Strange Company
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Narrated by:
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Nikiya Palombi
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By:
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Jean Ryan
About this listen
In Strange Company, a delightful collection of short essays, Jean Ryan brings us closer to the natural world. From lizards to lady bugs, from the inscrutable sloth to the resplendent quetzal, Ryan reveals some of our commonalities with earth's creatures and hints at the lessons we might learn from them.
Do lizards fall in love? What do sloths think about all day? Why is the blood of a horseshoe crab so valuable? Do starlings flock for fun? Can a parrot serve as a therapist? Do turtles ever grow bored with their long lives? Why would a crow foster a kitten? Can snails be fearless?
These are just a few of the questions Ryan poses in Strange Company as she invites the listener on a wild journey through land, sea and sky. While these essays acknowledge our responsibility to Mother Nature, the insights they offer are affirmative and heartening. With her precise, elegant prose, Ryan draws us into the tantalizing world of animals and their oddities.
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Performance
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Rosemary and Peter Grant and those assisting them have spend 20 years on Daphne Major, an island in the Galapagos, studying natural selection. They recognize each individual bird on the island, when there are 400 at the time of the author's visit or when there are over a thousand. They have observed about 20 generations of finches - continuously.Jonathan Weiner follows these scientists as they watch Darwin's finches and come up with a new understanding of life itself.
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Fascinating in-depth look at evolution in action
- By Philip on 05-15-11
By: Jonathan Weiner
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Gods, Wasps and Stranglers
- The Secret History and Redemptive Future of Fig Trees
- By: Mike Shanahan
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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They are trees of life and trees of knowledge. They are wish-fulfillers, rain forest royalty, more precious than gold. They are the fig trees, and they have affected humanity in profound but little-known ways. Gods, Wasps and Stranglers tells their amazing story. Fig trees fed our prehuman ancestors, influenced diverse cultures, and played key roles in the dawn of civilization.
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Incredible research in a wonderful story
- By Alonsa Guevara on 11-24-22
By: Mike Shanahan
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The Galápagos
- A Natural History
- By: Henry Nicholls
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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The Galapagos were once known to the sailors and pirates who encountered them as Las Encantadas: the enchanted islands, home to exotic creatures and dramatic volcanic scenery. In The Galapagos, science writer Henry Nicholls offers a lively natural and human history of the archipelago, charting its evolution from deserted wilderness to scientific resource (made famous by Charles Darwin) and global ecotourism hot spot.
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Thought-Provoking
- By Jean on 10-23-18
By: Henry Nicholls
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Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You
- A Lively Tour Through the Dark Side of the Natural World
- By: Dan Riskin
- Narrated by: Dan Riskin
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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It may be a wonderful world, but as Dan Riskin explains, it's also a dangerous, disturbing, and disgusting one. At every turn, it seems, living things are trying to eat us, poison us, use our bodies as their homes, or have us spread their eggs. In Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You, Riskin is our guide through the natural world at its most gloriously ruthless. Using the seven deadly sins as a road map, Riskin offers dozens of jaw-dropping examples that illuminate how brutal nature can truly be.
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Just a bunch of random animal behaviors.
- By Goddess on 05-18-23
By: Dan Riskin
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The Bald Eagle
- The Improbable Journey of America's Bird
- By: Jack E. Davis
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The bald eagle is regal but fearless, a bird you’re not inclined to argue with. For centuries, Americans have celebrated it as “majestic” and “noble,” yet savaged the living bird behind their national symbol as a malicious predator of livestock and, falsely, a snatcher of babies.
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I thought the book would be about the bald eagle
- By An Amazon Buyer on 10-25-22
By: Jack E. Davis
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Superlative
- The Biology of Extremes
- By: Matthew D. LaPlante
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The world's largest land mammal could help us end cancer. The fastest bird is showing us how to solve a century-old engineering mystery. The oldest tree is giving us insights into climate change. The loudest whale is offering clues about the impact of solar storms. For a long time, scientists ignored superlative life forms as outliers. Increasingly, though, researchers are coming to see great value in studying plants and animals that exist on the outermost edges of the bell curve.
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Fascinating survey of amazing biology
- By Nerd's-eye view on 12-06-19
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A Most Remarkable Creature
- The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey
- By: Jonathan Meiburg
- Narrated by: Jonathan Meiburg
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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An enthralling account of a modern voyage of discovery as we meet the clever, social birds of prey called caracaras, which puzzled Darwin, fascinate modern-day falconers, and carry secrets of our planet's deep past in their family history.
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I don't leave reviews often, but . . .
- By Steven L Peck on 06-24-21
By: Jonathan Meiburg
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Monster of God
- By: David Quammen
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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For millennia, lions, tigers, and their man-eating kin have kept our dark, scary forests dark and scary, and their predatory majesty has been the stuff of folklore. But by the year 2150 big predators may only exist on the other side of glass barriers and chain-link fences. Their gradual disappearance is changing the very nature of our existence. We no longer occupy an intermediate position on the food chain; instead we survey it invulnerably from above - so far above that we are in danger of forgetting that we even belong to an ecosystem.
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Great book, shame about the performance
- By Shirzy on 05-23-18
By: David Quammen
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The Hidden Life of Trees
- What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World
- By: Peter Wohlleben
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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How do trees live? Do they feel pain or have awareness of their surroundings? Research is now suggesting trees are capable of much more than we have ever known. In The Hidden Life of Trees, forester Peter Wohlleben puts groundbreaking scientific discoveries into a language everyone can relate to.
