Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals

by Jack Ashby

A compelling, funny, first-hand account of Australia's wonderfully unique mammals and how our perceptions impact their future.

Think of a platypus: they lay eggs (that hatch into so-called platypups), they produce milk without nipples and venom without fangs and they can detect electricity. Or a wombat: their teeth never stop growing, they poo cubes and they defend themselves with reinforced rears. Platypuses, possums, wombats, echidnas, devils, kangaroos, quolls, dibblers, dunnarts, kowaris: Australia has some truly astonishing mammals with incredible, unfamiliar features. But how does the world regard these creatures? And what does that mean for their conservation?

In Platypus Matters, naturalist Jack Ashby shares his love for these often-misunderstood animals. Informed by his own experiences meeting living marsupials and egg-laying mammals on fieldwork in Tasmania and mainland Australia, as well as his work with thousands of zoological specimens collected for museums over the last 200-plus years, Ashby's tale not only explains the extraordinary lives of these animals, but the historical mysteries surrounding them and the myths that persist (especially about the platypus). He also reveals the toll these myths can take.

Ashby makes it clear that calling these animals 'weird' or 'primitive' - or incorrectly implying that Australia is an 'evolutionary backwater' - a perception that can be traced back to the country's colonial history - has undermined conservation: Australia now has the worst mammal extinction rate of anywhere on Earth. Important, timely and written with humour and wisdom by a scientist and self-described platypus nerd, this celebration of Australian wildlife will open eyes and change minds about how we contemplate and interact with the natural world - everywhere.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Nature, Australia, Natural History, Biology

384 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2022

Reviews

[Peter Tillman]

NYRB review: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023... (likely paywalled)
Preview:
"Platypus Matters is Jack Ashby’s paean to a creature that he proclaims to be his favorite. Ashby, the assistant director of the University Museum of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, first became enamored of the platypus while examining a freeze-dried specimen held in the collections under his care. Freeze-drying leaves animals looking remarkably lifelike (unlike taxidermy, which can distort them), and the experience of handling such an exhibit left Ashby thirsting to see an actual, living platypus. So he traveled to Australia, and this charming, informative book is the result."

[Ron Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author opens this book with an account of his first sighting of a platypus in it's natural environment. Although Ashby is a trained naturalist he writes with commitment and passion for his concern and love for Australian animals. He also writes in a lite’n easy conversational style. At times he is comical and self-deprecating. He knows his target audience.

I had a similar experience as Ashby in my first sighting of a platypus. I was walking the overland trail from Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair. I came down a hillside towards a small lake when I saw this small object leaving behind a ripple sized wake across the glassy waters. I stood perfectly still as the platypus arrived at the bank, emerged and quickly disappeared. I have subsequently seen them close-up at a zoo. I had a similar experience trekking in the Blue Mountains along the Kanangra Creek. It was late afternoon, I was squatting on a large boulder when a wombat came wandering down to a pool in the river, he jumped in swam around and then made his way back up the bank of the river. At the junction of the Kanangra Creek and Coxs River is what I describe as Wombat City. The place is spotted with wombat burrows and as evening arrives in the mountains the wombats come out for their evening stroll.
I was on a run through the scrub near South West Rocks on the NSW north coast when I nearly stepped on an echidna. Its reaction was the same as Ashby described. I carefully stood back from it and observed it's behaviour.

Ashby goes onto explore many other mammals and the intricacies of their biology and environment.

Because Ashby is not Australian, I thought he brought a different perspective on Australian fauna. He argued strongly that Australian marsupials and monotremes are not ‘primitive’ animals. He gave due respect and regard to the indigenous views and beliefs about the Australian environment and its animals.
The book is a refreshing reminder of the uniqueness of Australian mammals and sadly at the appalling way white Australia have treated these mammals leading to huge numbers of extinctions and a bleak future for many in the years to come.

[Gabriel Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed the story of Western discovery and understanding of platypus and other animals (never taking away and always acknowledging Aboriginal understanding and perspectives).
Also, the breaking of colonial perspectives, misconceptions and language was very well done and important.
It was nice to get the perspective and passion of a zoologist about Australian animals who isn't himself Australian.

