History is full of strange animal stories, invented by the brightest and most influential, from Aristotle to Disney, and they reveal as much about us and the things we believe as they do about the animals they misrepresent. We once thought that eels were born from sand, that swallows migrated to the moon, and that bears gave birth to formless lumps that were licked into shape by their mothers.

In The Unexpected Truth About Animals, zoologist Lucy Cooke unravels many such myths, revealing the fascinating - and often hilarious - facts she's uncovered while chasing hyenas, spying on tobogganing penguins and stalking drunken moose. You'll learn why sloths risk their lives to poo, how bats joined the Allies in the Second World War, and the mystery of the beaver's balls. And you'll discover that even the most outlandish theories may have some truth in them after all.