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The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Wildlife
From the familiar to the improbable, the gross to the endearing, The Modern Bestiary is a compendium of curious creatures. It includes both animals that have made headlines and those you've probably never heard of, such as skin-eating caecilians, harp sponges, or zombie worms - also known as bone-eating snot flowers.
Arranged by elements (Earth, Water, Air), The Modern Bestiary contains well-known species told from new, unexpected angles (rats that drive cars; fish that communicate by passing wind), as well as stranger and lesser-known creatures, including carnivorous mice that howl at the moon, cross-dressing cuttlefish, and antechinuses - small marsupials that literally mate themselves to death. Finally, there are the 'aliens on Earth' - the incredible, the surreal, the magical - such as tardigrades, tongue-eating lice and immortal jellyfish, creatures so astonishing that they make unicorns look rather commonplace.
Written by a zoologist with a flair for storytelling, this is a fascinating celebration of the animal kingdom.
Arranged by elements (Earth, Water, Air), The Modern Bestiary contains well-known species told from new, unexpected angles (rats that drive cars; fish that communicate by passing wind), as well as stranger and lesser-known creatures, including carnivorous mice that howl at the moon, cross-dressing cuttlefish, and antechinuses - small marsupials that literally mate themselves to death. Finally, there are the 'aliens on Earth' - the incredible, the surreal, the magical - such as tardigrades, tongue-eating lice and immortal jellyfish, creatures so astonishing that they make unicorns look rather commonplace.
Written by a zoologist with a flair for storytelling, this is a fascinating celebration of the animal kingdom.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2022
82 people are currently reading
1137 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Bagniewska
4 books17 followersDr Joanna Bagniewska is a zoologist and science communicator. She completed her undergraduate degree at Jacobs University Bremen and Rice University in Houston, and obtained her MSc and doctorate from the University of Oxford's zoology department. After a stint at a start-up company, where she trained bees to detect illegal substances, Joanna went on to lecture at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Reading. Her academic interests include conservation biology, behavioural ecology and the intersection of technology and zoology. Joanna has worked on a range of species, ranging from wombats and wallabies to mole-rats and jackals. She currently splits her time between two roles: senior lecturer in environmental sciences at Brunel University London, and communications and public engagement officer at the University of Oxford's Department of Paediatrics. The Modern Bestiary is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
November 12, 2022
This is such a hard one for me to rate! It's not your typical book that you can just pick up and read straight through; it's so jam-packed full of information that it can get overwhelming quickly. But it does what it sets out to do very well. I would love to have this a coffee table book, you know, someone gets bored at your house, opens the book because it looks pretty, and finds out about fruit bats having oral sex. I learned a lot from this book, it's scientifically accurate but still very readable, and I'd definitely read more from this author.
November 9, 2023
Lots of “gee-whizz” nuggets of information about all sorts of animals. Each animal got two pages - no more and no less. Each monograph left me wanting more information and fewer attempts at anthropomorphic humor (maybe my past scientific training is a handicap here?) Also I read the book straight through, which is probably not the best way to approach it; maybe just dipping in is the way to go. So this was not the book for me. If you really want a book of science crammed full of gee-whizz facts, try An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
August 25, 2025
did you know that there were fish living in the anus of sea cucumbers? yeah i did not either.
October 20, 2025
An absolutely lovely little read.
January 16, 2023
Animals that breathe through their skin. Animals who live in the bums of other animals. Animals having sex. Lots of sex. Animal genitalia. Flying fish. Flying snakes. Animals making other animals into zombies. It’s all here.
Written by a zoologist, this book introduces you to 100 animals of the earth, water and air. With two pages allocated to each animal, this was a quick but interesting read. Some entries were funny while others were cringeworthy. I couldn’t help but think that we have a lot to learn from the way that some animals take care of one another. And we should avoid behaving like others at all costs.
I tend to collect fun facts wherever I go and this book is absolutely filled with them. Here are some of my new favourites.
When researchers from the University of Chicago tested brown rats’ empathy by giving them a choice of freeing one of their mates from a cage or opening a container that contained chocolate chips, they freed their mate. Then they both proceeded to share the chocolate chips.
