The publisher says...

Dangerous animals get a bad rap, but this beautifully illustrated encyclopaedia helps us appreciate the incredible features of some of our more hair-raising animal species. 

With more than sixty of the most deadly and dangerous animals from across the world to explore, every page of this beautifully illustrated volume is more eye-opening than the last. You will learn interesting facts about these fascinating species, (many of which you won't have even known were deadly) such as how they have adapted to survive and whether we should be threatened by these animals or appreciate them for their incredible features. Children and adults alike will pore over the breathtaking scientific illustrations of unusual animals from the geography cone snail to the wolverine, the Irukandji jellyfish to the slow loris, debating their relative dangerous features, learning about science and nature along the way. 

This gorgeous hardcover book is illustrated in exquisite detail by award-winning author and illustrator, Sami Bayly. A brilliant companion to The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals. 

The author says...

Click on the icon below to watch some videos created by the author giving us a behind the scenes peek into her studio and creative process.

The CBCA judges say...

Bayly challenges the idea that certain animals are ‘too often seen as something to fear or kill instead of the fascinating creatures they are’. Exquisitely detailed illustrations enhance clearly written, well researched text. Examples include the Crown of Thorns Starfish; toxic to humans and devastating to the marine environment. Through the inclusion in the book of Black legged tick that transmits Lyme disease, Bayly argues the importance of ‘creatures, no matter how annoying, have evolved to serve a purpose within their ecosystem’. This beautifully produced book will fascinate many readers. 

The Reading Time reviewers say...