Marvels of Nature: A Journey Through Our Surrounding Wildlife

Who doesn’t enjoy a thrilling quest for hidden treasures?

As a child, stories of pirates and chests overflowing with gold fascinated you, making every unoccupied patch of earth seem full of promise. Perhaps you’ve learned, as an adult, to operate a metal detector, or you’ve redefined what treasures mean to you. Nowadays, you might explore flea markets, thrift shops, or, like in the recent book “Vanishing Treasures” by Katherine Rundell, you just look outdoors.

An ostrich clumsily conceals itself by burying its head in the sand.

You’ve probably heard that myth your entire life and by now, you likely understand it’s untrue. Human history is rich with long-held misconceptions and misunderstandings, but had our ancestors merely looked, they would have discovered greater (and more accurate!) marvels in the creatures around them.

They may have also been more prudent with our natural resources. So many species across the globe are on the brink of extinction or have nearly vanished.

Consider the wombat, whose defense mechanism is its rear end: its sturdy cartilage backside can crush a predator’s skull. Or the Greenland shark, which can reach ages of 600 years or more.

The raccoons rummaging through your garbage are “explorers,” preferring fresh locations for feeding and relaxing. Giraffe mothers secrete wax on their nipples to prevent milk from leaking, and seal mothers produce milk that is over 10 times richer than human milk. Lemurs engage in combat by shaking their smelly tails at one another and glaring ominously. Fertile hares can “conceive while already pregnant.” Elephants are frightened of bees. Seahorses and golden moles can exhibit rainbow hues. Other endangered species are hunted for their body parts, yet, according to Rundell, “the total quantity of” genuine, nonmedical, animal-derived “natural aphrodisiacs … is zero.”

To rescue them from total extinction, she asserts, “The moment to fight, with all our creativity and persistence, and affection and passion, is now.”

Envision a world devoid of tuna, hermit crabs, or elephants. Imagine the absence of storks or bears. Can’t fathom it? Then you need to read “Vanishing Treasures.”

Drawing a comparison between our world and a “Noah’s Ark in reverse,” author Rundell offers readers compelling and intriguing reasons to care for these threatened species. Her prose is urgent yet not preachy. Instead, her delivery includes dry wit that will elicit laughter at times. The concluding chapter will certainly make you reflect.

You’ll be astonished by what you discover regarding both common animals and those you rarely observe – insights shared through succinct, easily digestible essays that express childlike wonder at the remarkable things these animals can achieve and the adaptations bestowed upon them by nature. This book ultimately becomes a nearly awe-inspiring tribute to animal diversity and a love letter to the entities you won’t want to see disappear.

Undoubtedly, animal enthusiasts will want to delve into this book, as will any individual worried about wildlife, conservation, or climate change. For anyone aged 15 and up, “Vanishing Treasures” is pure treasure.