These books are so much fun, and I'm mad at myself for putting it off for so long. Each chapter was filled with entertaining, humorous animal facts that made this book a pleasure to read. Not everything was new information, but everything was presented in a clear, amusing way.

This was a very charming and interesting look into the lives of animals. It was well written and engaging, honestly I wish it had been longer! The author's passion is clear and I will definitely look out for her books in the future.

I love books like this. There is so much wonderful, weird and fascinating knowledge packed into it, I've been eating it up like candy. Although not everything in this was new to me, there was enough surprising and well-presented stuff to keep me entertained and always happily return to find out what interesting treat awaits me on the next page.

I love nature writing. I am a big fan of David Attenborough. I love it even more when it's funny nature writing. I'd never heard of Lucy Cooke, but I am definitely a fan now. This book was informative, hilarious and full of so much crazy stuff! Thanks for the chance to read it. I would recommend this one for sure!

"I joined Claudio on an expedition in search of one of the country’s most fabulous freaks, the incredibly rare Southern Darwin’s frog, which was discovered by the big beard himself in 1834 on his epic five year Beagle voyage. What makes this frog so extraordinary is that it has eschewed conventional pond-based metamorphosis for something more sci-fi: after mating the male guards the fertilized eggs until they are close to hatching, then gobbles them up. Six weeks later, like a scene out of Alien, he barfs up baby frogs. He is the only male animal other than the seahorse to give birth, albeit through his mouth."

I'm sorry but I did not get to read all of this book. It has nothing to do with the writing or the subject matter. My pet passed away not long after I originally got the book and began reading. The death hit me hard and it's been difficult to read any non-fiction animal books at this time. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be of better help to Lucy. The chapters I did read before hand was well written, researched, and seriously fascinating! I have recommended it to many of my animal love friends out there and I even bought a (physical) copy for a friend's b-day. The rating I am leaving here is for the chapters I read and enjoyed.

Mental Floss was my favorite magazine. I loved the useless trivia that I would acquire within this pages. This book is the equivalent of an issue of that beloved magazine... Though I will say this, I have learned way more about animal sex than I wanted to!

I was very interested about this book as soon as I saw the cover. Something about learning more about the random things with animals that no one talks about was fascinating. I wasn't sure however what to expect from this book would it be to informational and almost clinical or would it be more on the humorous side. Once I started this book however I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it and the way that it was written. It wasn't written like an information book and it wasn't written like a novel either. It took each chapter and that chapter alone was based on a specific creature of the animal kingdom and something that is truly unique about it, that we as humans are just learning about now. This book took myths and things that we once thought were true about animals and discussed what we now know is fiction and how it is so. Each chapter of the book focused on one main subject so this was like a bunch of mini books all combined. It gave lots of details and facts as well as stories or actual accounts to back up the myths and the truths about animals. Very interesting read and very different than what I'm normally used to reading however I am very glad that I got the chance to check it out. I really enjoyed how each segment was about a different animal and was labeled accordingly because that way when you are reading it if you won't like that particular animal or you are uninterested in it you can skip it and you don't miss out on any of the parts that you are interested in. Great read, it will change the way you look at all animals after you read this. I'm very glad that I got the chance to check it out. This is a must read for any animal lover or anyone looking to expand their knowledge in the animal kingdom.

***I received a copy through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.***

What an interesting read! Reading about animals is always fun for me but the author does a great job of keeping it interesting, fun, and humorous. It will make you see animals in a new light and love them even more.

Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy!

This book reads like it was written by the love child of Charles Darwin and Mary Roach. There is humor, pathos, and animal facts aplenty. The author’s writing style is easy to read and captured my attention immediately. The love Cooke has for these beasties is quite obvious from the start. Hopefully, given the facts, others will learn to appreciate these maligned characters that occupy the animal world.

Each chapter is devoted (lovingly) to a misunderstood animal, where we find myths debunked through modern science. The reader will learn about sloths, bats, and hyenas, to name a few. The author will discuss how the animals were experimented on/studied over hundreds of years (Who knew that Aristotle was a proponent of spontaneous creation?) then get to modern times, where myths are debunked and the many reasons to love these animals are revealed.

Some of the experiments detailed can be a bit gory, such as when, in the 18th century, the Catholic priest Lazzaro Spallanzani practiced blinding bats in order to find out how they managed to find their way around in darkness. (He also coated them in varnish for another experiment, but I digress).  Other tales are edifying and satisfying, such as:

It may sound suspiciously like bogus medieval folk medicine, but from the 1940s through the 1960s the world’s first reliable pregnancy test was a small, bug-eyed frog. When injected with a pregnant woman’s urine, the amphibian didn’t turn blue or display stripes, but it did squirt out eggs 8-12 hours later to confirm a positive result.