[Mehtap exotiquetv · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Spoiler] Diese Säugetiere haben es in sich, denn sie legen Eier. Und nicht nur das. Die Platypubs wachsen mit den Eiern und erst nach 10 Tagen schlüpfen sie und werden vom Muttertier versorgt. Dabei verbraucht das Muttertier so viel Energie, dass sie 100% ihres Gesamtgewichtes konsumieren muss.

Ein tolles Buch über die australischen Superhelden. Man lernt viel über ihre Eigenheiten und hat dadurch Lust, diese Tiere in ihrem natürlichen Habitat zu beobachten. Da wäre eine Reise nach Australien wieder Wert.

[Jeff Bursey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an argument for more respect for the animals of australia. It starts with the platypus (and returns to that mammal throughout) and discusses the echidna, wombat, devil, kangaroo, thylacine, and so on. Ashby addresses the denigration and condescension exhibited to the animals from that part of the world, fighting against them being considered inferior, primitive, and low on the evolutionary tree by scientists past and present, by australian governments, and by museums of natural history. The book includes some personal anecdotes and isn't dry history or science. Though the writing lags from time to time (a feature of most science writing, so hardly particular to Ashby), the passion and commitment make up for those patches. Worth reading. Unfortunately, while there are b/w and colour plates there's no map, which would have been helpful locating certain geographical areas referred to more than once.

[Kerryn Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in my local public library because I am infinitely fascinated by the platypus. On a holiday to Tasmania a couple of years ago my family and I followed a platypus along a waterway in a similar way to Jack Ashby but we were clueless really and really followed the path of this platypus by sheer luck more than anything else. If I get the opportunity to see a platypus surface again I will be so much more aware of what I’m seeing and what I’m doing. All of that aside this book is about so much more than platypus. Interesting and informative I enjoyed it.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s a sad fact that Australia is a bad place to be for Australian mammals”
This book was so gorgeous and so sad. Jack Ashby is a treasure, and it was such a pleasure to read his entertaining account of how Australian mammals live (truly amazing creatures) and how they have been impacted by colonisation. I felt so many emotions throughout, and I’m pretty sure it has changed the trajectory of my life. Highly recommend if you are at all interested in Australian wildlife! Very readable and VERY interesting!!

[Gustav Jelert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ja....tjo.....tja

Det kommer sku nok til at lyde lidt nørdet, men jeg syntes ikke "platypus matters" handlede nok om næbdyr. Ja jeg fik da en god gang info om de fantastiske, evolutionært spektakulære dyr og nogle af dem de deler det store land med, men jeg hørte ligeså meget forfatteren have ondt i røven over hvordan de bliver fremstillet som "mærkelige".

Og der må jeg desværre melde mig uenig. Jeg syntes ikke det er det stort problem at folk kalder næbdyr, kænguruer og myrepindsvin for mærkelige, mærkværdige eller underlige. Jeg syntes heller ikke at resten af verden ser ned på Australiens meget unikke dyreliv.

Derudover handlede bogen sku for meget om ikke dyre relaterende ting. Kolonisering, hvordan man udstopper dyr, hvordan det originale australske folk ikke har nok rettigheder og bla bla bla (not to sound mean).

Sorry men når jeg ser en bog der skal omhandle kloak- og pungdyr, så vil jeg kræftedme have 318 sider om det og ikke så meget andet!

Okay nu er jeg done med mit semi-rage :-)

[Maggies_lens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, until the chapter about Aboriginal people. Then it gets preachy AF and barely relates to what the book is otherwise about i.e animals. That just utterly ruined what is otherwise a brilliant book; I got this to read about Australian animals, not about anthropology or current political grandstanding.

[Nicole Simovski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an interesting read but not my favorite. The book is more history than science, which the mismatch of my expectations led this book to being less enjoyable than I anticipated. The writing and organization felt a bit nonlinear as well. Did learn a lot new about Australian mammals though.

[Leonie Youngberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting… and so sad. We need to do so much more to care for the natural world .

[Leanne Clydesdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The impact colonialism has had on Australian animals has interested me for a good while, a fact brought to me in another book referencing Jack Ashby. As someone who adores animals and has a genuine intention in decolonising my mind, lifestyle and actions, this book gave me alot to think about and much love towards the animals and their story.