When they’re threatened, stick insects “can generate a chemical secretion from their mouthparts” that smells like toffee.
Goo-eaters is a legitimate technical term used by herpetologists for animals that “feed on all things slimy: snails, slugs, worms and occasionally amphibian eggs.”
Sacoglossan sea slugs can self-amputate their heads. And survive.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Written by a zoologist, this book introduces you to 100 animals of the earth, water and air. With two pages allocated to each animal, this was a quick but interesting read. Some entries were funny while others were cringeworthy. I couldn’t help but think that we have a lot to learn from the way that some animals take care of one another. And we should avoid behaving like others at all costs.
I tend to collect fun facts wherever I go and this book is absolutely filled with them. Here are some of my new favourites.
When researchers from the University of Chicago tested brown rats’ empathy by giving them a choice of freeing one of their mates from a cage or opening a container that contained chocolate chips, they freed their mate. Then they both proceeded to share the chocolate chips.
When they’re threatened, stick insects “can generate a chemical secretion from their mouthparts” that smells like toffee.
Goo-eaters is a legitimate technical term used by herpetologists for animals that “feed on all things slimy: snails, slugs, worms and occasionally amphibian eggs.”
Sacoglossan sea slugs can self-amputate their heads. And survive.
In the self-beheading process, the slug severs off around 80-85 per cent of its body weight, including the heart and other organs, along a neat ‘neckline’ - and the head wanders off on its own. The body is still alive for a few weeks, or even months, and the heart beats, more and more faintly, up to the point of decomposition. The head, however, starts a new, solo life, and proceeds to grow a fresh body, in an act of extreme regeneration. The new bod is ready in under three weeks, complete with heart and all.If a female moorland hawker dragonfly isn’t keen on a male suitor, she’ll fake her own death, crashing to the ground and remaining motionless until he leaves.
After making the incision, vampire bats lap up the trickling blood using their specialised grooved tongues; clotting is prevented by anticoagulants in their saliva. The name of that anticoagulant? Draculin. Yes, scientists are geeks.Jennifer N.R. Smith’s illustrations are incredible!
At the time of writing, there are over 1.4 million described animal species indexed in the Catalogue of Life, an online database sourcing information from peer-reviewed, scientifically sound sources. This number, though impressive in absolute terms, is still rather modest compared to what we don’t know: estimates for the total number of species on Earth range from 8 million to 163 million. Out of the catalogued species, the vast majority are arthropods (1.1 million species) and, within those, insects (over 950,000). The vertebrates comprise barely 5 per cent of all described animals, and the most charismatic taxa - birds and mammals - a measly 0.7 and 0.4 per cent, respectively.This book covers one hundred species so there are a potential 14,000 sequels on the way. I’m hoping for at least one.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
January 10, 2025
I feel like the author took on WAY too many animals with this book and thus each one got the briefest of overviews. This could have been so much better if it had focused on half the number of animals, that way we could have really got into the scientific research and animal behaviour for each one, not just a handful of facts. Ultimately you could just read the wiki page for all of these species and get more info. I gave an extra star for the wit though, it was amusing at times.
If you enjoyed this book or thought it had potential, a better version of this is ‘The Book of Barely Imagined Beings’ by Caspar Henderson. That is a 5 star bestiary IMHO.
If you enjoyed this book or thought it had potential, a better version of this is ‘The Book of Barely Imagined Beings’ by Caspar Henderson. That is a 5 star bestiary IMHO.
November 17, 2022
Instead of a short review, I'll try to convince you to enrich your home library, your drinking conversations, and your passion for nature with this love letter to the wonderful weirdness of creatures by unashamedly inviting you to read my lonform interview (and podcast) with zoologist Joanna Bagniewska.
https://scienceborglibrarian.substack...
For me, The Modern Bestiary is on the same shelf as Ed Yong's An Immense World, Lee Dugatkin's Power in the Wild, and Lucy Cooke's Bitch: On the Female of the Species.
https://scienceborglibrarian.substack...
For me, The Modern Bestiary is on the same shelf as Ed Yong's An Immense World, Lee Dugatkin's Power in the Wild, and Lucy Cooke's Bitch: On the Female of the Species.
