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A Book of Rather Strange Animals-bookcover

By: Caleb Compton

A Book of Rather Strange Animals

Pages: 136 Ratings: 5.0
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From the creator of the hugely popular @StrangeAnimals on Twitter comes A Book of Rather Strange Animals – a collection of one hundred remarkable animal specimens from around the world. With fascinating descriptions of nasty feeding habits, bizarre mating rituals and shocking defence mechanisms, you will marvel at both the splendour and gruesomeness of nature.


Meet the lizard that shoots blood from its eyes, the isopod that replaces the tongues of fish, the bug that stacks the corpses of ants on its back and the amphibian that looks like a penis.


Come and discover the world’s most peculiar species!

Caleb Compton is an author and biosciences graduate from Redruth, Cornwall. Specialising in animal biology in his final year, he completed his degree in 2016 from the University of Exeter. His passion for animals and conservation started whilst watching nature documentaries with his family, presented by the great Sir David Attenborough. In 2013, he created a Twitter account, which brings obscure and bizarre creatures into the spotlight. Starting with just a handful of followers, it has now grown into one of the most popular animal accounts on Twitter.

Customer Reviews
5.0
16 reviews
16 reviews
  • Lily

    Fantastic! Creative informative a must have!

  • Emilia Ingram

    I'm very impressed with A Book Of Rather Strange Animals. Although it is fairly small, it is packed full of fascinating information relating to many different species that I had never heard of before. I think it is great that conservation is a theme throughout this book and it regularly points out the different types of threats the animals are facing. For example, it details the Vaquita porpoise which is critically endangered from illegal fishing and there are only 12 left in the wild. I had no idea they even existed and I think it is brilliant that this kind of thing is being promoted throughout the book.

    I was pleasantly surprised at how many photos there are in the book too. These types of books are normally lacking in this area but A Book Of Rather Strange Animals has a photo for each animal, which is great as sometimes it is hard to picture an animal from just a description! (I'm not sure exactly how many photos are included but I would say it has to around 100).

    The writing style is informative and there are no pointless attempts at humour. The amount of text for each animal is just right in my opinion and it never gets boring. I would say that the book would appeal to both adults and children. It is written in a way that everyone can understand, without the use of jargon. Children would especially enjoy flicking through the photos and reading up on these weird animals. As I have finished this book, I am now giving it to my 10-year-old niece so that she can read it.

    I'm looking forward to the next book!

  • Anonymous

    Interesting book, with 100 very odd animals with pictures to boot. Couldn't stop reading and finished in just over a day! Would recommend for any nature lovers/Planet Earth fans.

  • Alisha

    This book is absolutely incredible, a must have for all animal lovers and environmentalist, perfect for your desk, coffee table or a gift.
    This book is unique in the fact that it focuses on the plight of the lesser known animals of our planet and the struggles they face.
    My favourite was the Greenland Shark and the Hummingbird Bobtail Squid.

  • Ryan Williams

    A really detailed delve into this planet’s weird and wonderful animals.

  • Caswyn

    Awesome book! Really interesting read with a host of cool facts would recommend to anyone with an interest in animals.

  • Amy

    Excellent read- such a variety of weird and wonderful animals to discover! Interesting facts presented in a very accessible way - suitable for all ages! Would definitely recommend this book.

  • KC

    Love this book, from the Star-nosed Mole to the Okapi, I could not stop reading it! Interesting, amusing facts and pictures on 100 animals and the dangers they face from the creator of the @ Strange Animals on Twitter. A must buy for everyone!

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