Seventeen books of animal stories — dolphins rescuing sailors, elephants mourning their dead, crows using tools. Aelian uses natural history to make moral points about human behaviour.
Start ReadingAnimal intelligence and loyalty. Dolphins rescue drowning sailors. Dogs mourn dead masters. Aelian begins his moral bestiary.
Animal emotions and social behaviour. Elephants display grief. Ants demonstrate industry. Nature teaches what philosophy preaches.
Remarkable animal abilities. The chameleon changes colour, the octopus camouflages itself, birds migrate across continents.
Animals and divination. Sacred animals, prophetic behaviour, and the religious significance of animal signs.
Animal parenting and family bonds. Storks care for elderly parents. Pelicans feed young with their own blood (as the ancients believed).
Predators and prey. Hunting strategies of animals, from ambush spiders to cooperating wolves.
Exotic animals from India, Africa, and the edges of the known world. The fantastical meets the factual.
Venomous creatures, antidotes, and animal medicine. Natural cures discovered by animals themselves.
Animals and music. Deer are charmed by pipes, horses respond to flutes, dolphins follow songs.
Animal courage and warfare. Bulls fight, rams charge, and even fish battle for territory.
Animal chastity and fidelity. The dove mates for life. The eagle tests its young by making them stare at the sun.
More moral lessons from animals. Nature demonstrates justice without laws and temperance without philosophy.
Sea creatures: whales, dolphins, and the monsters of the deep. Aelian's maritime bestiary.
Birds: their habits, migrations, and remarkable abilities. Ravens that use tools, parrots that speak.
Insects and small creatures. The bee as a model of social organisation. The ant as a paragon of industry.
Animals in religion and mythology. Sacred cattle, temple snakes, and the role of animals in Greek and Egyptian worship.
The final collection. Animals as mirrors of human virtue and vice. Aelian's conclusion: nature is the greatest teacher.