March 31, 2024
Randomly picked this up at the library, and I think I am going to buy it for my personal library. It had so many weird interesting animals and a lot of facts I did not know. It was set up in such nice bite sized pieces as well. The best nonfiction I have read in awhile.
January 6, 2023
Well written, scientifically accurate, and genuinely funny at times.
At least a third of the bizarre beasts were included because of their odd ways of reproducing; not sure what that says about the author.
At least a third of the bizarre beasts were included because of their odd ways of reproducing; not sure what that says about the author.
March 6, 2024
I ate this up, this was so much fun. So many wacky and wonderful animals that made me giggle and squirm. 4.5!
November 13, 2022
This was a fun journey into the strangeness of nature. Each creature is explored in two pages or less, making these tidbits easier to digest. The illustrations are gorgeous as well. What a fun surprise!
November 10, 2023
I enjoyed this review of strange and familiar animals. There were a lot of butt jokes, insect genitalia jokes, poop jokes; I suppose to keep people interested and reading. What I came away with is: Nature is cruel beyond belief. Some insects have really bizarre genitalia and engage in practices like fellatio. Then sometimes they eat it. I mean really eat it, as in consume it. They poop in assorted amusing ways. Many are terribly endangered because humans really are not sharing friends when it comes to the planet. This feels like a book report and I give myself a D.
June 27, 2024
The Modern Bestiary is an absolute delight to read, illuminating the worlds strangest creatures and providing lesser known facts about well known critters. Personal favorites here include the Southern Grashopper Mouse, meat eaters that can take scorpion stings to the face and keep on hunting, penis-exploding bee orgasms (which can make an audible *pop!*) and herring fart language. Wonderful illustrations head each bite-sized section, making the Modern Bestiary the perfect pick-up-and-go book.
February 22, 2023
This was an interesting book but it tended to focus on reproductive strategies of the various animals more than I would have liked.
I appreciated the reminders of various taxonomic groups from my zoology class, and it was fun to read about all the wacky shenanigans going on in the animal world. It made me want to choose my own animals to write a bestiary for, and the studies referenced sounded intriguing. Her writing style was engaging and made me laugh at various points. Really, my main complaint was the focus on reproduction. I also liked the illustrations, they were beautiful and I’d often spend some time staring and trying to figure out what they meant before actually reading the entry. The Wattled Jacana entry definitely looked like a cryptic and I’d like to draw it someday. All those spindly legs under a normal looking bird. Shudder. My favorite study referenced was definitely the ones where they put stilts on ants to see if that affected their navigation skills. A lot of the animals are ones I’d like to do further research on, like the Harp Sponge and the Southern Grasshopper Mouse. You could tell the book was well researched and referenced great literary works as well as scientific studies. I might come back to it later, as I said the uncomfortable part was the focus on reproductive strategies. However, she did clearly state that was one of the purposes of this book, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
I appreciated the reminders of various taxonomic groups from my zoology class, and it was fun to read about all the wacky shenanigans going on in the animal world. It made me want to choose my own animals to write a bestiary for, and the studies referenced sounded intriguing. Her writing style was engaging and made me laugh at various points. Really, my main complaint was the focus on reproduction. I also liked the illustrations, they were beautiful and I’d often spend some time staring and trying to figure out what they meant before actually reading the entry. The Wattled Jacana entry definitely looked like a cryptic and I’d like to draw it someday. All those spindly legs under a normal looking bird. Shudder. My favorite study referenced was definitely the ones where they put stilts on ants to see if that affected their navigation skills. A lot of the animals are ones I’d like to do further research on, like the Harp Sponge and the Southern Grasshopper Mouse. You could tell the book was well researched and referenced great literary works as well as scientific studies. I might come back to it later, as I said the uncomfortable part was the focus on reproductive strategies. However, she did clearly state that was one of the purposes of this book, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
June 5, 2023
I'm really surprised that I got bored with this book. The idea is brilliant - a collection of weird and wonderful animals from around the world. But the delivery just got repetitive and dull by about half way through the book. Which is so disappointing! Maybe it would have been made better by more illustrations, or some colour photographs, but generally each 2-3 page description of the animal was kind of the same each time. "Here's a wacky animal. Here's where it lives. Here's one or two wacky facts about it described in detail. Here's a joke anthropomorphising it."
