Did you know that the pinch of a coconut crab’s claw can deliver the same pressure as the bite of a hyena? Or that faeces are fundamental to the diet of the common European rabbit? Such facts are laid out in gleeful detail by zoologist and debut author Dr Joanna Bagniewska, in The Modern Bestiary: a compendium of bitesize introductions to the bizarre and unlikely creatures who walk, swim or soar above the earth.  

Bagniewska’s light, conversational tone lends familiarity and warmth; her joy in laying out the idiosyncrasies of these weird and wonderful fauna is clear. It’s easy to imagine her delight at the faces her readers might pull as they delve into stories of penis-chomping, tongue-replacing or “thunderous bum-pulses” exhibited in this modernised version of the medieval bestiary.  

Nature lovers will find much to be fascinated in The Modern Bestiary. From the “bad-ass” boto – a pink, Amazonian river dolphin believed to be an enchanted shapeshifter – to the vital contribution to Borneo’s biodiversity played by tree-shrew poo, Bagniewska’s collection of fantastic animals and their behaviour is consistently eyebrow-raising, often stomach-churning and frequently sidesplitting. Beautiful illustrations by Jennifer N Smith bring these beasties to life more vividly still.