Cooke’s book is full of factoids like that one. How can you not love this book? You will learn, you will laugh, and you will be full of obscure information. That sounds like a winner to me.

Great for more reluctant readers as each chapter can stand alone for the most part and imparts interesting information about various animals.

Great book. Cooke is very good at teaching and story telling. It is definitely not textbook Boring! I would recommend this read!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucy Cooke has a Master’s in Zoology from British New Collage, Oxford. She specializes in animal behavior and evolution. Among Lucy’s professors at Oxford was Richard Dawkins, who is a world-renowned Zoologist and author. Lucy is passionate about conservation as well as her love of all sloth kind. She is referred to as the next David Attenborough in some circles.

Her Curriculum Vitae includes a diverse range of skills including: television producer, director, award- winning documentary presenter, and filmmaker. Lucy has lecture at TED talks, was a New York Times best-selling author, and founded the Sloth Appreciation Society.

In May, 2015 at the age of 45, Lucy was diagnosed with breast cancer. She changed her lifestyle as a result of the diagnosis and has an increased appreciation of life and love.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT ANIMALS?

Any adult would enjoy this funny sojourn into the private and strange lives of animals, reptiles, and birds. Some subjects included for your edification are: the link between pregnancy and toads, stories about storks and their journeys, and tales of necrophilia in penguin communities. These subjects are woven together in a dialogue filled with irony and humor.

The author’s style of writing reminds me of Gerard Durrell, author of My Family and Other Animals. If you enjoy well written prose, that are comprehensively researched, and delivered in an irreverent manner, then this could be your next favorite read.

WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?

The Truth About Animals is a collection of short stories about various creatures, and the different scientific approaches to the study of animals. Throughout the book your views may be challenged, concepts you had may be reversed or revised, as intricate details of the life of various creatures are revealed. You can expect to be introduced to the Sloth Appreciation Society, discover why Hippos leak, how slippery eels really are, and how bats aren’t as bad as you think. On the journey you will also meet the crazy scientists that used questionable methods to investigate animal senses, the scientist that took the elephant phallus to the face, and the men who believed that swifts sleep the entire winter under water.

The genuine love and affection that Lucy has for all animal kind is replete throughout the book and, at times, is almost palpable. The message is simple and clear, we must protect habitats and the animals will do the rest. This position is made clear when she discusses the plight of the Chinese Pandas.

I enjoyed the book because it was humorous and with each turn of a page, I learned something new. This book is immensely funny at times and subtly so at other times.

IN CONCLUSION

You will enjoy this book if you are looking for fun and learning. Very few authors can write in the way that Lucy Cooke writes. Whilst she isn’t unique, she is a huge talent. This book is: well written, intelligently delivered, beautifully researched, and infinitely humorous. The Truth About Animals is a must have for anyone who loves nature.

Nonfiction about weird animal facts, which is possibly my very favorite kind of nonfiction, especially on days when I don't want to think too deeply. Cooke organizes this book around animal myths that many of us believe (or used to believe, once upon a time) and then presents the truth – which not infrequently is odder than the myths.

Of course, some of the myths are pretty outrageous in and of themselves. I did not know that medieval Europeans thought beavers, when hunted, would tear off their testicles and throw them away as a distraction. I also did not know that early modern Europeans thought beavers had elaborate governments, complete with laws, police, and a class structure. I know their dams are impressive, but... wow, early modern Europeans. <i>Wow.</i>

Though I love history almost as much as I love weird animal facts, most of the myths Cooke refutes are modern and more likely to be familiar to the average reader. Certainly I'd heard that pandas are really bad at sex and reproduction, and that moose get drunk on rotting fruit. I'm familiar with the stereotypes that sloths are lazy and that vultures are gross. I've seen the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7tWNwhSocE">Disney documentaries</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tango-Makes-Three-Classic-Board/dp/1481446959">picture books</a> starring penguins' sweet monogamous romances. I remember being told that storks bring babies (okay, probably no one reading <i>The Truth About Animals</i> thinks that last one is literally true, but it was interesting to find out where the myth came from!). These modern myths were possibly even more fascinating than the bizarre historical ones, because several times Cooke managed to overturn an assumption that I myself had been convinced was true.