Ashby writes in such an indearing way. I was hopeful that this book wouldn't be too academic for me. Yet he brings his humour, personality and sheer love for animals into his writing and it makes such a difference. I think he recognises that although the science of these animals are important, that emotional writing builds greater connections to them and makes us more passionate too. And it worked! (My YouTube history of Platypus videos will tell you so.) His anecdotes made me giggle, feel inspired, want to see them for myself, and, most importantly, make me care for them!

While Platypuses are the stars of the show (yes, apparently the plural of it is Platypuses), Ashby introduced us to several of the Australian gang - from Wallabies and Quolls to the Thylacine and Tasmanian Devils. Each and everyone of them are/were magnificent! I'm not an entirely scientific minded person but Ashby was great at balancing the text so that I didn't feel like I was overwhelmed or losing track. I learned far more about their biology than I was expecting, but I also felt so connected to the excitement and joy that Ashby found in meeting these animals.

Amongst the discussions relating to the individual species of interest - Ashby explores themes of Australian animals and colonialism, world politics, museums and climate change. These discussions are incredibly valuable and meaningful in encouraging us to think about how we can improve our treatment of animals. I found the final two chapters particular interesting. His choice to lay out these two chapters beginning with the more contemporary issue and then circling back to the colonial period was a great choice to reaffirm the intention of this book. By demonstrating the issues these animals face today before restablishing how colonialism has influenced this - it reminds us that we are following the path set for us by colonists of the past, continuing their behaviours that we need to break from. He also provides multiple ways that different people can achieve that - from our own use of language through to how animals are portrayed in museums, media and by large industries who use the land.

Interestingly, while Ashby recognises and discussed in depth the negative side of the empire - he also looks to the scientists of explorers in appreciation for their work as it is how we know what we know today. During the Victorian period, many explorers wrote books that shared their 'heroic' journeys across the world, documenting their discoveries and painting themselves as morally righteous people. Ashby's writing is the ideal modern explorer, in the nicest way. He's nailed the exciting storytelling, with educational observational information. He highlights the fascinating world around us while recognising his biases and privileges in the process and appreciating the knowledge of those who live far closer to the animals he's talking about. He has all the attributes to inspire people and make positive differences in the world.

The crux of Ashby's argument is how our use of colonial language and visual presentation has an impact on the value judgements we make on animals, in turn the people who cohabit with them and even the country as a whole. He makes the clear connections between how animals are treated and humans, while also insinuating that while we may not consciously intend it today, this language was intentionally and specifically used historically to influence our perception of Australia. Comparing it to other countries, it's clear that our value judgements are built to benefit the West but ultimately is supporting the destruction of one of the most magnificent ecosystems to exist as well as entire world!

So, let's start thinking about how we talk about Australian animals. No more 'weird' or 'oddities', no more 'undeveloped' or 'primitive' - because these descriptors are simply not true. These animals are exactly how they are supposed to be here and now. And if they're weird, so are we and everyone else on this Earth!!

Oh - and FYI - baby Wombats are Wombatlets and baby Platypuses are Platypups. Spread the word!

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read!

I learnt so much about Australia's mammals from this book! It was very informative and managed to keep me interested and intrigued in the lives of so many mammals - some I hadn't even heard of before this book! I did have to Google a lot of them to see what they looked like. I also appreciate the commentary on colonialism and the impact this had on both Australia's wildlife and its indigenous people.

[Annik Gmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! Very interesting, extremely well researched with current references, but mainly very engaging. I giggled many times, which doesn’t tend to happen with natural history books. I wish I could have read this book when I first went to visit Australia and Tasmania a few years ago now. I highly recommend this book.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

After visiting Australia and hearing about this book from my guide, i recommended that my library purchase it and they did! I knew a lot about marsupials before reading this book, but I learned so much more. And I learned more about the politics in the last 300 years that makes it amazing that any marsupials are still alive. This book was a real eye opener for me and I recommend it!

[Aaron Azadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best word to describe this book would be "earnest". The author's love of Australian monotremes and marsupials carries through and is a pleasure to read at times. Ashby is clearly deeply knowledgeable in this area and passionate about his subject matter. He does stray into socio-political territory frequently throughout, in fairness making some important and valid points about colonisation and how we frame Australian species as 'primitive' or inferior in relation to northern or European mammals, a pervasive attitude that may well be contributing to their ongoing destruction.

