Nursery Earth: The Wondrous Lives of Baby Animals and the Extraordinary Ways They Shape Our World

by Danna Staaf, Richard Strathmann (Foreword)

From the author of Monarchs of the Sea, a first-of-its-kind journey into the hidden world of baby animals—hailed as “a gobsmacking delight!” (Sy Montgomery, New York Times–bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus)



It’s time to pay attention to baby animals. From egg to tadpole, chick to fledgling, they offer scientists a window into questions of immense importance: How do genes influence health? Which environmental factors support—or obstruct—life? Entire ecosystems rest on the shoulders (or tentacles, or jointed exoskeletons) of animal babies. At any given moment, babies represent the majority of animal life on Earth.



In Nursery Earth, researcher Danna Staaf invites readers into the sibling (and, sometimes, clashing) fields of ecology and developmental biology. The tiny, hidden lives that these scientists study in the lab and in the wild reveal some of nature’s strangest workings: A salamander embryo breathes with the help of algae inside its cells. The young grub of a Goliath beetle dwarfs its parents. The spotted beak of a parasitic baby bird tricks adults of other species into feeding it. Mouse embryos can absorb cancerous cell grafts—and develop into healthy adults.



Our bias toward adult animals (not least because babies can be hard to find) means these wonders have long gone under-researched. But for all kinds of animals, if we overlook their babies, we miss out on the most fascinating—and consequential—time in the lives of their species. Nursery Earth makes the case that these young creatures are not just beings in progress but beings in their own right. And our planet needs them all: the maggots as much as the kittens!

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Nature, Biology, Audiobook, History

280 pages, Hardcover

Published June 6, 2023

About the author

When Danna Staaf met an octopus at the age of ten, it changed her life. She set up a saltwater aquarium to keep eight-armed pets in her bedroom, learned to scuba dive off the coast closest to her home in Southern California, and eventually earned a PhD in the biology of squid babies. Currently working as a science writer, she also wields words in the world of fiction, and helps her husband raise two story-hungry children.

Reviews

[Claudia]

Really interesting, but not my thing apparently. I wanted to read about baby animals, fluffy little creatures that warms your heart, but up until around 30% it was all about larvae and eggs, and I lacked the enthusiasm to read further.

But the fragment about how kakapo were saved from imminent extinction (which still remains, they are critically endangered) reminded me of a documentary narrated by Stephen Fry, which below video is taken from. Hilarious to say the least, just watch it and enjoy :))

https://youtu.be/9T1vfsHYiKY?feature=...

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danna Staaf is a young marine biologist who has written an unusual, and very good, account of baby animals that includes some that are fluffy and cute, and even more that are, well, weird. Strange. Some are downright nasty by our standards. None are boring. A cover blurb accurately describes the book as a “surprising page-turner.” I had a good time reading it. If you like popular-science books, written by a working scientist on her chosen field, this would be a good choice. For me this was an easy 4+ star read. Plus it’s well-illustrated (the mad-hatterpillar! *) and blessedly short. High marks!

Her publisher has a nice preview of the book online at https://lithub.com/more-than-cute-ins...
“Baby animals are undeniably cute: puppies tumbling over each other, joeys peeking out of kangaroo pouches, ducklings paddling in a wobbly line. Baby animals are also incredibly bizarre: Moth larvae mimic both snakes and feces, featherless finch chicks beg with beaks like Mondrian paintings—and let’s not forget baby humans, with our squishy skulls and taste buds on our tonsils.”
Best way to judge if the book is for you, I think. Worked for me!

I really like Staaf’s enthusiasm, lighthearted style, and the nice mix of personal and professional stuff. Another science nerd! Sweet. I really need to get to her “Monarchs of the Sea” cephalopod-history book.
--
* What is a mad-hatterpillar?
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/w...