I just couldn't keep reading in that format over and over and over. So much missed potential.
I just couldn't keep reading in that format over and over and over. So much missed potential.
September 16, 2022
Gobbled it up in a day - from the very first paragraph of the introduction - this book it is equal parts fascinating and utterly hilarious! Features some of the most ridiculous and downright impossible creatures that inhabit our planet. Bagniewska’s humorous and witty style is so entertaining. Not to mention the artwork is spectacular!
October 4, 2023
As a sometime writer on zoology, my first thought in browsing through this book, was, “Damn, why didn’t I write this?” Fortunately for readers, Dr. Bagniewska, a zoologist who is, among other things, a science comedian, does it better than I ever could. This is an animal book you will browse, devour, keep, and use to pose zoological trivia questions no one will answer. She writes that a classic bestiary should reflect a sense of wonder, and she delivers.
On the question of what species to include in her 100 subjects, Bagniewska took an unusual approach. First, she determined to include animals from every branch of the kingdom. There are some “stars” like the panda and the platypus here, but most of the two-page essays concern animals the general public knows little about or hasn’t even heard of. Then she applied the “Marie Kondo rule” – did writing about it give her joy?
The result is fascinating, Her writing is superb, both technically precise and funny. Bagniewska anthropomorphizes quite a bit and spends a lot of time on animals’ bizarre reproductive habits, which reduces the chance of this being adopted as a textbook but makes it the most enjoyable animal book of the year A few times, this very well-read animal aficionado had to stop and grab the Oxford Dictionary of Zoology. Then you hit the end of the essay and she closes with the kind of bad animal pun I always appreciate – the way frog-to-frog predation is “a classic case of cold-blooded murder” or (I wonder how long this took her) the dictatorial queen of a naked mole rate colony, whose subjects eat her feces, has shown that “a combination of bullying and crap meals is an effective way of running an underground organization.”
I never knew that female Giant Australian cuttlefish who are not in the mood create a highly visible white stripe on their fin. (A human equivalent would save a lot of hurt feelings.) Or that an Australian musk duck learned to imitate its keeper; just imagine hearing “You bloody fool!” from a duck. Or that some pangolins effectively have scales lining their stomachs as well as their backs. Or that velvet worms form territorial packs, with the dominant female having first dibs on food. They somehow hunt together at a speed of 4 cm per minute. Or how fish gather around a "Bobbit worm" and annoy iit until it until it retreats under the seafloor. And I certainly didn’t know a coconut crab, member of a species prone to talking off with odd objects, once stole a gun from a military guard. (OK, that's "alleged," but I don't care.)
The good doctor walks us through complex processes like the multiple survival mechanisms of the Saharan silver ant, which moves as fast as a human even when it’s 46.5 degrees (115 if you like your degrees in Fahrenheit). You’ll learn how herring communicate by farts, how the Mary River turtle breathes through its rear end, and Common swifts build muscle for their intercontinental journeys by doing push-ups with the tips of their wings.
There’s a surprise on every page, and Bagniewska has done a monumental job of research. Extensive sourcing information for each essay and an index (which should not be a big deal, but some publishers no longer pay for it) complete a wonderful book.
On the question of what species to include in her 100 subjects, Bagniewska took an unusual approach. First, she determined to include animals from every branch of the kingdom. There are some “stars” like the panda and the platypus here, but most of the two-page essays concern animals the general public knows little about or hasn’t even heard of. Then she applied the “Marie Kondo rule” – did writing about it give her joy?
The result is fascinating, Her writing is superb, both technically precise and funny. Bagniewska anthropomorphizes quite a bit and spends a lot of time on animals’ bizarre reproductive habits, which reduces the chance of this being adopted as a textbook but makes it the most enjoyable animal book of the year A few times, this very well-read animal aficionado had to stop and grab the Oxford Dictionary of Zoology. Then you hit the end of the essay and she closes with the kind of bad animal pun I always appreciate – the way frog-to-frog predation is “a classic case of cold-blooded murder” or (I wonder how long this took her) the dictatorial queen of a naked mole rate colony, whose subjects eat her feces, has shown that “a combination of bullying and crap meals is an effective way of running an underground organization.”