Ashby repeatedly and naively analyses historical wrongs (and they were wrongs) through the lens of today's standards, which can grow tiresome. It's obvious how harmful these actions were, his overt moral outrage and condemnation is not required and comes across as immature frankly.

Sadly in the final chapter things really went off the deep end. Ashby takes a wild reach way outside his area of research and actively peddles a trope and book which has done a great deal of damage here, one described by Senior Indigenous Fellow and sitting UNPFII member, Hannah McGlade, as "not very truthful or accurate, ideological and subjective, misleading and offensive to Aboriginal people and culture".

There IS of course a point to be made about how terra nullius and colonial brutality toward, and misrepresentation of, Aboriginal peoples have also contributed to destruction of native species. But uncritically championing the cherrypicked arguments of a single controversial author (or two if we count Gammage, lifted straight from Pascoe's own references) is not it. Ashby presents an enthusiastic summary of dark emu in the tone of a paid promotion. It speaks to academic laziness, without the rigour and balance one would expect from an academic and museum director like Ashby.
The undercurrent too in this final chapter is a persisting eurocentric attitude that sophisticated nomadic hunter-gathering is simply backward and primitive (ironic given Ashby's defence of 'primitive' monotremes) and that Aboriginal peoples are somehow more worthy of respect if they practiced large scale agriculture in the European style..

I appreciate the earnestness with which Ashby writes, his deep love for Australian wildlife that I share, and his good intentions in learning from the harms of colonisation. Some reflection is needed on the final chapter, however, and why he didn't take the time to delve more deeply into a complex and nuanced matter before publishing.

[sardit · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I agree with the fundamental argument of the book, that Australia’s wildlife has been systematically underrated and threatens by what is fundamentally colonialism and placental parochialism, I can’t help but feel that a truly good author would have actually written about the mammals the book is ostensibly about in the process. I’m pretty sure most of what I actually learned about Australian mammals from this book came from the Wikipedia articles I googled in the middle for visuals of the animals being described, and that really shouldn’t be the case. It suffers from being a very rambly book that I already read the antecedents of (Tim Low’s Where Song Began: Australia's Birds and How They Changed the World, Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu: Black Seeds: Agriculture or Accident?, and The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia by Bill Gammage were all heavily mentioned) and, to be entirely honest, when it got to there I spent my reading time wishing I were reading those books instead.

A frustrating book. I hate to rate it this low, because it’s making an important point I do agree with, but I fundamentally feel it makes it poorly. The strongest part of the book for me, oddly enough, was in the taxidermy history section. The author’s background working for a natural history museum really shone there, and I think if he’d made that the central topic of the book rather than the platypus and Australian mammals, I think he might have been able to make essentially the argument he wanted to make in much more focused a manner. The author clearly has some interesting expertise that I’d enjoy reading about, it’s just not particularly in the topic of the book.

[Rhoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Platypus Matters by Jack Ashby

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a copy of this book to review!

The author is the assistant director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge - one of the UK’s largest and most significant natural history museums. He is also rather enthusiastic about platypuses! He is also pretty enthusiastic about all of Australia’s other mammals too, however the platypus and the wombat definitely seem to be his favourites!

The book provides a lot of information about Australian mammals - platypuses and their closest relatives echidnas, in particular - as well as their history, where they can be found and a wealth of other information.

The author pays particular attention to the fact that he believes the current narrative around Australian animals makes them appear “weird” and more a curiosity, which perpetuates a colonial view of the country and its peoples and hinders environmental conservation. He feels the world’s view of them is belittling. All very interesting food for thought!

