Every Creature Has a Story: What Science Reveals about Animal Behaviour

by Janaki Lenin

We are surrounded by an astounding variety of lifeforms. Over millennia, they have evolved to exploit unique niches, in the process developing features and skills that set them apart. Have you ever wondered what price the giraffe pays for its long neck? The neck increases its blood pressure to pump blood up to its brain, which endangers its life every time it bends down to drink. Or have you thought about how female nightingales decide which male will share the burdens of parenthood with them? They listen to prospective candidates' songs to gauge if they'd make good fathers. And did you know that glassfrogs pee on their eggs and the gender of bearded dragons is fixed by sex chromosomes or temperature? In Every Creature Has a Story, Janaki Lenin draws us towards the wonders of the natural world in evocative and witty words. She uncovers the surprising, sometimes bizarre but always amazing ways in which creatures breed and survive, from spiders salivating during sex and snails entombing their parasites into their shells to elephants developing immunity to cancer.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Biology

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2020

About the author

Janaki Lenin started writing in 2004 after turning her back on film-making. Writing was the only choice she had, since she didn't know any other skill besides making movies. She discovered writing was just like producing movies -- same principles, different medium.

Janaki started out writing articles for wildlife magazines while also wrangling with wildlife management issues such as coexistence. In 2010, she began writing a popular column in The Hindu, one of India's largest English newspapers, called My Husband and Other Animals. The first volume of collected essays from the column was published in 2012 and the second volume was released in April 2018. Every Creature Has A Story came out in 2020 (paperback in 2023). Snakes, Drugs Rock 'n' Roll, the autobiography of Romulus Whitaker, which she co-authored, was published in 2024.

Reviews

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short essays that Janaki Lenin had written for the online publication, The Wire, each essay examining one interesting feature of the behaviour and/or physiognomy of a creature. Almost all of these are animals of some kind, though there’s also a fascinating story of a plant that employs an army of ants to help it counter threats.

The subjects of the essays are amazing: from why elephants rarely get cancer to why giraffes, with those very long necks of theirs (and the high blood pressure that comes along with that long neck) don’t suffer a stroke every time they lower their heads to drink water. From the bizarre sex life of the tiny spider that weaves the largest web in the world, to how humpback whales may rightly be called ‘the Good Samaritans of the Ocean’. The creatures in focus are very varied, and the aspects of their lives that are discussed are more often than not very surprising, even for someone who knows and loves wildlife, as I do. I don’t think there was a single essay here which made me think “I knew all of this already.”

Even when it comes to topics like tool use by chimpanzees or the symbiotic relationship between the honeyguide and honey-gathering villagers, which I already had heard of, Janaki Lenin has something new and interesting to add. Plus, she’s not faffing: she builds up her essay with references to actual research work being done, indications of dissent, contrasting views, lacunae, possible theories, and so on.

I loved this book. The essays are short enough to not get tedious; the writing is geared to appeal even to a layman with little scientific expertise, and yet it’s not as if Lenin talks down to her reader. She’s often witty, and you can see her love for animals clearly. If you are at all fascinated by nature, Every Creature Has a Story is a must-read. I learnt a lot from it, and enjoyed it immensely too.

[Shruti Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know that a chameleon changes its color rapidly according to the surface it sits on. But so you know that it can move its eyes independently focusing on two preys at a time?
Do you know that Seahorses, pipefishes, and sea dragons are the only males in the animal kingdom who can get pregnant? Do you know that a large female Octopus can easily overpower and eat its smaller suitors? Poor Octopuses, can't even canoodle with the one they love. Do you know that Frigate birds can sleep while they're in the air? Literally, it's like flying on autopilot.
.
This book by Janaki Lenin is a compilation of 50 such interesting revelations about the creatures with whom we inhabit our beautiful planet. There is a chapter dedicated to each creature where Janaki has shared the research around that behavior and interesting facts around it. It's a kind of book that you can flip and read anytime and you'll be astounded by layers of amazing stories that these creatures have in store for us. Every creature has a story is the kind of book that will change the way you look at creatures around you- even the household rodents. #everycreaturehasastory

[Thamiziniyan Supa · Rating 5 out of 5]

காகத்தின் கூட்டில் வளர்ந்த குயில் குஞ்சுகளுக்கு அடையாளச்சிக்கல் ஏற்படுமா? அந்தக் குயில் குஞ்சு, தாயை மீண்டும் எப்படிப் போய்ச்சேரும்? Read more -> https://bit.ly/2Q9PeaV

[Sujani S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know that elephants rarely get cancer? Have you wondered about how a giraffe manages its high blood pressure problems, that is a result of its long neck, which requires its heart to pump harder? Did you know about the monogamy in rodents and single fathers in frogs? If you are a regular reader of ‘The Hindu’ and ‘The Wire’, Janaki Lenin’s interesting articles on animals would not have missed your notice. With a renowned herpetologist husband and with her impressive work on studying wildlife, she has extraordinary tales to tell. This book is a compilation of some of her best writings on the most fascinating creatures that co-exist with us on this wonderful planet.