If you, like me, are a connoisseur of books about weird animal facts, you will see a few well-known stories reused here: that Freud dissected hundreds of eels looking for their missing testicles; Pablo Escobar's escaped Colombian hippos; the chimpanzee raised in a suburban American household; female hyenas' massive clitorises. However, <i>The Truth About Animals</i> had a much greater new-to-me/old-news ratio than I expect from a book in this genre. I also really loved Cooke's style, which was breezy and hilarious while still being informative and well-researched. Her writing reminded me of Mary Roach's, mixing silliness with in-depth considerations of context and background.

Definitely recommended to anyone who has spent too much time watching animal videos on Youtube.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2990605451

I believe that another reviewer captured my thoughts on this book best, in that if you love Mary Roach (think Stiff, Bonk, etc) then you will probably adore this one too! This book takes animal facts and presents them in a fun and very approachable manner. I found it easy to read this book before bed and drift off to sleep while dreaming about delightful animals. Sure, there were some grisly facts in here, but it was a fun one to read and learn. I always enjoy finding a nonfiction book that is purely fun to read! Thanks for this free review copy!

This book had a lot of fun and interesting facts, myths and tidbits, it did get a little dry in some spots but mostly it was a good read for animal enthusiasts.

This is simply excellent. You'll learn a LOT of surprising and interesting info. Please see the many reviews for more detail. Recommended.

I really appreciate the copy for review!!

This is an enjoyable collection of essays focussing on different animals and their habits. I certainly learned lots about many different species but for me, the writing wasn't the most engaging I have ever read. For me, it worked by reading one chapter an evening as I found I overloaded on information if I tried to read to much in one sitting.

I would recommend this to all animal lovers as there is certainly lots to learn!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


I honestly requested this book because I saw sloths were mentioned... and i'm quite obsessed with them.
i was not disappointed.. this book has some amazing information in it.

Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "It Ain’t What You Don’t Know That Gets You Into Trouble. It’s What You Know for Sure That Just Ain’t So." This quote could be an intro for this book.
Lucy Cooke takes you on a ride through the history of zoology, from the suppositions that made up ancient 'science' to modern knowledge about various species. She picks 13 groups of animals (from as large as all frogs to as specific as chimpanzees). For each, she relates early discoveries (and folklore) and systematically debunks the fallacy to replace it with current knowledge. Along the way, she tells the stories of the early explorers and of her own encounters with each group.
Personally, I loved this book. Shattering misconceptions has always been favorite reading for me and this book fits this exactly. The early beliefs range from ridiculous ideas to intentionally hidden facts. Each had their own charm and reasons and Lucy Cooke shows how good science dismantles the superstitions and presents a story all the more fascinating for being true.
I recommend this book for a anyone who has an interest in zoology or the history of biological discovery.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I got rather slow into the book, as I didn’t find the first chapter, about eels, very interesting, and the humor at first seemed rather dull, but it made up afterwards and I found out a lot of interesting facts and hilarious myths about different animals, and the humor grew on me.
Unfortunately, I must mention the horrible formatting of the review copy, with no upper case lettering, page numbers mixed in the text, pictures with explaining text disrupting the lecture - all these affected my reading experience in a bad way.

Eels: apparently, to this day we don’t know how they reproduce..

Beavers were believed to chew off their testicles to escape capture, because “castoreum was a revered medicine in the ancient world on account of its unusually pungent nature. This was a time when smells were considered to be particularly potent as treatments—the more overpowering, the better chances of being healed."

Sloths: “it appears sex is the only thing sloths do quickly.”

Hyenas: Not all hyenas are scavengers, some of them hunt >90% of their pray.

Bats have huge (for their size) and dangling penises.

Adelie penguins fuck anything: females, males, babies, corpses, even rocks.

Vultures have “some of the strongest stomach acids in the animal kingdom, with a ph similar to that of battery acid.“

Frogs: “The sixty-seven hundred or so known species of frog include those that secrete their own sunscreen, others that make their own antifreeze and some that can even fly.”
“What makes this frog [Darwin’s frog] so extraordinary is that it has eschewed conventional pond-based metamorphosis for something more sci-fi: after mating the male guards the fertilized eggs until they are close to hatching, then gobbles them up. Six weeks later, like a scene out of Alien, he barfs up baby frogs. He is the only male animal other than the seahorse to give birth, albeit through his mouth.”

Moose frequently wander off in people’s gardens and eat apples. Not sure though if the getting drunk/high on fermented apples is true or not really.

"Wild panda is a secret stud, fond of threesomes and rough sex, with a taste for flesh and a fearsome bite. But it inhabits an impenetrable forest in a cryptic country, which has allowed an imposter to take center stage and ensured that one of the most recognizable animal brands is nothing but a fraud."