I found the book interesting and informative and the author’s writing is engaging and accessible - even when it gets a bit science-y 😆 Towards the end a few tangents (well, what I considered tangents!) were explored, some which I found more interesting than others. Overall a lot more than just random animal facts and well worth reading. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

[Teia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My God. This book is amazing. This book is going to stick with me forever, that's for sure. Jack Ashby brings up SO many important ideas and facts surrounding the conservation of our wildlife and country as a result that I wouldn't of even thought about. And you can hear in every line how enthusiastic Ashby is about what's he's saying. There is so much emotion in this book, and it's a bloody non-fiction. The last chapter is so impactful and so important, it ties the story of our native wildlife and Australian indigenous people together, and it is beyond interesting, important, and sad. Would recommend beyond anything.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed - found out my new favourite animal is a Thylacoleo carnifex. Anyone interested in the history of natural history, decolonising natural history museums and critically reflecting on how and with what effects we interpret different species would enjoy this book. The last chapter on terra nullius and the way Australian fauna and landscapes were cast as wild by European colonisers was particularly strong. I am thoroughly convinced in the main thesis that platypus matters and that they are indeed some of the most wonderful animals I the world.

[Connor Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easiest 5 stars I've given this year - a bloody brilliant book. Packed with really incredible info about Australian animals, their history, and a powerful perspective on how they've been portrayed unfairly throughout history. It's also very delicate and sensitive in the way it talks about the heritage and culture of Australia and its people, and very respectful - I learnt a huge amount about the ways and practices of many Aboriginal people. It packs so much info in, in a genuinely engaging and funny writing style - amazing!

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those book I knew that I would love. because it is about a niche subject that I am interested in. The author writes passionately about a group of animals I love. Ever since spending some time in Australia as a young woman, I have been fascinated with Australian wildlife and maybe especially the monotremes; the platypus and the echidna. Although I have only seen a platypus in a zoo (it was smaller than I thought it would be), I had the pleasure of encountering a few echidnas in the wild in Tasmania.

Thus I cannot be completely unbias towards this book. I loved every page and I loved learning about these incredible animals. From the aforementioned monotremes to the lovable wombat, Australia has some of the best animals in my opinion. The sad thing is that so many marsupials are already extinct and that Australian wildlife is being wiped out like nowhere else on earth. That makes me incredibly sad, because how wonderful are these creatures!

Of course there is a colonialism narrative. There has to be. Much as I wished it was only about animals and their lives, the fact that colonialism changed everything for these animals and all inhabitants of Australia cannot be ignored. I also found the way narratives are changed and adjusted to suit a zeitgeist very interesting, as well as the history of some museum and research specimens.

All in all, this was a very me kind of book and I loved it. It is niche, but I think anyone who loves learning about animals would thoroughly enjoy this one.

[On the swing with books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a massive book — and that’s also why, if it weren’t for the hours and hours of packing my artworks for shipping, I would never have finished listening to it. I needed something light and undistracting, and for that, it was perfect… or so I thought.

Turns out, it was not so light after all.
One of the reasons I really like it, though, is the sheer enthusiasm the author has poured into it. You can feel it between the lines (and of course hear it in the audio version) — this guy really loves the platypus, and all Australian animals for that matter. And well, I do too, which of course is the reason I picked it up.

What I didn’t expect was that I would also learn about a hundred years of how animals got discovered and studied, and how cruel this was in parts: how many platypuses died on ships in attempts to bring them to other countries, and how white, male “discoverers” looked down on the Indigenous people of Australia, looked down even further on their animals… it was shocking in parts. The language that still persists from this time in calling Australian animals “weird” was eye-opening too — I never thought about that much before.

This book tells us so much about what is wrong with this world, but the fact that a man can write such an amazing book in dedication to the platypus also shows us what is right. We have a fascinating, beautiful world, and there are humans truly appreciating it.

I would absolutely say: be one of them too — read this book!

[Lililyanana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted more about the physiology and adaptations of platypus, monotremes and marsupials. The natural history was interesting but not what I thought would be the subject of the book. The author used a lot of pages for each species repeating the idea that using words "strange" or "weird" in descriptions was part of a "placental supremacism" that is used to back up human racism and colonialism. He also notes that this "verbal othering" of monotremes and marsupials causes subconscious bias that makes people devalue Australian fauna. A dew times he notes that it's hurtful to the species themselves, but I don't think the platypus themselves know or care what words are used to describe them.