The author earned her Ph.D from Stanford studying Humboldt squid. She was involved in discovering their first natural egg mass, in deep water in the Sea of Cortez.
More of her stuff: https://nautil.us/animal-sex-determin...
Website: http://www.dannastaaf.com

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nicely written book that provides a broad overview of the development and life of baby animals:  everything from eggs, pregnancy (not just for mammals), how baby animals grow and what they eat (including their siblings), how their parents take care of them (or not), larval stages and metamorphosis, juveniles etc.  The majority of examples are of invertebrate animals (creepy crawlies, squid, snails etc) with the occasional fish, bird and marsupial thrown in.  There are also numerous black and white photographs and illustrations with a handful of colour photographs.  The contents of the book is very interesting, but I did miss the inclusion of the more cute and fluffy baby animals.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading a number of big space and long history books that essentially make me feel infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things (note that this is a good sensation for me, one I seek out). I didn't expect Nursery Earth to be another one of those, but here I am, feeling tiny amidst the vast world of baby critters.

And I do mean vast. Danna Staaf covers an enormous breadth of creatures, from fish to insects to mammals and beyond. Get ready to learn more about sea urchins than you ever expected. Further, the creatures come in an incredible variety of sizes - and numbers. Millions upon millions of eggs compare with a single giant kiwi egg. And all the babies, ultimately, are vastly different from each other, not to mention vastly different from their adult forms.

There's so much fascinating material in Nursery Earth that it's impossible to pull out cool examples. Rest assured, if you like weird science, you will be enthralled, and will be telling your partner uncomfortable stories about monster babies and monster parents and, well, odd stuff in general (and your partner might not appreciate it). We think of babies (human babies) as essentially small, incomplete adult humans. But that's not really the case! They are perfectly designed for what they need to do: grow, learn, change. Same goes for all other animal babies. They might look and act completely different from their parents, but evolution has rendered them ideal for their purpose. It's so, so cool and so, so weird.

If you have a potential future scientist in your household, I would shove this book into their hands (assuming they can handle some big words). Nursery Earth is jam packed with thrilling scientific investigations. There are so many things we don't know! And people are trying to learn about all of them, but even as they learn, they discover more blind spots! It's invigorating, for me at least

I guess this book made me think that we spend a lot of effort wondering if aliens are out there when really, all baby animals are basically just aliens. The weird stuff is right here on Earth.

[Am · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although probably not enough about the 'cute' babies like bears, tigers and elephants, this book has everything about many sea, insect and land creatures and their offspring, including birds and the issues with eggs, insects and numbers, and loads more. Although quite scientific in parts, Danna makes it interesting and not dry textbook reading. Probably more on the insect and marine world, so missed the cute animal things as it is very brief on that - maybe because that is what everyone talks about - there is still a lot to learn about, and be interested in.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Read in Audiobook Format)

This book was INCREDIBLE! So educational and fun and insightful all at once. There were a TON of larvae and worms in here which kinda creeped me out, but larvae are animal babies so what can I say?

I look forward to exploring more of Danna Staaf’s work!

[Maya Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful. This book gives hope for the future of the planet while remaining completely scientific. It teaches empathy and compassion for all living creatures. At the very least, will make you think twice before squashing a bug.

[Jessica Partlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many interesting facts! I am impressed at this author’s ability to make me laugh while also explaining a myriad of scientific concepts and terminology from the field of biology in a way that I can understand. I felt satisfied that the juvenile animal world is as much a mystery as the human one since we are heading into that phase of life with our kids. I really need someone to ask me some random trivia questions now, like, “Which bird lays the largest egg relative to its size?”

[Kris Vance · Rating 5 out of 5]

So often, the beginning of an animal’s life is overlooked for the exciting adulthood or the sobering end. The only usual attention given baby animals is how adorable they are or into what they will grow. Nursery Earth by Danna Staaf provides a fascinating look into the foundational moments of some of nature’s most interesting creatures. I love how Staaf’s mind works. The significance of “babies being a link across time in space” was expertly laid out and curated to the point where I gobbled up all of it. Glass frogs pee on their eggs. Every single one of us is a holobiont. A pin-tail whydah is the new cuckoo. Condors are terrific adoptive parents. I could go on and on. Would be wonderful for homeschool or supplemental upper grade science reading or for anyone with a passion for animals or babies or both.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I chose to read this book in a brief overview of new books I most definitely thought it was for children. Strangely enough the author does understand that her book as such has been misconstrued by so many others as a children's book in her Epilogue even before it has been published, which makes me wonder as to the marketing of this book in general since it is most definitely an adult read rather than one for younger readers.

