The World’s Most Atrocious Animals
Philip Bunting
Happy Yak

In the third of this fact-filled series Philip Bunting introduces readers to over fifty of the scariest creatures in the natural world, each of which is given both its Latin name and amusing Bunting tag. Thus the death stalker scorpion or Leiurus quinquestriatus is also Lethalus landlobstrous – very appropriate since a sting from this North African nasty can be excruciatingly painful and can cause anaphylaxis.

In similar fashion to the previous titles, the author uses a plethora of puns, some of which will really make you laugh (or groan depending on your mood): a group of orcas ‘sing together to form an orcastra’ and the African amphibian Trichobatrachus robustus – hairy frog to you and me – is ‘known to kermit hideous crimes’ and an encounter with an African giant swallowtail ‘will give you more than butterflies in your tummy’ – that is on account of the vast volume of toxins that flow through its body.

Moreover, should you find yourself paddling on the shores around Madagascar, Mauritius or other countries located in the Indian Ocean, be very sure not to set foot near a geography cone snail; the potent venom of this predatory mollusc could, if the nasty creature chose to inject you, finish you for good since there’s no known antivenom. No wonder that so we read, the beast has ‘shelled out extra for. a fancy pattern’.

Maintaining a good balance between humour and straightforward information, along with large, striking illustrations, Philip Bunting covers a wide range of animals of the truly scary sort. Anyone with an interest in animals, especially of the atrocious or fearsome kind, will love this book; it’s a great addition to The World’s Most …. Animals’ series.