Wild Discoveries:
Wacky New Animals
Wacky New Animals
by Heather Montgomery
64 pages; ages 7 - 10
Scholastic, 2013
I can't pass up a book with a frog on its cover - especially
one this unusual. It's a Condor Glassfrog from a forest high on an Ecuadorian
mountainside. And it's a new species - at least "new to us". Because,
while it's been around for years decades centuries, scientists only
"discovered" it within the last half-dozen years.
Heather Montgomery gives us a round-the-world tour of new
animals (and a couple non animal species) discovered between 2007 and
2012. For each, she includes its
scientific name (genus and species) - the Latin label that allows it to be
identified by scientists no matter what language they speak when they order
take-out. She also lets us know its role in nature (carnivore, decomposer) where
it was found, how big it is, and a little about its life or behavior.
There's a brilliant pink Dragon millipede, a cat-sized Titi
monkey, a 7-inch long crayfish with hairy antennae, and a Pygmy seahorse that
measures a half inch. Scientists have bestowed some of their new discoveries
with humorous names: "Tarzan chameleon" for a chameleon that climbs
trees; "pancake batfish" for a fish as flat as a pancake; and
Spongiforma squarepantsii for a brand new fungus that resembles... a sponge.
Every now and then Montgomery tosses in a magnifying glass icon with an
"unsolved mystery" question.
Heather was kind enough to answer three questions about her new book.
Heather was kind enough to answer three questions about her new book.
Archimedes: What drove you to write this book?
Heather: While
researching other projects I had been corresponding with several scientists who
had discovered new species of insects. I became fascinated with the process of
discovery and wanted to write a book that followed an entomologist and his team
through the process. When an editor at Scholastic asked me for a proposal I
realized that a long narrative was not the right approach for that kind of
book. I began digging, and digging and discovered a vast number of organisms
being discovered (even on a daily basis!) and decided to approach the topic by
using an abundance of examples. When I found things like a hot-pink millipede
and slime-spewing worms which had never been known to science, I knew this
would be "wacky" examples to illustrate the diversity of life.
Archimedes: Can you describe how long it took & the
kinds of research you did?
Heather: I LOVE research! For this book I read
extensively - many, many news releases and scientific papers. I
interviewed many scientists, by phone or email - they were exceptionally helpful! Unfortunately
time and resources prevented me from visiting the amazing places on the planet
where these animals were found (miles deep in the ocean, high in the cloud
forests of South America,...) -- except for one peaceful creek where a
bottlebrush crayfish was recently discovered. That creek happens to be about an
hour away from my home. In my many paddling trips via canoe or kayak, how did I
manage to miss discovering that 11-inch, blue-blooded beauty?
Archimedes: What new animal discovery surprised you the
most?
Heather: That's kind of like asking a parent which is their
favorite kid. A see-through frog, the
longest insect in the world, a worm that eats whale bones, and a 2-foot monkey
that no one knew about?!?! But, if I had to pick, it wouldn't be a particular
animal - but instead, the fact that animals that live basically in my back yard
have never been described by scientists. That blows my mind! It makes me want to get outside and see what
I can find!
Check out other cool science posts and STEM resources over at STEM Friday. Review copy provided by the author.
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