Skip to main content.

The Strangest Things in the World: A Book About Extraordinary Manifestations of…

Gelesen von LibriVox Volunteers

(4,071 Sterne; 7 Bewertungen)

"THE STRANGEST THINGS IN THE WORLD - A Book About Extraordinary Manifestations of Nature" This title sums up the wonderful line up in this book. Short pieces about the strange and often bewildering things that occur in our world, from the insect that is born pregnant, to the fearsome poison arrow frog and about 170 others. If you like odd facts and weird plants and animals, this collection will delight you. So pick something interesting and enjoy reading it. The author is one of the world’s best-known and most respected science writers. This book is a personal and unique distillation of the wisdom he has developed in a lifetime of dealing with man’s effort to resolve the paradoxes of nature.- from the Introduction (Summary by phil c and the introduction) (11 hr 50 min)

Chapters

The Invisible Underground Jungle

6:03

Read by Marie Christian

The Self-Perpetuating Sponge

3:54

Read by Marie Christian

Living “Stars” in Caves

6:52

Read by Marie Christian

Parenthood Among Penguins

3:25

Read by Marie Christian

The Strategy of Warrior Ants

10:01

Read by Marie Christian

Uganda’s Miniature Dinosaur.

1:44

Read by Kerry Adams

The Strange Ways of Spiders

4:23

Read by maxmagnus99

Worms With a Thousand Eyes

11:05

Read by Darrell Nobles

Queer Fish, But Definitely

6:13

Read by Oris99

Love Life Among the Spiders

1:45

Read by Tia Wright

The Lace Weavers

8:54

Read by elibishop

The Ways of Crabs

6:28

Read by Tia Wright

Ticks With Noses in Their Legs

1:26

Read by Kerry Adams

The Fourth Realm of Life

5:30

Read by Tia Wright

Rubber-Band Worms that Stretch and Stretch

7:57

Read by Tom Merritt

Frog Versatility

6:46

Read by Tom Merritt

The Horned Viper Spears Other Animals

1:48

Read by lagrange123

The World of Insects

4:58

Read by Winnifred Assmann

Gigantic Serpents of the Sky

8:35

Read by Larry Wilson

The Limbless Lizard

1:17

Read by RajVO

The Maddening Tarantula

1:50

Read by bkelle

A Flower That Grows Through Solid Ice

1:54

Read by Krista Zaleski

The Versatile Ant Farmers

5:54

Read by ToniM

Ostracoderms: Ancestors of True Fish

5:47

Read by Larry Wilson

The Ever Faithful Hornbills

6:58

Read by Jananiram

Ants With Tailor Skills

2:03

Read by bkelle

Fiend Symphonies of the Jungle

8:11

Read by Tia Wright

Tyrants of the Polychaete Race

6:58

Read by Larry Wilson

Eating Habits of Spiders

1:16

Read by bkelle

The Suicide Instinct of Iguanas

1:52

Read by Tia Wright

Forests That Eat Meat

4:07

Read by Oris99

Cave-Dwelling Birds

3:31

Read by Winnifred Assmann

Where Snails Become Flowers

2:19

Read by Mike Manolakes

Termites That Eat Lead

4:05

Read by Mike Manolakes

The Plant That Eats Animals

4:56

Read by Tom Merritt

The Ocean’s Sound Barrier

5:41

Read by Krista Zaleski

Snakes That Act and Look Like Worms

2:38

Read by Tia Wright

A Porcupine of the Sea

4:12

Read by Krista Zaleski

Worms That Are Unkillable

3:22

Read by inararabbani

The Remarkable Brachiopods

8:00

Read by Oris99

Feathers on Birds Adapt to the Seasons

1:29

Read by Larry Wilson

Why the Dodo Became Extinct

1:41

Read by Krista Zaleski

The Shark of the Soil

2:13

Read by Tia Wright

The Sleeping Habits of Mammals

1:28

Read by Tia Wright

The Eerie Eyes of Animals at Night

3:55

Read by Larry Wilson

World of the Blind

6:13

Read by Tia Wright

The Remarkable Clam Worms

7:08

Read by gnels17

Winged Reptile

1:33

Read by Larry Wilson

Vicious Fire Ants

1:42

Read by Larry Wilson

The Architectural Genius of Birds

7:39

Read by lagrange123

The Ferocious Leech Worms

8:24

Read by lagrange123

The Complex Spider’s Web

1:02

Read by Larry Wilson

Monsters of the Deep: The Great Squids

9:27

Read by Andrea Kotzer

The Vanishing Whippoorwill

3:58