This particular copy of the book is still in editing as such the page number both mentioned in the Table of Contents and also in notes further in other sections is missing, there is a small comment on the bottom of each page about the text file, one colored photograph in the center is missing its caption and each page has a copyright sticker to remind ARC readers that it is still a work in progress. Even as such for the most part it didn't take away from the total read of the book although I wish I knew what the caption was going to be for that one photograph.

Meanwhile the actual book is put into three sections with the first two sections each having four chapters and the last one three unless you also include in the Epilogue. The first section is basically about how babies are born, the second explores different techniques that babies use to disperse and find new homes as well as adaptations to help them survive. And the last is basically a brief guide to the reader from the "childhood" phase to "juvenile" as well as what it signifies.

The first section to me was probably the most interesting with the author definitely making the book not only easy to read but also to understand. Some technical terms have been included but most are provided with easy definitions or at least explanations to help the reader who may struggle a bit with it. Furthermore Danna pretty much uses the same players so they become more familiar with the animals that they are reading about.

Secondly the book is illustration occasionally with black-and-white photographs with captions that clearly define what the reader is looking at. To add further views for the reader is a colored photograph insert included in the center of the book along with captions except the previous mentioned one.

Although the author does have a few Woke/political concepts included it doesn't really take much away from the book at least in my opinion since it is just the normal talking points but without being shoved down your throat as many others do. Instead it seemed most of her thoughts on this although mentioned briefly in the full text was included in the end in the hopes of bringing her research full circle in both how to relate to children in the world, how to help heal the world from the destruction and the suggestion of sustainability of eating insects as a protein source instead of the livestock that so many of propose. And some of these ideas I can most definitely say I standing with such as making the world a better place for all offspring and putting in measures to defend animals in any stage of their life.

All in all it was a fascinating read and one that I really hadn't known was a book that I really had wanted to read until I cracked it open for this review.

**I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of Nursery Earth made me want to pick up the book and read it. Cook book cover.

One thing I learned from Nursery Earth that surprised me is that some insects give birth to live young. I thought all insects layed eggs. I was wrong.

My favorite chapter is 8: Raising them right. Which talks about California condors, mayflies, plastic digesting mealworms. I think its so cool that mealworms can digest plastic.

I like that Nursery earth talks about not only land animals but, also baby animals from the ocean, and sky so that I get a glimpse of all earths animals since I am not that familiar with ocean animals and I want to learn more about them. In Chapter 11 the author talks about Cicada's and even goes to a Cicada cookout and eats some.

It was certainly fun to learn about all the baby animals and how they are raised. I only wish I could remember every animal.

Oh, and one more thing Stick insects eggs resemble plant seeds. I never thought an insect egg would resemble seeds very cool.

[The Bio Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say that this is the perfect addition to the book collection of anyone who enjoys babies, animals and wants to learn more about the topic!
It's really cientifically accurate, but in a way that everyone can understand.
I really enjoyed the little interesting facts and images throught the book, which makes it accessible for both scientists and people with totally diferent backgrounds.

As a Biologist myself, althought not in the invertebrate area, I really enjoyed this book, learned a few new things, and wish I had access to it while I was in university (it would have been a big help in severall of my classes!).

Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

[Cap'n · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC for review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a well researched book and you really can feel the author’s passion about her field of research.
It does go pretty in depth in the description of many studies. As such, it isn’t a book I would recommend to people who just want to learn quick fun facts. The book could get boring to someone who isn’t interested in the methodology of scientific research.
If you pick this book, you will learn many amazing facts about animal reproduction of all kind and how truly impressive many life forms are.
The chapters build on each other as the author references concepts explained earlier to help describe newly presented concepts.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first impression was that this was a well researched manuscript and the writing was well done. The negative was nothing concerning the book. The ARC was not formatted for Kindle. Because of the formatting, I chose to listen to the novel as an audiobook. However, I was not sure of the age of the projected reader. For example, the book focuses on babies, hence the title. The cover looks like a kids book,perhaps the book would be better suited for an older reader.I feel like this book would be useful as a research source for an older student.
Deanna staaf, The experiment llc, and NetGalley the privilege of reading the novel.

