Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time: My Life Doing DUMB STUFF with Animals

The authors job description is funny. If teachers want students to ask questions, then this should be your workbook. Something or the other is sure to catch one's fancy and out will come the questions like 'If you were a creator, where would you place the second jaw?' 'Following owl monkeys do nocturnal men take more care of their babies?'

Richard Conniff got a lot of public attention recently when he wrote a column called "The Consolation of Animals" for the NYT. It discussed how much of his career has sent him to remote parts of the globe to study strange forms of life -- but due to the state of the world, he's been traveling a little less. So he started studying the creatures and biology around his house. The ecosystem he described struck a chord with a lot of readers -- not least for the pitch perfect descriptions and writing. It was an excellent piece, but people might have forgotten that no one does gonzo natural world adventures better than Conniff. And THIS BOOK is all about the FUN stuff. And there is much fun stuff to be had. Check it out for the story behind those National Geographic articles where the author is blithely waltzing through the rainforest. It definitely proves even top science writers can have a touch of the Wildboyz. [...]

OK, So I only took Biology 101 in college 35 years ago, because I wasn't into that kind of thing, but needed it for a requirement. This book is a page-turner--I could hardly put it down. Richard Conniff writes with a definite attitude and strange sense of humor--this was right up my alley. He should be lecturing at some college or high school on a regular basis--there would be standing room only--including those not even officially enrolled in the class. His real life accounting of his adventures out in the world of nature is truly fascinating. Ever wonder about how all of the animal species/genuses are named? This will help you understand why it's sometimes 'a revenge business' amongst the nerdy folks who discover them and then are awarded 'naming rights'. Perhaps we need these people naming all of our sports arenas--would definitely be more entertaining than The 'Sprint' or 'Staples' Center. How about the sex habits of ants? Yep, it's in there, along with lots of other cool yet factual explanations about what's happening out there in the world of nature that we aren't normally aware of. Buy this book!

Who knew that baboon social behavior resembles Jane Austen novels? Or that the ants in kid's ant farms are among the most venomous of all arthropods? From big cats to horseshoe crabs and snapping turtles to termites, //Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time// is an adventurous and uncommon tour of the animal kingdom. Richard Conniff writes with vibrancy and verve. His prose crackles with the leaves on an African savannah and shimmers with the sun on a Louisiana bayou. He's self-deprecating and inquisitive, with a knack for drawing insight from unusual facts about animals and the people who study them: a scientist French-kissed by a hummingbird, a leopard tracker who writes field notes on his legs, and a researcher stung so many times by the insects he studies that he developed a scale to research the pain itself. Conniff's experiences make for lively reading--leaping into a river full of piranha may get the title, but interviewing ranchers protecting livestock by shooting endangered cheetahs is equally as dangerous and just as provoking. Though animals form the heart of //Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time//, Conniff demonstrates that the practice of science is just as fascinating as the animals themselves. Reviewed by Jason Weeks

Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time: My Life Doing Dumb Stuff with Animals blends science, humor and observation to explore the behaviors and oddities of all kinds of animals, from lemurs that eat cyanide to your local friendly piranha whose ferocity has been mistyped. Little-known truths about exotic species are imparted in a fine field survey following biologists' animal studies and favorite experiences - all seasoned by the author's often-humorous, personal observations. Any general collection catering to lay readers of science facts and animal oddities will find this an accessible, popular lend.