It's Maria's MutS and Stuff. What a great idea. On iHeartRadio, Welcome to Maria's MutS and Stuff and with me is Jennifer Semanski, who is a freelance science writer and editor, to talk about Deadliest Animals on the Planet from not Geo Kids. Hi Jennifer, thanks for chatting with me today about the book. Hi, thanks so much for having me on. Absolutely so, I am fascinated by so many of the nat GIO books, but especially this one, Deadliest Animals on the Planet. So, first of all, how
long did it take to put this whole book together? Well, this book book, most of these types of books take around eight months, okay from start to finish this one. The publication was delayed just a little bit, okay, But it's such a team effort and so many people have their work put into books like this, I mean, like the photo editors and you know, the text editors. That it does take the better part of a
year, right, which is not which is a long time. But obviously it's good that it takes a long time because the product is well worth it. So I think. So, yeah, So, how do you decide on like which insects and which animals make the deadliest animals in this edition. So what we've got to do with this book, which I was really really
happy about, is we were able to expand the definition of deadliest. So we made sure that there were a lot of high interest animals that kids would really like, like tigers and bears and great white sharks, but we also included a lot of animals that are a little more common. But all animals, you know, need to protect themselves or protect their offspring, So we were hoping to get kids interested in some other animals as well that maybe they
wouldn't think about as being deadly, like a house cat. Like a house cat, Yes, I was actually kind of surprised, So tell me about that. Why is a house cat a deadly animal? Well, they are cats and they are predators, and they are good at both. So they
actually have a very high success rate when they are going to hunt. Among all of the cats, lions, and tigers, they might have a ten to fifteen percent success rate, and house cats come in at thirty or above depending on where they are right, So they're not as high as like the blackfoot cat, the one that's that's been making the internet rounds because it's you know, the one that's in the desert, which has about a fifty percent
rate. But they are really really effective predators. And I mean, I mean I know that from friends who have cats and say, oh, my cat brought home a rabbit, Like wait what? So you know they bring home all different types of animals that they leave on the back stoop or something. So but that's very interesting, and I guess it's good because kids wouldn't think of that, as I guess, because you know the cat. They
might have a cat and it's just, oh, it's my pet. But there's that old joke that if a cat was bigger, it would eat you. And I know it's a bad joke. I'm sorry to tell you that, right, but I'm not sure that's not true. You know exactly exactly which And now I'm going to hear from all the cat people who are like, I knew it, you're a dog person. Okay, that's great, because I saw that. I was. I was surprised, But now I
understand about a house cat. And I also saw like a koala bear and they're so cute and so cuddly, and well, what tell us, why would a koala be considered a deadly animal. They so I I had got to work with a wildlife veterinarian for one of the books that I wrote, and she said that they have some of the nastiest tempers really that you yes, and they just don't look like it because they're cute, it's buy and
have the big nose and the cookie ears. But they have some really strong claws that you know, usually they used to hold themselves up in the eucalyptus trees carry their joeys. But they do not like to be disturbed, and they will make that their displeasure known by using those claus right. So yeah,
and you know, regardless, it is a wild animal. And that's and that's what's so educational and so perfect because even though an animal is very cute and cuddly, it's still a wild animal that we need to respect and you know, which is perfect for children. This is why this book is so great. Absolutely, you know, so tell me. I was just you know, because I was slipping through and reading was like, oh, you know, of course the page with the tarantula. That completely freaks me
out, so I have to go fast past that. But then I came across an assassin bug, which I had never ever heard of, right, I actually had not heard of that prior to doing research for this book. And that is that is quite the critter. Oh my god, so weird
looking. Yes. So they have a habit of taking some of the for lack of a better word, the corpses of the other insects that they eat and wear them sort of as backpacks, and that keeps some sort of camouflage from birds and other predators that want to eat them because they recognized them as you know, being empty shells basically, or if they hold still, they just figure, oh it's, you know, a piece of debris. Right, Wow, that's fascinating. Nature to me is just so fascinating, you
know, because who would have thunk of that? But this, right bug did? Yeah, I mean, and I mean the photography and this book is just exquisite. I mean it's close up and like that assassin bug and you can see all the different things on top of it, and it's like wow. So, you know, kudos to the photographer on that. Absolutely. Do you have a favorite deadly animal? I have. I tend to like the ones that we think are cute that turn out to be pretty pretty
vicious. I always liked penguins. It's just one of my favorite birds as a kid. And then to read that they have like backward facing hooks inside their bills so that when they grab a fish, there is a minimal chance of that fish being able to you know, back out the mouth. Wow, So definitely a one way system. I thought that that was pretty pretty interesting. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Actually I didn't know that either. That's that's kind of cool. Yeah, do you have another besides penguins?