Read by Larry Wilson

Ants Can Smell Almost Anything

3:05

Read by Winnifred Assmann

Fish That Fish For Fish

5:26

Read by ABVoice

Worms That Are Flowers

11:13

Read by Krista Zaleski

The Heavy Toll of Bird Migrations

2:19

Read by ToniM

Deadly Snakes That Take Life Easy

2:56

Read by Andrea Kotzer

Weird Plant-Animals

7:47

Read by Winston Smith

Weird Ways of Birds

4:25

Read by Kevin Waters

The Fantastic Sea Horse

5:03

Read by Krista Zaleski

The Great Seal Migrations

4:38

Read by Mike Manolakes

Monsters With Buzz Saws

8:52

Read by Mike Manolakes

Two-Headed Snakes Aren’t Rare

1:07

Read by Ben Tucker

Fantastic Sea Creatures

3:15

Read by Winston Smith

The Varieties of Raven Language

3:06

Read by ChristosPax

Worms With Hypodermic Needles

3:26

Read by Winston Smith

The Fatal Black Widow Spider

1:39

Read by Kevin Waters

Plants That are Animated

2:11

Read by Tia Wright

The Tomato—Cinderella of Vegetables

2:21

Read by Tia Wright

The Holiest Place on Earth

8:58

Read by Kevin Waters

The Vanishing Golden Carpet

4:42

Read by Andrea Kotzer

Evolution of the Bird

2:37

Read by Tom Merritt

Speed Ace of the Air

3:06

Read by Kerry Adams

The Remarkable Instincts of the Silk Worm

6:58

Read by Tom Merritt

The Strange World of the Sea

7:53

Read by Lynn Marie

The Cannibal Birds of the Pacific

4:48

Read by Tia Wright

Eagles as Indian Pets

1:50

Read by Kerry Adams

The Giant Insects of the Carolines

2:47

Read by Andrea Kotzer

The Valley Where Dusk is Death

4:03

Read by Kevin Waters

Enigma of Evolution: the Snake

3:58

Read by Tom Merritt

The Fastest Growth on Earth

5:39

Read by Tom Merritt

Birds That Duel

2:36

Read by mleigh

Brakes on Plant Life

3:26

Read by Mike Manolakes

Snails Are the Flowers of the Sea

3:45

Read by Krista Zaleski

The Brutal South Pole Birds

2:33

Read by Krista Zaleski

Silk-Bearded Clams

3:36

Read by JimLawter

Pearls Grow in Brooks

2:38

Read by Tia Wright

Grasshopper-Infested Glaciers

1:45

Read by Kerry Adams

Monster Clams of Polynesia

1:10

Read by Tia Wright

Corals Combine Plants and Animal Life

4:23

Read by Winston Smith

The First Engineers—Termites

5:22

Read by Winston Smith

Oyster Oddities

1:41

Read by Tom Merritt

The World’s Biggest Sneeze

1:42

Read by mleigh

The Luminescent Ctenophores

4:47

Read by ChristosPax

The Forest That Time Forgot

3:35

Read by Ben Tucker

The Versatility of the Elephant’s Trunk

2:43

Read by Tia Wright

Fiendish Vampires of the Night

3:20

Read by Ben Tucker

Remarkable Orchids

2:07

Read by Kevin Waters

Nature’s Insecticide: The Millipede

4:04

Read by Winston Smith

Bats Have Built-in Radar

4:13

Read by Kevin Waters

Crabs That Climb Trees

4:03

Read by Kevin Waters

The Ferocious Centipede

5:23

Read by lbleath

The Plant That Makes Men Dumb

1:30

Read by Kevin Waters

The Scourge of the Earth: Locusts

5:37

Read by Kevin Waters

Trees Can Grow Smaller

1:52

Read by Tia Wright

Underworld Cities

4:42

Read by juliaviolin

Plants That Create Mirages

3:25

Read by mleigh

The Octopus Worm: Evolution’s Mystery

3:33

Read by Caleb Stagayama

The Monster Bear of Kamchatka

4:18

Read by Caleb Stagayama

Strange Denizens of the Deep

3:13

Read by Krista Zaleski

Communism Among the Bees

3:59

Read by emilyz

Candles on Bushes

1:34

Read by Winnifred Assmann

The Desert Rat Manufactures Water

1:33

Read by Kerry Adams

The Caste System of the Termite

3:48

Read by czandra

The Shark That Stands Upright

2:01

Read by redfalcon1009

The Dead Man’s Vine

1:19

Read by Ben Tucker

The Insect With Fourteen Lives

5:47

Read by Laurie Banza

Shyness Characteristic of Giant Rats

1:13

Read by Kerry Adams

Nocturnal Potto

1:35

Read by Kerry Adams

Where Trees are Square

1:36

Read by mleigh

The Lamp That is a Beetle

1:04

Read by SherlHolmesMD

Rainstorms of Worms

1:54

Read by SherlHolmesMD

