Mary Roach meets Bill Bryson in this "surefire summer winner" (Janet Maslin, New York Times), an uproarious tour of the basest instincts and biggest mysteries of the animal world Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we've still got a long way to go. Whether we're seeing a viral video of romping baby pandas or a picture of penguins "holding hands," it's hard for us not to project our own values--innocence, fidelity, temperance, hard work--onto animals. So you've probably never considered if moose get drunk, penguins cheat on their mates, or worker ants lay about. They do--and that's just for starters. In The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke takes us on a worldwide journey to meet everyone from a Colombian hippo castrator to a Chinese panda porn peddler, all to lay bare the secret--and often hilarious--habits of the animal kingdom. Charming and at times downright weird, this modern bestiary is perfect for anyone who has ever suspected that virtue might be unnatural.

Maxwell Eaton III's The Truth About Bears is a lighthearted nonfiction picture book, filled with useful facts about bears that will make you laugh so hard you won’t even realize you’re learning something!

Whether we're watching a viral video of romping baby pandas or looking at a picture of penguins `holding hands', we often project our own values; innocence, abstinence, hard work - onto animals. So you've probably never considered that moose get drunk and that penguins are notorious cheats. In The Unexpected Truth About Animals Zoologist Lucy unravels the many myths we humans like to believe!

Discover the secrets and myths about animal intelligence. Are animals just as smart as humans? How do they learn? What are their instincts? Do they have feelings?

Takes a close look at what we dislike about each of 10 unpopular animals, and then presents the flip side: these very same animals are often smart, helpful to humans and the environment, or inspiring to scientists.

While conducting studies intended to unlock the secret workings of the animal mind, the author finds herself drawn into the spiritual and mystical world of her subjects. Through interspecies telepathic communication, she unravels the mystery of the powerful bond between animals and humans and its connection with the divine. She explains the scientific and metaphysical research that supports her work, but more importantly tells a moving and enlightening story about the power of love, why we are here, and where evolution is leading us.

History is full of strange animal stories, invented by the brightest and most influential, from Aristotle to Disney, and they reveal as much about us and the things we believe as they do about the animals they misrepresent. We once thought that eels were born from sand, that swallows hibernated under water, and that bears gave birth to formless lumps that were licked into shape by their mothers. In The Unexpected Truth About Animals, zoologist Lucy Cooke unravels many such myths, revealing the fascinating -- and often hilarious -- facts she's uncovered while chasing hyenas, spying on penguins and stalking drunk moose. You'll learn why sloths risk their lives to poo, how bats joined the Allies in the Second World War, and the mystery of the beaver's balls. And you'll discover that even the most outlandish theories may have some truth in them after all.