Literary Nonfiction. North American History. Science. Three centuries ago, white Europeans began to colonize the North American continent. In doing so, they encountered flying squirrels, ruby-throated hummingbirds, and the easily tamed beaver: creatures their kind had never met before. The accounts of early explorers and settlers in describing these animals and others provide fascinating insight into the taxonomies they carried to the so-called New World. Their literature of discovery was by turns comic, cruel and adulatory. This book brings together period quotes and 21st-century science in an idiosyncratic narrative. Extended anecdote conveys the adventures of historical personalities, and the book borrows, too, from fables, children's stories and natural histories. Yet WHAT SPECIES OF CREATURES addresses present concerns our habitual understanding of wild animals and our own place in the natural order. In the process of quoting from and commenting upon European ancestors' speciesist arrogance, Kirsch interrogates our seemingly insatiable appetite to trap, catch, skin, domesticate, eat, eradicate or otherwise bend to our use the animals in our midst."

"Introduces the reader to a wealth of extraordinary life forms"-- P. [4] of cover.

Meet the incredible animals that have disappeared due to competition, mass extinctions, hunting, and human activity. Lost Animals brings back to life some of the most charismatic creatures to inhabit the planet. It captures the imagination with more than 200 incredible photographs, artworks of fossils, and scientific drawings of charming creatures like dodos, paraceratherium (the largest land mammal), spinosaurus (the biggest carnivorous dinosaur), placeoderm fishes (the sharks of their day), and more! Lost Animals is a captivating documentation of evolution and extinction. Each chapter focuses on a specific time in Earth's history, from the Cambrian explosion (the most intense surge of evolution the world has ever experienced) to present times, with profiles of the key species that lived then. From long extinct animals to Lazarus species--animals that were thought to be extinct before being rediscovered--this book takes readers on a journey through Earth's natural history, highlighting the world's biggest animal losses and its moments of conservational hope.

"This is a world encyclopedia of amphibians, reptiles and mammals with over 500 detailed illustrations. This is a fully illustrated encyclopedia of over 350 amphibians, reptiles and mammals from the world. It includes the venomous western diamondback rattlesnake of the southern United States; the tree-dwelling flying lizard of South-east Asia, the extraordinary egg-laying platypus of Australia. This is a natural history guide that focuses on how animals have adapted in terms of anatomy, senses and survival skills, and describes the varied habitats in which animals live. This is a fabulous, accessible natural history reference for both families and schools. The first section of this incredible illustrated reference book focuses on the diversity of life in the animal kingdom, looking at the habitats in which animals live and how they survive. It also includes a guide to a mphibian, reptilian and mammalian anatomy and senses. The rest of the book is divided into three chapters, each focusing on a different area of the world: the Americas; Europe and Africa; and Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Each animal is accompanied by a colour illustration and a specification panel giving information about distribution, habitat, food, size, maturity, breeding, life span and more. With over 900 magnificent colour illustrations and photographs, and packed with fascinating facts, this book is a must-have family reference for anyone interested in wild animals, where they live and how they survive."--Publisher's description.

“Interesting...Bowlin's calmly rational approach to the subject of conspiracy theories shows the importance of logic and evidence.”—Booklist "A page-turning book to give to someone who believes in pizza pedophilia or that the Illuminati rule the world."—Kirkus Reviews The co-hosts of the hit podcast Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know, Ben Bowlin, Matthew Frederick, & Noel Brown, discern conspiracy fact from fiction in this sharp, humorous, compulsively readable, and gorgeously illustrated book. In times of chaos and uncertainty, when trust is low and economic disparity is high, when political institutions are crumbling and cultural animosities are building, conspiracy theories find fertile ground. Many are wild, most are untrue, a few are hard to ignore, but all of them share one vital trait: there’s a seed of truth at their center. That seed carries the sordid, conspiracy-riddled history of our institutions and corporations woven into its DNA. Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick, and Noel Brown host the popular iHeart Media podcast, Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know. They are experts at exploring, explaining, and interrogating today’s emergent conspiracies—from chem trails and biological testing to the secrets of lobbying and the indisputable evidence of UFOs. Written in a smart, witty, and conversational style, elevated with amazing illustrations, Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know is a vital book in understanding the nature of conspiracy and using truth as a powerful weapon against ignorance, misinformation, and lies.

Presents a compelling new view of our moral relationships to the other animals

When seven children are asked about which is the most important animal of all, they learn about the key roles different animals play on Earth.