I never knew that female Giant Australian cuttlefish who are not in the mood create a highly visible white stripe on their fin. (A human equivalent would save a lot of hurt feelings.) Or that an Australian musk duck learned to imitate its keeper; just imagine hearing “You bloody fool!” from a duck. Or that some pangolins effectively have scales lining their stomachs as well as their backs. Or that velvet worms form territorial packs, with the dominant female having first dibs on food. They somehow hunt together at a speed of 4 cm per minute. Or how fish gather around a "Bobbit worm" and annoy iit until it until it retreats under the seafloor. And I certainly didn’t know a coconut crab, member of a species prone to talking off with odd objects, once stole a gun from a military guard. (OK, that's "alleged," but I don't care.)
The good doctor walks us through complex processes like the multiple survival mechanisms of the Saharan silver ant, which moves as fast as a human even when it’s 46.5 degrees (115 if you like your degrees in Fahrenheit). You’ll learn how herring communicate by farts, how the Mary River turtle breathes through its rear end, and Common swifts build muscle for their intercontinental journeys by doing push-ups with the tips of their wings.
There’s a surprise on every page, and Bagniewska has done a monumental job of research. Extensive sourcing information for each essay and an index (which should not be a big deal, but some publishers no longer pay for it) complete a wonderful book.
December 21, 2023
My friend Dr Joanna has written a marvellous book! Full of bone-eating snot flowers, stuffed with silly footnotes about antlions, and gorgeously illustrated. This is a quick rattle through over a hundred weird - and not-so-weird - animals. It is always amusing and occasionally gross. Banana Slugs, man... YEUCH!
It is surprisingly adult in places, probably best for older teens who will snigger at the penis fencing and fart jokes. Of course, sophisticated adults like me find that sort of puerile humour entertaining as well. With a queen-like grasp of puns, and a steady stream of scatological humour, it'll keep you chuckling for days. Or, if you read the bit about fish with anal teeth, it might make you afraid to go back into the water.
That said, it can be rather sombre at times. Biodiversity is rapidly dwindling and some of these fascinating creatures are facing a mortal threat. Some of these delightful and deranged species may simply cease to exist unless we take urgent steps to conserve them.
Each animal is only given a short sketch - so you'll almost certainly find yourself diving to an encyclopædia to find out more. There are tonnes of references and details of experiements if you want to take your studies further.
A special mention must go to Jennifer N. R. Smith who has provided excellent illustrations which render perfectly on an eink screen.
The book does end rather abruptly, but I suppose it's the sort of tome to flick through on a long journey so you can turn to a friend and say "Hey! Do you know how the Immortal Jellyfish reproduces? Well...!"
It is surprisingly adult in places, probably best for older teens who will snigger at the penis fencing and fart jokes. Of course, sophisticated adults like me find that sort of puerile humour entertaining as well. With a queen-like grasp of puns, and a steady stream of scatological humour, it'll keep you chuckling for days. Or, if you read the bit about fish with anal teeth, it might make you afraid to go back into the water.
That said, it can be rather sombre at times. Biodiversity is rapidly dwindling and some of these fascinating creatures are facing a mortal threat. Some of these delightful and deranged species may simply cease to exist unless we take urgent steps to conserve them.
Each animal is only given a short sketch - so you'll almost certainly find yourself diving to an encyclopædia to find out more. There are tonnes of references and details of experiements if you want to take your studies further.
A special mention must go to Jennifer N. R. Smith who has provided excellent illustrations which render perfectly on an eink screen.
The book does end rather abruptly, but I suppose it's the sort of tome to flick through on a long journey so you can turn to a friend and say "Hey! Do you know how the Immortal Jellyfish reproduces? Well...!"
June 2, 2023
In my view, there are two kinds of books about natural science. On the one hand, you have books that take a real deep dive into a very niche subject, like rockpools or certain habitats. On the other, you have books that exist to give a broader scope of a subject, to pique the interest, and maybe then lead you to something more in depth. The Modern Bestiary is undoubtedly the latter, but believe me, that's not a criticism.
