The Unexpected Truth About Animals: Brilliant natural history, starring lovesick hippos, stoned sloths, exploding bats and frogs in taffeta trousers.

'Endlessly fascinating.' - Bill Bryson 'Well-informed and downright funny' - Richard DawkinsFeatured on BBC Radio's 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage and on BBC Radio 6 with Cerys MatthewsHistory 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 migrated to the moon, and that bears gave birth to formless lumps that were licked into shape by their mothers. In The Unlikely 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 discover why sloths risk their lives to poo, why storks were persecuted for their supposed political preferences and the mystery of the beaver's balls. Open your mind to some extraordinary theories posited along the creative path of scientific progress - just don't expect all of them to be true! 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.