“A bizarre collection of evolution tales . . . the weirder, the better.” —Entertainment Weekly
A fascinating exploration of the awe-inspiring, unsettling ingenuity of evolution from Wired writer Matt Simon, author of Plight of the Living Dead (coming soon from Penguin Books)
On a barren seafloor, the pearlfish swims into the safety of a sea cucumber’s anus. To find a meal, the female bolas spider releases pheromones that mimic a female moth, luring male moths into her sticky lasso web. The Glyptapanteles wasp injects a caterpillar with her young, which feed on the victim, erupt out of it, then mind-control the poor (and somehow still living) schmuck into protecting them from predators.
These are among the curious critters of The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar, a jaunt through evolution’s most unbelievable, most ingenious solutions to the problems of everyday life, from trying to get laid to finding food. Join Wired science writer Matt Simon as he introduces you to the creatures that have it figured out, the ones that joust with their mustaches or choke sharks to death with snot, all in a wild struggle to survive and, of course, find true love.
Winner of the American Library Association’s Alex Award
Ok, I really REALLY liked this book. It's easily portable, the sections for each critter are short enough to read in quick snatches, and it is FUNNY. Matt Simon has quite the sense of humor when it comes to the most insane bits of life around us. And yes - there is a lot of talk about butts. Because...animals are weird. The night I took this home, intending to read it, I spent half the night laughing and reading bits out loud to my husband - so...it's also quite good for that.
If you know someone who is at all interested in crazy animal facts, presented with a sense of humor that does not overshadow the information - this would be excellent.