This book is bursting with enticing little tidbits of knowledge, often about some little known species, alongside intriguing facts about even more iconic members of the Animal Kingdom. It's the perfect book for a more light-hearted read about the fascinating secrets our natural world has to offer, all delivered with Joanna Bagniewska's good humour and very easy prose. And that's not to say this is a book for children, far from it. Instead, its a book with a purpose; to awaken excitement and curiosity for the natural world, and to me it does just that.
There are times when I'm happy to really dig into a more niche subject, but sometimes you just want to scratch an itch, and read something that really celebrates nature, even if it doesn't necessarily delve into the nitty-gritty. If you're a lover of wildlife, and are looking for something both light and informative, I'd definitely recommend giving the Modern Bestiary a go!
This book is bursting with enticing little tidbits of knowledge, often about some little known species, alongside intriguing facts about even more iconic members of the Animal Kingdom. It's the perfect book for a more light-hearted read about the fascinating secrets our natural world has to offer, all delivered with Joanna Bagniewska's good humour and very easy prose. And that's not to say this is a book for children, far from it. Instead, its a book with a purpose; to awaken excitement and curiosity for the natural world, and to me it does just that.
There are times when I'm happy to really dig into a more niche subject, but sometimes you just want to scratch an itch, and read something that really celebrates nature, even if it doesn't necessarily delve into the nitty-gritty. If you're a lover of wildlife, and are looking for something both light and informative, I'd definitely recommend giving the Modern Bestiary a go!
January 9, 2024
Being an ex-biologist myself (well, I don’t work as a biologist anymore, but I guess I still am one, right?), I wasn’t entirely sure when I picked up this book, but within the first couple of pages, I was hooked! I absolutely loved it! while knowing quite a few of the portrayed species, I learned so much new and fun and weird stuff!
The modern bestiary is divided in 3 big categories - earth, water and air - and covers 100 species from all over the planet. Every species gets 2 pages, not more not less, and is described in a wonderfully quirky, funny way. From clockwise and anti-clockwise screwed vaginas (who wants to screw that, right?) to same-sex bird couples who raise chicks together to stabbing the female with the penis instead of plain old sex to parasitism and parasitoidy to living in a sea cucumber’s butt - I’m sure you’ll find your happiness within these pages!
While the book talks a lot about the weird sex lives of many species (sometimes a tiny bit too much for me), it also reminds us of critically endangered species and the devastation we are causing. I appreciated that it never seemed lectured or accusing, but rather as a reminder!
Books like these are so important, especially for “normal” people who do not know of this wonderful and whimsical and sometimes cruel world that’s out there in the animal kingdom! Give it to your friends, to your family, anyone really - and let’s hope that it changes the perception we have about some of the less known and cute “puppy-like” animals!
To the author: THANK YOU!!! I can’t wait for sequels! If you run out of ideas (never possible, probably) I can help! ;-)
The modern bestiary is divided in 3 big categories - earth, water and air - and covers 100 species from all over the planet. Every species gets 2 pages, not more not less, and is described in a wonderfully quirky, funny way. From clockwise and anti-clockwise screwed vaginas (who wants to screw that, right?) to same-sex bird couples who raise chicks together to stabbing the female with the penis instead of plain old sex to parasitism and parasitoidy to living in a sea cucumber’s butt - I’m sure you’ll find your happiness within these pages!
While the book talks a lot about the weird sex lives of many species (sometimes a tiny bit too much for me), it also reminds us of critically endangered species and the devastation we are causing. I appreciated that it never seemed lectured or accusing, but rather as a reminder!
Books like these are so important, especially for “normal” people who do not know of this wonderful and whimsical and sometimes cruel world that’s out there in the animal kingdom! Give it to your friends, to your family, anyone really - and let’s hope that it changes the perception we have about some of the less known and cute “puppy-like” animals!
To the author: THANK YOU!!! I can’t wait for sequels! If you run out of ideas (never possible, probably) I can help! ;-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2024
So much great information packed into this book!
