World Almanac Oddball Animals

From the #1 New York Times bestselling World Almanac comes a colorful, fun-filled book devoted to the odd, fascinating, and unusual animals that share our planet.

From the weirdest mammals and birds, to reptiles, amphibians, insects, and fish you may not have even known existed, this book combines trivia and fast facts with solid science on the oddest critters around. Find a new pest––or pet possibility?––on every page, complete with eye-catching photos to appeal to animal lovers of all ages. While younger readers enjoy sharing just how weird the animal world gets, parents and teachers will find a valuable source of information with fun details and engaging new topics you can't find in just every textbook or even a trip to the zoo.

Amaze curious animal lovers with astonishing odd animals and their singular quirks, such as:

• A sea star (what was once called a starfish) isn't a fish at all. And since its mouth is too small to swallow its food, instead it pushes its stomach outside of its mouth to eat.
• The archer fish shoots powerful jets of water from its mouth to knock tasty insects out of mid-air from up to five feet away.
• When threatened, a bombardier beetle can release a chemical strong enough to burn skin.
• Binturongs smell like popcorn––but the reason why might be too gross to put into words here.
• You'll have to look inside for more!

Even the biggest animal lover can find something new and fascinating about the animal kingdom in World Almanac Oddball Animals.
 

Joanne Mattern has written more than 350 books for children. Many of her books focus on science, social studies, history, and biography, and her publishers include Skyhorse, Running Press, Scholastic, Lerner, and many more.

World Almanac Kids™ offers children, parents, and teachers a chance to explore our world and beyond from a source that’s been trusted by schools, families, businesses, governments, and even presidents for generations. A #1 New York Times bestseller, The World Almanacwas first published in 1868 and has sold 83 million copies.