Grizzled

Love Letters to 50 of North America's Least Understood Animals

Funny, fascinating, and scientifically grounded, this charming book reveals unknown details about 50 well-known animals.

Effortlessly enjoyable, Grizzled reintroduces nature lovers to species they thought they knew all about.

From fireflies and hummingbirds to alligators and sharks, this collection of 50 brief essays combines witty prose to reveal the secret lives and oddball behaviors of North American creatures both familiar and little known.

In Grizzled, science journalist Jason Bittel taps into current research about the behavior of key North American mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, from insects to urchins. Along the way, he answers questions you didn’t know to ask, such as:

• How do monarch butterflies emerge from sentient goo?
• Why did beavers have to parachute into their newest habitats?
• What’s inside a yellowjacket meatball?
• How many jellyfish can a sea turtle eat?
• Can deer really grow antlers on their legs?

Grizzled offers a surprising, endearing, and altogether eye-opening tour of the animal kingdom—one you won’t soon forget.

©2026 Jason Bittel (P)2025 Audible, Inc.