Picked up this book for two reasons: one, I love weird facts, especially about the animal world, and two, because I am trying to research weird animal facts to use as ideas or inspiration for my writing. This book fit the bill for both.
One of my favorite parts though, was the author’s “warning” regarding certain parts of the book. Bagniewska states that her book “is not really for children” and that the adult who has gifted this book to a younger family member may be in for some “awkward conversations”. And in some cases, awkward may be putting it very politely, especially when discussing the facts regarding sex, cannibalism, or some of the other gross or gory details about the natural world.
I do wish that there was more to this book; I felt that some of the information was common knowledge, or that a few animals were a bit bland compared to other species that were not included. These points did not, however, make me dislike the work as a whole. Still a five star book.
Picked up this book for two reasons: one, I love weird facts, especially about the animal world, and two, because I am trying to research weird animal facts to use as ideas or inspiration for my writing. This book fit the bill for both.
One of my favorite parts though, was the author’s “warning” regarding certain parts of the book. Bagniewska states that her book “is not really for children” and that the adult who has gifted this book to a younger family member may be in for some “awkward conversations”. And in some cases, awkward may be putting it very politely, especially when discussing the facts regarding sex, cannibalism, or some of the other gross or gory details about the natural world.
I do wish that there was more to this book; I felt that some of the information was common knowledge, or that a few animals were a bit bland compared to other species that were not included. These points did not, however, make me dislike the work as a whole. Still a five star book.
April 5, 2024
Fun and engaging, great for picking up and putting down whenever you want as each entry is unconnected from the others and they max out at two pages long. Frequently quite funny and necessarily fast paced, I appreciated that most of the animals are ones with which most people are unfamiliar. My main complaint by the end of the book was that most entries seemed to be chosen based on how “inappropriate” the animal’s life is (sex, butt stuff, sex in the butt stuff), and while that can be funny and entertaining I did find myself wishing that more animals were mixed in that were chosen because of how mind blowingly cool they are. Though to be totally fair almost all the animals in this are pretty incredible. Perhaps it’s just that the middle school humor vibe began to feel repetitive, but then that’s where being able to leave it and come back to it later due to its format is a strength. It’s also nice to see actually good artwork in a book like this for once.
February 28, 2023
Quick takeaways:
Subject: Freaky animals
Writing: Dry trying to be raunchy
Overall: B-
Thoughts:
Want to learn about some weird, horny and horrifying facts about certain animals? This is the book for you.
There are some animals that I’ve heard of but didn’t know much about their behaviors, like naked mole rats.
Fact: there is a bird that drinks blood. No, it’s not a scavenger bird like a vulture. It is a little unassuming bird that DRINKS BLOOD.
Fact: There are acts that exist such as traumatic insemination and apophallation. When you learn what that word is, you will agree with me that this is not a book for children.
Sometimes the writing feels dry. I had to put this book down a few times because I was slightly bored.
It did feel like the author really delighted about some weird mating habits.
Outside of that, it’s a decent read and you’ll pick up on random animal facts.
Subject: Freaky animals
Writing: Dry trying to be raunchy
Overall: B-
Thoughts:
Want to learn about some weird, horny and horrifying facts about certain animals? This is the book for you.
There are some animals that I’ve heard of but didn’t know much about their behaviors, like naked mole rats.
Fact: there is a bird that drinks blood. No, it’s not a scavenger bird like a vulture. It is a little unassuming bird that DRINKS BLOOD.
Fact: There are acts that exist such as traumatic insemination and apophallation. When you learn what that word is, you will agree with me that this is not a book for children.
Sometimes the writing feels dry. I had to put this book down a few times because I was slightly bored.
It did feel like the author really delighted about some weird mating habits.
Outside of that, it’s a decent read and you’ll pick up on random animal facts.
December 13, 2022
A divine book that everyone ought to read at some point, The Modern Bestiary leads you on a remarkable journey into the weird and wonderful side of nature.
Bold, fascinating and downright hilarious at times, I devoured this book and was truly sad when it came to an end as I enjoyed Bagniewska's entertaining and witty prose.
The illustrations that were completed by Jennifer N.R. Smith (@wonder.theory) are intricate and compliments the writing beautifully making this a book to be treasured for many years to come.
