The world's wildest collection of animal knowledge and lore! Lions, and tigers, and bears . . . and dinosaurs, dragons, and monsters. Oh my! For hundreds of years, the most popular books in the Western world next to the Bible were "bestiaries," fanciful encyclopedias collecting all of human knowledge and mythology about the animal kingdom. In these pages, eagles and elephants lived next to griffins and sea monsters. Now, in The Big, Bad Book of Beasts , award-winning author Michael Largo has updated the medieval bestsellers for the twenty-first century, illuminating little-known facts, astonishing secrets, and bizarre superstitions about the beasts that inhabit our world—and haunt our imaginations. You'll learn about the biggest bug ever, the smallest animal in the world, and the real creatures that inspired the fabled unicorns. You'll discover how birds learned to fly, why cats rub against your legs, and a thousand other facts that will make you look at nature in a wonderfully new way. Did you know? The fastest animal in the world is the peregrine falcon, which reaches speeds of over 200 miles per hours. Circus ringmaster P.T. Barnum fooled many when he displayed a "mermaid" carcass that was later proved to be monkey bones sewed together with the body of a fish. Discovered in a remote volcanic crater in New Guinea, the Bosavi wolly rat grows to the size of a cat. President Andrew Jackson bought an African gray parrot to keep his wife company. The bird outlived them both and was removed from Jackson's funeral for cussing in both English and Spanish. A to Z: From Aardvark to Zooplankton! For all ages! Includes 289 illustrations! Flip open this book to any page. As in a medieval bestiary, you will find descriptions and illustrations of fantastic creatures, such as aardvarks, bombardier beetles, chupacabras, dodos, and elasmosaurs. Some exist, while others are mythological. A few are recently extinct, while others are known from their fossilized remains. All have physical or behavioral traits that test credulity. In alphabetical order, author Largo profiles unusual animals, recounting the evolution, discovery, study, and characterization of beasts as small as amoebas and as large as whales, and he speculates on how belief in fictional beings such as banshees, harpies, and Sasquatch developed. While entertaining, Largo’s encyclopedia presents a substantial dose of scientific fact and theory, especially in sidebars such as Why Moths Are Attracted to Light and Pluralizing Animals. A handy book for browsing and occasional reference. --Rick Roche “Meticulous, fascinating, and often intriguingly bizarre . . . I am full of admiration for Largo’s achievement.” - Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman “In a cleverly subtle A-Z style, Michael Largo reveals some of the puzzling beliefs and excesses of religions, cults and spiritual movements.... With example after example of often stunning religious lunacy, Largo marshals a powerful and difficult argument to refute, namely, that religion has done far more harm than good for mankind. - Los Angeles Times “Engaging... Largo is able to capture a more elusive and even more enjoyable sensation: that of being a child on that first trip to the zoo―or natural history museum, or the dinosaur section of the library―who isn’t interested in medieval lessons about “daring and sloth, loyalty and cowardice,” nor contemplations on “what makes us essentially human and at the same time so similar to animals.” No, the much simpler thought process that this book should be proud to elicit is just one joyful word: cool!” - Publishers Weekly “In the great tradition of the bestiaries of yore... Largo... parades the real, the extinct and the imagined for our shivers and delectation. ... Fascinating. ... An entertaining and occasionally enlightening read.” - Kirkus Reviews “A fascinating journey. ... If you like animals and odd stories and gooey oddities then this one is for you.” - Examiner.com “Wild. ... You will find yourself drawn back... time after time” - CRNCHY Magazine “An expert guide. ... Delves into truth and lore about our furry friends.” - Miami New Times The world's wildest collection of animal knowledge and lore! Lions, and tigers, and bears . . . and dinosaurs, dragons, and monsters. Oh my! For hundreds of years, the most popular books in the Western world next to the Bible were "bestiaries," fanciful encyclopedias collecting all of human knowledge and mythology about the animal kingdom. In these pages, eagles and elephants lived next to griffins and sea monsters. Now, in The Big, Bad Book of Beasts , award-winning author Michael Largo has updated the medieval bestsellers for the twenty-first century, illuminating little-known facts, astonishing secrets, and bizarre superstitions about the beasts that inhabit our world—and haunt our imaginations. You'll learn about the biggest bug ever, the smallest animal in the world, and the real creatures that inspire