Notes I made: 3 million feral cats living in Australia kill over 512 million native mammals every year. 1.4 million native animals killed per night. Annual death toll 1.4 billion native animals per year if you include reptiles and birds. Controlling feral cat numbers is an essential part if conservation planning in Australia. In addition 3.8 million pet cats in Australia destroy 230 million native birds reptiles and mammals per year. Cats only bring home 15% of animals they kill. Habitat destruction. Cane toads (released near Cairns in 1935) eat anything smaller than them, and their toxic skin poisons any animals bigger than them. Monitor lizards and predatory ants would be significant predators of cane beetles but themselves are killed by cane toads.
Naomi Indigo attempts to train Northern Quolls not to eat cane toads. Georgia Ward Fere demonstrated that monitor lizards can be trained to not eat cane toads. Cane toad sausages with low toxicity levels fed to Quolls to make them feel queasy and associate toad taste and smell with nausea hopefully making them avoid eating the posionous whole cane toads. Introduced rats and mice. Climate change: the Bramble Cay melomys (rodents). Modified fire regimes, changes to aboriginal management of land. Traditional mosaic burning practices. Digging mammals important for soil.

[Paleoanthro · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important look into the amazing and wonderful native mammals of Australia, in which we learn about the incredible diversity and evolution of some of the most important and interesting creatures on Earth. Through the lens of the author's favorite mammal (should it not be in the top five for all of us, considering the wonderful and unique nature of these mammals), the platypus, we are introduced to the monotremes and marsupials of Australia. Importantly, the author enlightens us to the unfair characterization of the native wildlife of Australia and how that has impacted the decisions and conservation of these animals today. Fascinating and enlightening, this is a book anyone interested in Australia's native mammals will want to read!

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will be a delight for anyone interested in the animal world, but if you're a platypus lover, you'll certainly adore it. This is the best platypus book I've ever read (and yes, I've read several). Jack Ashby is informative, often laugh out loud witty, passionate about his subject matter and never boring. First he'll tell you all about the most wonderful animal on earth (the platypus, of course) and then he'll move on to wombats and other Australian animals, all fascinating and unique. You'll read about the impact of climate change on various species and efforts to prevent their extinction. You'll read about infighting between academia and biologists of yesteryear, the dangers and difficulties of researching elusive creatures, the subversion of native cultures, the inconsistencies of taxidermists and the inner workings of museums. The entire book is a complete joy and Jack Ashby is an immensely appealing genius with a real gift for explanation and description. You won't be able to help yourself from falling in love with his writing, and the platypus.

[Jennifer Goedde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and fascinating! An amazing dive into how wonderful Australian mammals are and the effects of European settlements on their numbers and habitat.

How amazing are marsupials and monotremes, I love Australia! I am newly inspired to spend more time outside, this book made finally spotting the Queanbeyan platypus extra special!

Amusingly the author is so intensely defensive about platypus’ he’s like ‘their now weird… why does everyone call them weird!’, this is a rant he dedicates an entire chapter to and brings up about every 20 pages through out the rest of the book. I love that he has such a clear voice in his writing but it’s a fairly amusing hang up.

[Dr Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book - having seen platypus for the first time last November it was fascinating g to read about their natural history as well as the history of how colonial explorers failed to understand them by ignoring indigenous knowledge. The book then also describes the vast range of other wonderful animals in Australia and how well adapted they are to the often erratic climates of the land. It finishes with a sad description of how indigenous Australians were treated and their subtle land and sustained noble management practices were ignored and denigrated. Overall - a brilliant and readable celebration of Australian wildlife!

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Ashby is an enthusiast of Australian mammals and his passion bursts out of this very readable book. We are introduced to creatures such as platypus, echidna and quoll with plenty of fascinating facts about them. Alongside the natural history, we learn the history of the mammals’ lives on this continent, how colonialist incursions impacted them and how many of the species became extinct.

Ashby also urges us to resist the glib categorisation of Australian mammals as weird or less developed. As well as being unscientific, he believes this approach can hinder conservation efforts. The point is passionately and articulately made, although it is repeated rather too often through the book

This was very interesting and informative, I liked the balance of science and history and also enjoyed the anecdotes from Ashby’s own experiences in Australia..

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just another book about Australian evolutionary biology or even a book about just platypus, Ashby makes some great points about how we think, talk and write about Australian animals and why that matters. Colonialism pervades even the natural sciences to their detriment. Great information on a variety of species and thought provoking analysis of the cultural context of Australian animals and how we think about them. A great read.