The author creates a perfect blend between showcasing her extensive knowledge on the subject while presenting it with an easygoing conversational tone to keep readers engaged.
The Modern Bestiary is without a doubt one of the better non-fiction reads I have had this year.
Bold, fascinating and downright hilarious at times, I devoured this book and was truly sad when it came to an end as I enjoyed Bagniewska's entertaining and witty prose.
The illustrations that were completed by Jennifer N.R. Smith (@wonder.theory) are intricate and compliments the writing beautifully making this a book to be treasured for many years to come.
The author creates a perfect blend between showcasing her extensive knowledge on the subject while presenting it with an easygoing conversational tone to keep readers engaged.
The Modern Bestiary is without a doubt one of the better non-fiction reads I have had this year.
June 26, 2023
I enjoyed this one. The author's enthusiasm for the animals discussed came through clearly and made the book fun to read. My only criticism is that the format (two pages of description, always ending with some kind of joke) gets a bit tiring if reading many of the vignettes in one sitting. I had to stop reading for a break every once in a while I get that this was the format of the book and I'm not criticizing the choice of doing so, but it made it that it wasn't a "sit down and read all the way through" type book. I'd love to read something more long-form by the author, I hope she writes another book!
August 6, 2025
Not exactly abandoned. It’s the sort of book to dip in and out of. I dipped in for a while and now I have dipped out.
It is inspired by medieval bestiaries but uses real existing animals and gives us a brief description of each one. The book is divided into land, water and air. There are a lot of insects. Most of the beasts are ones I have never heard of and I found it pleasant to pick a random creature and read the page or two that describes it before I fell asleep. The descriptions are scientific and exact but it aims for some amusing detail for each entry and this didn’t sit well with me.
But I will continue to dip into it from time to time.
It is inspired by medieval bestiaries but uses real existing animals and gives us a brief description of each one. The book is divided into land, water and air. There are a lot of insects. Most of the beasts are ones I have never heard of and I found it pleasant to pick a random creature and read the page or two that describes it before I fell asleep. The descriptions are scientific and exact but it aims for some amusing detail for each entry and this didn’t sit well with me.
But I will continue to dip into it from time to time.
January 16, 2023
Lots of fun facts about a variety of wacky creatures, written with goofy humor. Each animal gets two pages, which keeps things moving along. And the creatures are grouped by 'element' in which they live or move (earth, water, air).
I was a little taken aback by the opening description of one creature as 'flesh-colored' – what exactly is that supposed to mean? The color of human skin, presumably, but that hardly narrows it down! The author got her Ph.D. in Oxford and currently teaches in London, so presumably she knows that we come in a wide variety of colors.
I was a little taken aback by the opening description of one creature as 'flesh-colored' – what exactly is that supposed to mean? The color of human skin, presumably, but that hardly narrows it down! The author got her Ph.D. in Oxford and currently teaches in London, so presumably she knows that we come in a wide variety of colors.
dnf
March 27, 2023This would make a great book to have on a coffee table and to read a story a day or something. I got to the end of the first section (Earth), and while the book is very interesting, I'm not the sort of person who retains random knowledge so it's going in and then going right back out. It's just not entertaining enough as an actual book to make me keep reading it.
March 30, 2023
98%
Such a humorous, easy-to-read treasure trove of information! Each spread (2 pages) was dedicated to one animal, which doesn't sound like a lot, and yet it was just brimming with detailed material. I would recommend reading this next to a computer so you can pull up pictures of the animals while you read, and afterwards do further research because you will definitely want to!
Such a humorous, easy-to-read treasure trove of information! Each spread (2 pages) was dedicated to one animal, which doesn't sound like a lot, and yet it was just brimming with detailed material. I would recommend reading this next to a computer so you can pull up pictures of the animals while you read, and afterwards do further research because you will definitely want to!
May 20, 2023
This was a fabulous book. Bestiaries were collections of animal behavior stories used to educate and perhaps improve human behavior by providing examples from the animal kingdom. Bagniewska trots out an array of amusing , astonishing and downright fascinating facts to keep you interested whether you read cover to cover or dip in e wry now and then to get a pick me up
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