Cirrus@Austlit

'Explore the ingenious and funny behaviours found in the animal kingdom.

'To survive in the animal kingdom, creatures big and small have developed clever and sometimes surprising ways to stay alive. Find out how tarantulas shoot arrow-like hairs from their bum when threatened or how the pearlfish hides inside a sea cucumber's bum to escape predators. When it comes to survival, anything goes!

'Written by expert author Dr Ashley Ward, associate professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Sydney, Australia, this humorous four-book series explores a wide range of animal behaviours from survival skills and animal communication to how animals learn and adapt to live in the most extreme environments.

'The Zany Brainy Animals series combines funny and fascinating facts about the animal kingdom and includes behind the scenes stories in the 'Tales from the lab' panels about how scientists discover and study the featured animal behaviours. The amusing text covers key science topics such as adaptations, evolution and habitats.

'This series isn't just a catalogue of fascinating animal facts. By including the process of investigation and discovery, this series aims to inspire readers to pursue careers in the field.' (Publication summary)