So many of them? I know, I'm sorry. I don't need to put you on the spot. No, no, no, that's okay, that's what I mean. I could go on. I know I want you to. Well, it's always fascinating to me for the person who is it's their project and they put this together. But I'm always curious, you know, well, who are your favorites or who who is? What's something that
you had no idea? Uh, that's a great question, one of So I sort of grew up in with a family that did some bird watching, okay, and I'm in I'm in Pennsylvania, so I mean, we don't have anything particularly exotic. So I was reading about the shrike which is a fairly small, handsome bird, and it is I actually think I had the patron that it's on one hundred and one. Okay, I'm gonna look at
it always. Yeah, it's always hunting. And if it's not hungry and it is successful at it's hunt, it will take those it's caught prey and pail that on a born or a branch. Wow, and just yeah and save it for later, which sounds like a horror movie. Right, that's that's to me. Does you know it's like a cute little bird. It's really cute. Yeah, it's very cute. It's a little gray head and it has like a black stripe where its eye is. It's really very it
is very pretty. But yeah, well that's kind of vicious. You're right, it is. It's almost like a silence of the lambs of bird. Right. That's really funny. That's great. So what age is this book is deadliest animals on the planet aimed at I mean, I'm fascinated by it and I'm old, but I know it's obviously because it's not geo kids, it's probably aimed at children. So what would be like the ideal age? I would say seven to you know thirteen. Okay, maybe maybe you know
a little leeway on each end. Right again, mentioned the photos. The photos are so brilliant. Oh, they're just beautiful, I think. I mean, I know when I was a kid and wasn't a great reader, yet I just love to look at the pictures. Right, No, me
too, me too. I wish we had books like this so we know when we were kids, because this is really I mean, it's just it's so perfect because it's fascinating and the way it's presented with the facts, it's not difficult for a child to read, which which ultimately makes the child learn, you know what I mean. Like, it's not too complicated, which
is what's so perfect about it. And I love the size. I love the fact that it's a little square book that's really that's a not geo kids thing, And I love that about these books because you don't see that that often. I agree, I agree. So, did you have a lot of extra of deadly animals that didn't make this edition that might make another one? Or like, how was the process that made you decide on the ones that are specifically in this book? So this is sort of a middle book
in a series of sort of related books. So we did one called The World's Cutest Animals, where we focused on sort of, you know, the physically cute aspects, and this is the Deadliest, and then there will be another one eventually called The Weirdest The Weirdest. Yes, and you're going to find some of the same animals in all three of those books, different photos, different photos, because we're going to focus on different aspects of what makes
them fit that category. Right, So is that that was a lot of fun for me? Oh, I'm sure. And is that your next project of the Weirdest or so after Deadliest, we have the Weirdest has been written. I haven't gotten anything back yet, so I'm not quite sure where that is in the process, but but it's out there. So all right, well that's great. Now, this is terrific. And for the listeners who are in intrigued by what we're talking about, and rightfully so, where can
they pick up this book? It should be available everywhere if you you know, have a local bookstore that you like, or any online retailer, and of course you can get it at the National National Geographic Kids website. All right, well, perfect, perfect, So Jennifer Semanski thank you, thank you for your time, thank you for all your effort putting into this amazing little book. And I look forward to well you're next on and we'll talk then, I hope. So keep doing what you do. I love it.
Okay, thank you so much