Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World

by Dan Werb

A dazzling journey into the hidden lives of synanthropes, the wild animals who’ve found ingenious ways to survive and thrive in human communities—from award-winning writer and scientist Dan Werb

“Werb delivers a buoyant overview of how animals adapt to urban spaces, framing cities as sites of biodiversity and evolutionary change… Enlightening and entertaining, this is a winning snapshot of wildlife that thrives in not-so-wild spaces.” - Publisher’s Weekly

Synanthropes have always been an immutable part of the tapestry of our lives. They are the reason we hear birdsong in the morning and skittering throughout the day, and why we take such pains to fix lids to our garbage cans. But they are so much more than that, epidemic vectors, churners of soil, ecosystem evolvers, spiritual lodestars, and, sometimes, sharp-toothed marauders making their way through our most intimate spaces with cruel intent. But beyond their quotidian impact on our lives, synanthropes have a critical part to play in how our communities are shaped and how sustainably they function. These creatures are ambassadors from nature, arbiters of our planet’s future, and a key influence on our species’ ongoing evolution; and recently, something essential has shifted with them.

We are in a fraught era of environmental disruption, habitat destruction, and human population expansion that is ravaging formerly wild and untouched habitats. That’s caused us to become ever more inundated with synanthropes, which are bringing delight, chaos and danger to our doorstep. These species, so long dismissed, are forcing us to reckon with them—from the hundreds of thousands of raccoons in urban spaces that spread our refuse no matter how many "raccoon-proof" bags and bins we invent, to the invasive kudzu plants that grow a foot a day, enveloping houses, telephone poles, trees, and any other structures into their green abyss. Now, as urban spaces increasingly become wild spaces, we have a continue to resist them by any means necessary, or take the opportunity to promote a more harmonious coexistence.

Through vivid storytelling, Our Wild Familiars brings to spectacular life the world’s most successful synanthropes, from bats, raccoons, and crows, to some of its weirdest, including the Giant Pacific Octopus. Acting as a guide to the curious, Werb reveals how the cracks in our millennia-long efforts to shield ourselves against the outside world might just lead us to a new and necessary balance with nature—or to an ever more savage future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Animals

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Lindsay Cook]

🐀🐿️🦊🦝🐐🦇🐧🦑… I know I’m missing some of these synanthropes

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot about animals, but this eye-opening book tackles something I’d never heard of, synanthropes. There are pets and wild creatures, but what about the ones in between? Those who live in proximity to humans and have adapted to urban environments who are somewhat still wild and undomesticated? Werb’s book explores how they are now something different. Cities have influenced not just their behavior, but also even their physiology. Some parts are heartbreaking because they deal with the conflicts, violence and death that necessarily happen when these two worlds coexist. Unlike other books, Werb doesn’t take an absolute path of eliminating all threats, or choosing non-human animals over people, but a third option: adapting urban centers to welcome all residents and eliminating zones where conflict may arise. Raccoons, bats, octopuses and rats are amongst the species studied here. My favorite part is about baboons living in apparent harmony with feral dogs, and how their mutual relationship has evolved. I was dumbfounded. The writing is approachable and easy to read, and I’ve been talking about this book to anyone who will listen. Highly recommended.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Crown Publishing.

[Laura Flavin]

“Our Wild Familiars by Dan Werb is an engaging exploration of synanthropes wild animals adapting to life in human environments and how their presence is reshaping modern ecosystems. The book blends science, storytelling, and environmental observation to show how cities have become shared spaces between humans and wildlife.

What stands out most is the perspective. Instead of treating urban wildlife as a nuisance, Werb reframes these species as active participants in evolving ecosystems. From raccoons and crows to plants and marine life, the book highlights their adaptability and ecological significance.

The writing is accessible and informative, balancing scientific insight with vivid examples that make the subject engaging for general readers. It encourages a shift in how we view urban nature and our relationship with it.

Overall, Our Wild Familiars is a thoughtful and well-crafted work of popular science that will strongly appeal to readers interested in wildlife, ecology, and environmental change in human-dominated landscapes.”

[Ashley Epp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC!

I am not, not, not a nonfiction person but have been pushing myself out of my boundaries lately. I pick up a nonfiction book and maybe read a chapter a day, but truly it takes forever. But not with this book I devoured it! I love all the fun facts I have bouncing around now. The breaking it up into interconnected sections really helped it stay fast paced but also didn't jar me with new topics every chapter.
Some favourite fun facts and quotes were:
- Rats evolved to tolerate warfarin which is insane!
- "Gossip is a dagger that destroys: it’s also the glue that holds gazes together"
- If a bat sings a different song than another, they wont mate.
- Often orcas expect their first baby to die because they offload half of your toxins everytime they have a kid, imagine the consequences of this for how humans work and have kids!

I am so looking forward to recommending this to nonfiction friends, and fellow ecology/biology teachers!

[Christine Craft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our Wild Familiars was a fascinating and informative read. I forgot that wild animals that learned to adapt in human communities are called synanthropes. This was such an interesting read with fun facts and scientific insight. It’s also an engaging and well-written book. My favorite part was about the raccoons since I love those trash pandas so much despite their flaws.

Overall, this book has deepened my understanding of synanthropes and their importance within our ecosystem. I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC(advanced reader copy) in return for an honest review

[Rachel E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Wild Familiars was a really informative read. I’m not usually one to read non-fiction, but this sucked me in from the first few pages. I learned so much and I developed a new perspective on the relationship between humans and wildlife. It’s amazing how adaptive animals are and it gave me a new appreciation of some of these amazing species. Highly recommend!