Altruistic Armadillos, Zenlike Zebras : Understanding the World's Most Intriguing Animals

From the elegant, lithe, and yes, friendly cheetah to the diminutive and faithful sea horse, and from the giant and surprisingly warlike hippopotamus to the majestic gorilla, animals have long fascinated humans. In this appealing book, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson draws from his wealth of knowledge and a lifetime of fascination with the animal kingdom to present little-known facts and thorough explanations for behaviors of animals both familiar and lesser-known. Presented from A to Z, each entry is accompanied by a beautiful, full-color photograph. Readers will learn from someone who knows these animals and loves them as much as you do.

A New York Times bestselling author investigates the fascinating behavior and emotional lives of animals.

Library Journal

As adults, most of us have forgotten our childhood fascination with animals, but Masson (When Elephants Weep; Dogs Never Lie) has never let that wonder fade. His books convey not only his endless curiosity about the animal kingdom but also his ability to look beyond the common knowledge about a particular creature to highlight the truly unique, the charming, or even the mind-boggling aspects of what is known about that animal's behavior or habits. His new work contains short entries on 100 different animals, ranging from the familiar (cats, cows, chickens) to the unusual (coconut crabs, okapis, mulberry silkworms). Each entry varies in the type of information given but is consistently captivating and guaranteed to renew our interest in the animal kingdom. Highly recommended for all public and undergraduate library natural history collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/06.] Marianne Stowell Bracke, Purdue Univ. Libs., West Lafayette, IN Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

The best-selling author of Dogs Never Lie About Love and When Elephants Weep pays tribute to one hundred of his favorite animals, offering fascinating profiles and information about the daily lives of dolphins, hummingbirds, dugongs, hippos, kakapos, and other familiar and little-known creatures.