Why Can't Potatoes Walk?: 200 Answers to Possible and Impossible Questions about Animals and Nature

by Lars-Åke Janzon, Lukas Möllersten (Illustrations)

When it comes to animals and nature, there is no end to our curiosity. Around ten thousand questions a year land on Lars-Åke Janzon’s desk at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. In this sequel to the successful book How Long Can a Fly Fly? , Janzon responds to nutty questions, freak happenings, and odd observations with interesting facts and explanations. Learn about snake sex, animals’ brightly colored warning signals, and why a vulture was arrested in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of being an Israeli spy. Find out the facts behind the headlines about Thailand’s poisonous jellyfish and the “killer sharks” of Sharm el-Sheikh. For over ten years, Janzon has been researching the answers to questions

• What color will a chameleon turn if it lies on a chessboard?
• Why are flounders flat?
• How do sea urchins make love?
• How did wolves become big and bad?
• Why do animals migrate across Africa?
• Which animal has the longest tongue?
• Do fish spit?

In addition to answering these and many other questions, Janzon breaks down scientific terminology, lists animal stats, debunks myths, and answers all sorts of did-you-knows you never even thought to ask about nature and evolution.

Written with warm humor and educational zeal and accompanied by Lukas Möllersten’s imaginative illustrations, this fun and educational book is perfect for all ages of readers with a casual interest in understanding just a little bit more about nature.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2012

About the author

Lars-Åke Janzon is a biologist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. He enjoys research in the lab and in the field, where he often helps students identify their natural finds. He has made numerous television and radio appearances in Sweden to discuss biology and nature, and has published many articles on his findings.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

From the start there was no order. I thought it was odd that mention was made of animals and plants in Sweden once or twice. But I bought the book anyway being somewhat of a Scandinaviaphile (my neologism). Then as I walked down the street reading it I realised that a significant amount of information was solely about Sweden. It didn't say this on the cover. What do I care what poisonous spiders are in Sweden. I thought the book would be broader than that like about world animals and plants? So if you want to take a chance on reading about Sweden or alternatively the world with every new topic buy it for the pot luck approach to reading. If you want a well ordered series of interesting facts forget this one. And by the way I can’t tell you the answer about potatoes. If it is in there it is too hard to find. I suppose it should come as no surprise that there is no index. I didn't finish it. It drove me mad very soon. I even tried to return it but the "no returns" policy superseded common sense.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 2 out of 5]

348 - 2019

[Vera · Rating 3 out of 5]

The drawings are perfect, but the info is very basic

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very educational book and the illustrations are basic but adds to the stories of the animals.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of interesting facts, but would have benefited from a strict editor. Fair bit of typos and often hard to follow author's train of thought. The texts were often very simplistic, only to be followed by a sequence much too technical for a layperson.