The Icy Arctic Wonderland

2:48

Read by czandra

Fish That Live on Land

2:26

Read by Winnifred Assmann

The Special Language of Bees

7:54

Read by Tom Merritt

Poisonous Platters of the Sea

1:34

Read by Larry Wilson

Our Un-American Food

4:10

Read by Larry Wilson

Worms That Commit Mass Suicide

2:40

Read by mleigh

Fish That Survive Freezing

3:04

Read by Steve Mayer

Plants That Kill

2:41

Read by Steve Mayer

Caterpillars That Pretend to be Snakes

1:57

Read by Steve Mayer

All Plants Are Luminous

2:34

Read by Steve Mayer

Worms That Live in the Snow

2:54

Read by Steve Mayer

The Strange Ways of Snails

7:57

Read by Steve Mayer

Vision-Producing Plants

2:35

Read by Steve Mayer

The Abominable Snow Man

5:27

Read by mleigh

Fish That Sing in the Moonlight

3:07

Read by Andrea Kotzer

Brazil’s Vicious Glow Worm

1:37

Read by Kerry Adams

Grasshoppers Like Chameleons

2:59

Read by Margaret Lange

Beetles That Helped an Army

1:25

Read by czandra

Worms in Medical History

1:51

Read by Larry Wilson

Toads That Make Poison Gas

1:24

Read by Larry Wilson

Plants That Thrive on Ice-Bloom

3:22

Read by Larry Wilson

Poison Arrow Frogs

2:46

Read by Tia Wright

The Seal That Can “Lose” Its Head

2:01

Read by JimLawter

The Delectable Horned Viper

1:45

Read by Kerry Adams

Flying Snakes, Frogs and Toads

2:22

Read by Laurie Banza

Eagles Build Log Cabin Nests

1:31

Read by czandra

The Predatory Mantid

4:26

Read by Tia Wright

Fireflies as Electricians

4:18

Read by Krista Zaleski

The Mollusk Vampire of Hell

4:20

Read by Ben Tucker

Climbing and Flying Frogs

5:32

Read by CadenB

Mad Dog Cycles

2:56

Read by CadenB

The Amazing Survival of the Opossum

4:35

Read by CadenB

Mammal Prototypes of the “Mermaid”

6:26

Read by CadenB

Limbless Lizards and Glass Snakes

3:26

Read by CadenB

The Only Bug in the Sea

2:24

Read by CadenB

A Crocodile With Life After Death

9:44

Read by ABC123yuv

The Salamander That Lives Like a Worm

4:06

Read by Sarah Rothwell

Three-eyed Lizards of New Zealand

6:34

Read by VOSolutions

Prodigious Fertility of Insects

1:05

Read by SherlHolmesMD

The Lizard That Runs Out of Its Own Skin

1:38

Read by Sarah Rothwell

High Living in the Himalayas

2:52

Read by mleigh

Barking Spider Monkeys

3:13

Read by Sarah Rothwell

The Insect That is Born Pregnant

2:18

Read by SheriLynnWarren

Bull-dog Animals

1:01

Read by Lee Vogler

Foresight of Kangaroo Rats

1:14

Read by czandra

The Primitive Proturans

1:16

Read by Sarah Rothwell

Air-Conditioned Homes of Beavers

2:44

Read by mleigh

The Demon of Puerto Rico

2:46

Read by KNashVox

Man-Made Plants

4:39

Read by KNashVox

The Great Seal Migration

2:28

Read by KNashVox

The Magic Bark of the Cinchona Tree

2:19

Read by KNashVox

Colombia’s Ant Tree

1:33

Read by KNashVox

The Strange Behavior of Plants

4:47

Read by Brianna Chiles

Venezuela’s Nocturnal Orchid

1:44

Read by Brianna Chiles

The Plant That Strikes Men Dumb

1:40

Read by Brianna Chiles

Combat of Moth and Shrew

2:20

Read by Brianna Chiles

The Ferocious Snake Weasel

2:21

Read by Lee Vogler

The Rabbit That Swims

2:59

Read by mleigh

Gorilla Warriors of the Belgian Congo.

3:10

Read by Dyefferson Azevedo

The Biggest “Rat” in the World

1:23

Read by Brianna Chiles

The Suicide Marches of Lemmings

3:02

Read by bkelle

The Ferocity of the Tiger

3:15

Read by docdlmartin

The Fearsome Porcupine

1:31

Read by docdlmartin

The Plant That Stimulates Visions

4:22

Read by docdlmartin

The Puzzling Platypus

4:25

Read by Krista Zaleski

Bewertungen

loved it

(5 Sterne)

Wonderful info, excellently written, beautifully read.

Interesting facts, but ...

(3 Sterne)

Interesting factts, but poorly written. seemed like it was written by a HS freshman who got a C on it. Awkward sentences, subjects that left you hanging at the end, etc. Readers were either very good or very poor.