Book excerpt: A fascinating overview of recent research on the animal world by an award-winning author who knows how to bring it to life. Lewis Smith begins by looking at ancient species and recent discoveries about their behaviour. The head-butting dinosaur is just one example. He looks at the many threats to wildlife today, how these threats can be countered, and how wildlife helps itself and can be helped to recover from the dangers that beset it. Despite many centuries of research, new species are still being discovered. Lewis Smith introduces us to the world's largest pygmy shrew and several other extraordinary examples. He concludes with a discussion on invasive species and their effect on the environment, including the American bullfrog, the crayfish, and the grey squirrel.