกี่ยวกับสัตว์นานาพันธุ์ ทั้งที่เราคุ้นเคยกันดี อย่าง ชะนี หมา แมว ฯลฯ และแบบที่ฟังแค่ชื่อ นึกหน้าไม่ออก อย่าง ปลาตกเบ็ด หวีวุ้น แมงกะพรุุนกล่อง ฯลฯ โฟกัสของหนังสือคือเรื่องแปลก ๆ ที่เราไม่รู้เกี่ยวกับสัตว์ 50 ตัวที่ผู้เขียนยกมา เรื่องแปลก ๆ เหล่านี้บางเรื่องก็ชวนอึ้ง อย่าง ปลาตกเบ็ดตัวเมียใหญ่กว่าตัวผู้ 5 แสนเท่า หรือโคอาล่าอึให้ลูกมันกินเป็นอาหาร บางเรื่องก็ชวนทึ่ง อย่าง นกอัลบาทรอสสามารถบินไม่หยุดได้นาน 10 ปี (มันหลับตอนบินได้!) หรือจักจั่นที่โผล่มาผสมพันธุ์ทุก ๆ ตัวเลขจำนวนเฉพาะ (prime number) ปี ... อ่านสนุก
July 3, 2017
Probably I just disliked the format of the book. Having two pages per animal is just a bit weird, following up with a string of very random and unrelated facts. This might be the reason why it was so difficult to read and, especially, remember the information.
Another thing I disliked is the use of the imperial units, but that's just a personal bias towards SI system. (still took away the points)
Another thing I disliked is the use of the imperial units, but that's just a personal bias towards SI system. (still took away the points)
August 20, 2017
Questo saggio risulta interessante sostanzialmente per due motivi. Le schede sui singoli animali sono brevi, scorrevoli e ricche di informazioni e curiosità, assolutamente sconosciute per la stragrande maggioranza delle persone. Inoltre i disegni che accompagnano ogni scheda rendono la lettura più leggera e divertente. Assolutamente consigliato per chi vuole stupirsi di fronte alle meraviglie e stranezze del regno animale.
April 22, 2025
If you love animals (all kinds, not just dogs and/or cats) or have an interest in the natural world, or you're simply our kind of nerd who loves to be regaled with you-won't-believe-this tales from Nature's Odder side, tis book is for you. It's also nicely episodic as each animal is profiled in 1-2.5 pages, making this perfect for reading before bed or while attending to other business. Well recommended, as are all of the QI books. Good fun.
April 7, 2019
3.5 Stars
If you think you know something about animals and insects...think again. It might be you know nothing at all! Lloyd takes 100 animals and insects and tells you very interesting facts about each one that will amaze you. Termites mate for life (really?) and they produce 11% of methane emissions second only to cows. Read on as the book goes on and on with stuff you don't know.
If you think you know something about animals and insects...think again. It might be you know nothing at all! Lloyd takes 100 animals and insects and tells you very interesting facts about each one that will amaze you. Termites mate for life (really?) and they produce 11% of methane emissions second only to cows. Read on as the book goes on and on with stuff you don't know.
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