The author talks about mammals, reptiles, birds and insects - their lives, quirks and survival. I am a fan of her book ‘My husband and other animals’ and I love this one even more. This time she quotes from scientific journals and describes wildlife researches conducted around the globe to study some of the most elusive and enthralling animals. It is a delight to read facts about a variety of beasts in her trademark humorous and simple style of writing. This book, with an eye-grabbing cover, is yet another feather to her cap and if you love animals (or don’t), grab a copy and dive into an adventure to admire the marvel called Nature.

[Ramesh Natarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.The world of animals is so fascinating and interesting

[Dhwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Creature Has A Story by Janaki Lenin is a collection of essays that Lenin wrote for The Wire over a period of time. These 50 essays are about the nature's gift, the fauna. Did you know elephants are immune to cancer? Do you know about the oddest bird in the world, Kiwi? Or what catastrophe a giraffe is prone to when it drinks water all thanks to it long neck? You'll find such nuggets of knowledge in this title.

Covering 50 essays of 4-5 pages each, this book is a boon to the ones who have a yearn to learn more and more. To the point writing with myriad of references will amuse and surprise you for we know quite less about the world around us. I loved how the essays have a scientific basis to them and end up explaining the particular behaviour of the particular species. I'm highly recommending this book to the ones who love reading about our fauna and want to be gain knowledge in a light and breezy manner.

[Ravi Jain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice informative book

[Chaahat Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have ever wondered about what goes in the life of the animals then this book is perfect for you. There are 50 chapters, yes you read it right “50 chapters” on fifty different animals.
Here are some of the interesting facts from the book,
•Did you know female nightingales chooses a mail nightingale to mate on the basis of how good a singer he is?
•Chimpanzees grieve or sometimes slip into depression and dies if an infant or adult chimpanzee close to them dies
•Seals use the smell of their fur to find their babies or their blood relatives among hundreds of other seals.
•Global warming affects whether certain animals will give birth to a male or female offspring.
•There are plants with private armies to protect themselves

These are just 5 facts out of the 50, so imagine how amazing this book must be.

It seriously blew my mind on how much Humans fail to understand that animals also feel a lot of complex emotions like us.
What amazes me the most is how animals act like human being,they mourn for their loved ones, they plan and plot like an intelligent being, their survival instinct is great and mostly each and every animal has some or the other trait that it shows they are not weak or dumb creatures. They are intelligent and complex beings and a very important part of our ecosystem.
It’s a perfect book for anyone who is interested in knowing about the animal behaviour and marvel’s of the nature.

[Wanderingg__soul · Rating 5 out of 5]

If reading about animals fascinates you, Every Creature has a Story is a must read for you!

I have read many articles by Janaki Lenin in 'The Hindu' and that was the prime reason why I picked this book.

This book is a compilation of her best essays on variety of animals that coexist with us. We are surrounded by an astounding variety of lifeforms. Over millennia, they have evolved to exploit unique niches, in the process developing features and skills that set them apart. 

With the help of science we have the power to understand them and even destroy them.
This book helps us explore the beauty, the uniqueness and the extraordinary stories of different animals. Why does a nightingale sing? Why dont elephants get cancer? How do echidna survive wildfires? Sex drive in fish?

The writing style is beautiful and with each story you learn something so different.
Definitely one of my favorite books of 2020❤

[Harshith J. V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've watched so many nature documentaries. Except for few facts, I already know from such documentaries, there are still many amazing behaviours and specialities written about natural world on this book.

This book could have been titled as "Every creatute has a super-power" instead. Each chapter details the ways in which creatures use best of the abilities unique to their kind essential for their day-to-day activities and environment they live in. Very well written and in simple language.

Recommended for all and worth addition to anyone's library. Worth reading every chapter.

[Yatin Sethi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Janaki Lenin did a commendable job in writing these 50 short essays, which are informative and interesting to read. The essays are spread on different animals and their not so know traits. And makes one realize how every life form on earth is so special. It is a good read and recommended for people who are intrigued to know more about the wildlife.

[Swarnim Modi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book. It’s like a BBC Earth documentary but in text format

[Sujith Philipose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its always been a joy for me to learn about animals and this book is like a small sweets box.
Did you know that wasps can enslave spiders to work for them?
How does a seal-mum locate their pups in the (massive) nursery?
Did you know Humpback whales sometimes play superheroes?
What is the voting process among the Prarie dogs? Wait ... did you know there was democracy even?

[Swastika Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun fact book. Very small cute chapters and knowledge-based.