[Kate Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read that totally changed my perspective on animal babies. We always think of adults as the end product, and babies as merely a stop on the way: a caterpillar is just a future butterfly, a chick is just a future bird. We often think of them as incomplete and not fully adapted to their environment. Staaf shifts the narrative to point out that the majority of animals in the world at any moment are babies, and even when they haven’t developed to maturity, they are still very well-adapted to surviving in their specific niche. She discusses a ton of crazy reproductive strategies — I’m still hung up on adelphophagy. Super interesting book.

[Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nursery Earth is a enthusiastic book that highlights the importance of overlooked babies as a facet of Earth's ecosystem. The book is primarily focused on the genetics and developmental biology of invertebrates, which made it more challenging for me to read than I had expected, since I wrongfully assumed it would discuss mammalian behavior. Still, Staaf's excitement for creatures great and microscopic was infectious, and I feel a sense of pride for managing to read and mostly make sense of scientific subjects I often struggle to understand.

[Dayton Martindale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting survey of the strange development of animal babies, from eggs to larvae to metamorphosis, and their complex ecological interactions (especially with microbes). Most animals alive at any given time aren’t adults, and I appreciated this lens into the lives of the young in species ranging from starfish to condors. Like with many works of popular science about animals, I find myself wishing that many of the relevant experiments had never been done, even as I am intellectually engaged by their results.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Dr. Danna Staaf has created a fun read that has a great conversational tone. All the science is well-explained and Staaf writes with a good sense of humor. There is some witty wording in the book and some very good personal anecdotes. I feel that these anecdotes create a closer bond between writer and reader. The photos and illustrations are excellent. I recommend it for anyone interested in biology. Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for the digital review copy.

[Nicole Kang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first third the most interesting, but I liked learning throughout the book. I was never bored even though some stuff went over my head. I didn’t know babies are so different from their adult counterparts that they’re sometimes identified as a new species before the connection is made.

I’m glad to have read this and support the continuation of developmental biology and genetic evolutionary sciences.

[Helen Homer · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved this! a tour through some weird and wonderful baby animals, these are (for the most part) not your usual farmyard cute and cuddlies! The author writes with such incredible enthusiasm and excitement for the topic you can help sharing it. The facts are interesting, the writing thoughtful and often humorous, I learnt a lot and have lots of things I'm interested in following up more. Definitely recommend

[Jenny Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about babies throughout the animal kingdom, lots to surprise and educate me but also lots which made me very uncomfortable, in terms of the research and treatment of animals. It is a delicate balance juggling the desires of scientists with the needs of animals and questioning how much benefit there is to animals if we learn more about them vs the damage done to them in their name of research.

[Holly Hoagmoore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read! I highly recommend to anyone interested in developmental biology, or biology in general. This was a great collection of representative examples of the importance of animal babies in ecology and evolution, interspersed with short anecdotes and humor.

[Foggygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book from NetGalley great read although the print was somewhat smaller than expected so it made reading a bit problematic.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written but very scientific. Personally I find it hard to engage with the research-styled writing. Thank you for the review copy.

[Natalie T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good option for science-minded YAs.

[Teri B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a treat as we go through the animal kingdom and learn how various species raise their young to ensure that they can grow up and carry on.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick read and a very cool book! The author has a nice perspective since she is a scientist herself, and in the book she was able to speak with so many other scientists about their work studying baby animals, which was a delight. Many different types of baby animals were covered in this book, and quite a lot of information was related to larvae of sea animals especially. I learned so much about how much animals can change during development stages, and about how little we know about this process for many animals in the first place. Recommended if you like animals at all :)