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Tree Hugger
- By Darwin8u on 04-18-19
By: Peter Wohlleben
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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
- A New History of a Lost World
- By: Steve Brusatte
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In this stunning narrative spanning more than 200 million years, Steve Brusatte, a young American paleontologist who has emerged as one of the foremost stars of the field - discovering 10 new species and leading groundbreaking scientific studies and fieldwork - masterfully tells the complete, surprising, and new history of the dinosaurs, drawing on cutting-edge science to dramatically bring to life their lost world and illuminate their enigmatic origins, spectacular flourishing, astonishing diversity, cataclysmic extinction, and startling living legacy.
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"The Rise of the Scientists Who Study Dinosaurs"
- By Daniel Powell on 09-16-18
By: Steve Brusatte
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Parasite Rex
- Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures
- By: Carl Zimmer
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and the darkest shadows of science. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer takes listeners on a fantastic voyage into the secret universe of these extraordinary life forms that are not only among the most highly evolved on Earth, but make up the majority of life's diversity. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the parasite-riddled war zone of southern Sudan, Zimmer introduces an array of amazing creatures that invade their hosts, prey on them from within, and control their behavior.
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Fascinating and Horrible
- By David A on 10-09-18
By: Carl Zimmer
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How to Read Nature
- An Expert's Guide to Discovering the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
- By: Tristan Gooley
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Nobody wakes up in the morning and decides to shut down their senses and stumble through each day in an oblivious bubble, and yet some people end up having much richer experiences than others. In this guidebook, natural navigator Tristan Gooley strives to reawaken our senses to help us understand and deepen our personal experience of nature. His message is to connect - however we can and to whatever draws us in.
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A fool sees not the same tree a wise man sees
- By Mark A Bleakley on 08-07-18
By: Tristan Gooley
What listeners say about Strange Company
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Miriam Levy
- 04-03-17
Amazing and inspiring
Incredible stories of the wonders of nature. Jean Ryan's insights are inspiring and beautifully expressed. Nikiya Palombi's narration was clear and expressive. I really enjoyed hearing this book.
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- in1ear (John Row)
- 03-25-17
Reflections of Wonderful and Amazing Animals
What made the experience of listening to Strange Company the most enjoyable?
I wasn't sure what to expect... Is it about cute animals bonding like on Animal Planet?There IS some of that. But it's much more. It is deeper, why animal behavior reflects meaning to so many. It does so without projecting traits identified as "human" onto the different species. I got a lot of information that I didn't know.
Who was your favorite character and why?
All of the animals were portrayed positively. I can't suggest any favorite.
Which character – as performed by Nikiya Palombi – was your favorite?
I was hesitant with Niklya's narration... only for about the first minute! The essays flowed, and she became an intricate part of my enjoyment of this book.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It isn't a long book and the pace flows from subject to subject very well. I will be relistening soon. It's that interesting and well read
Any additional comments?
I listen to a lot of audio books and every once in awhile.one really grabs me. This is one of that kind. Not in my usual range of listening material. Very good though!This copy was provided at no charge by Mark McNease, one of favorite authors. I'm happy to provide an honest review. Voluntarily, I think I'm suppose to disclose.
No Animals were harmed in the writing or narration of this work!!!! LOL
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- Mary Karowski
- 04-08-17
Interesting tales of nature and history
Strange company appeared to be and initially introduced itself as a romp through tales of animal companions of disparate natures. It quickly devolved into random yet interesting tales of various animals, historical caves etc. I thoroughly enjoyed it though I give the 4 stars as it was not the tale I expected from the title, the cover or from the introduction. Had it been the tale portrayed or has the portrayal been presented differently then I would have provided 5 stars. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Suzan
- 05-03-17
Amazing
Wow what a truly amazing world we live in. This book tells of unique creatures that live around us. The narrator does a wonderful job of relaying this story. I was gifted this audiobook with the understanding I would leave an honest review.
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- Teresa
- 04-07-17
Strange Company was a Fantastic Listen
Strange Company was such an amazing listen. I enjoyed it thoroughly only it was so good that it went by too fast. I love ALL creatures and found this audiobook full of tidbits I didn't know. The short-lived mayfly was interesting. I learned a lot about the quetzal while in a sketch group and sketching one but sadly their population is diminishing. Facts about the thylacine or Tasmainian tiger to the jellyfish, the salamander, and the praying mantis were simply amazing.
I enjoyed the part about the Lascaux cave paintings as well. I would love to see them. This was an overall wonderful book written by Jean Ryan and I would definitely recommend checking this one out.
The narration by Nikiya Palombi was excellent. She did such a great job. She had perfect voice inflections and clearly portayed the author's enthusiasm for nature.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.
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- Claire
- 04-12-17
Re-kindle your love for nature
Jean offers a look into some of the many interesting and unique behaviors and life-cycles to be found in the animal kingdom.
Each section is short and captivating and there are many links back to humans and how we live our lives. Examples come from land, sky and sea and from many categories of animals and insects.
Worth listening to several times, I just wish it was longer I wasn't read for it to be over.
Nikiya does a great job of showing Jean's obvious enthusiasm for the natural world, drawing you in even further.
Note: This book was provided free by the author/narrator/publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
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- Mandymay💄👠👛
- 04-19-17
A delightful little book 🐒
This book was informative and entertaining.
I learned so much about the awesome creatures that inhabit our world.
I was given this book in exchange for my honest review.
I recommend this book for anyone who has a love for the lil critters 🐞
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1 person found this helpful
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- LE
- 05-23-17
Fascinating and Beautiful
This is a really interesting, inspiring, and informative documentary book, beautifully brought to life by Nikiya Palombi. If you are interested in the animal kingdom and in human nature, you will love this!
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